Phone fraud schemes worsen Beijing-Taiwan tensions

By Ralph Jennings, The Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Liu Tai-ting was hoping to make money to support his child when he joined what Chinese authorities say was a telephone fraud scheme, posing as a government official to demand bogus payments and gain control of his victims’ bank accounts.

Liu said he made enough over two years to transfer more than $8,000 before he was tracked down and sent to mainland China to face trial. He apologized at the hearing, saying to the victims, “it was money you had struggled to save over a lifetime.”

Gangs operating from far-flung bases are a growing source of tension between Beijing and the self-ruled island of Taiwan. The governments agreed in 2009 to jointly fight crime despite their lack of diplomatic ties, but the phone fraud cases are straining those good intentions.

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