1. What is "a fraud rider"?
After a victim withdraws money from his/her account, the fraud gang will send a person to collect the money. This person is called "a fraud rider", who collect money from the victim for commission.
A fraud rider is a middleman, who gets money and passes it through to the gang unknowing of the real situation. As a fraud rider just do what was told to do and knows nothing about the fraud gang, the police usually don’t get much information from a fraud rider and have to spend a lot of time and effort to find the mastermind behind the scene.
2. Why "fraud riders" appear again and again?
The police have seized a teenaged fraud rider, who has assisted a fraud gang to collect NT$ 1.52 million from a woman and has been rewarded with NT$ 15,000. As he was the only suspect caught in the whole case and was not able to give out the identity of his accomplices, the judge sentenced him and his parents to compensate the woman for NT$ 1.52 million. In another case, the judge also sentenced a teenaged fraud rider seized by the police to compensate the victim. His parents were thus forced to sell real estate and savings accumulated in decades. Meanwhile, the boy was also charged of offenses of fraud.
3. A real juvenile fraud rider case:
A 17-year-old boy surnamed Lin assisted a fraud gang to cheat a woman surnamed Yao of NT$1.52 million and was rewarded with NT$ 15,000. After collecting evidence from the surveillance system, the police seized Lin and transferred him to the juvenile court for investigation. Meanwhile, the victims sued Lin and his parents for damages. After hearing, the judge sentenced Lin and his parents to compensate Yao for NT$ 1.52 million.
4. Article 339 of Criminal Code: Common Fraud
(1) A person who by fraud causes another to deliver to him property belonging to such other or to a third person for purpose to exercise unlawful control over other's property for himself or for a fourth person shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or short-term imprisonment; in lieu thereof, or in addition thereto, a fine of not more than NT$ 1,000 may be imposed.
(2) A person who by the means specified in the preceding paragraph takes an illegal benefit for himself or for a third person shall be subject to the same punishment.
An attempt to commit an offense specified in one of the two preceding paragraphs is punishable.