Taiwan to add more NT$500 prizes to cloud invoice lottery: Ministry

Taipei, Aug. 21 (CNA) The Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced Friday that it will add more NT$500 (US$15.71) prizes to its bimonthly cloud invoice lottery this year, starting with the July-August draw on Sept. 25.

Taiwan's uniform invoice lottery is drawn on the 25th day of odd-numbered months -- January, March, May, July, September and November. Each draw covers receipts issued during the preceding two calendar months.

Lou Mei-chung (樓美鐘), director-general of the MOF's Taxation Administration, said the ministry decided to increase the number of NT$500 cloud-invoice prizes after assessing the prize redemption rate.

The number of NT$500 prizes exclusively available to cloud invoice holders will be increased by 500,000 to 4.35 million per draw, up from the current 3.85 million, while the number of prizes in other tiers will remain unchanged, Lou said.

Lou said the total number of cloud invoice prizes will reach 4.466 million per draw from July through December, giving people who use electronic receipts a greater chance of winning.

Lou reminded the public that they can use the MOF's E-Invoice Platform or its Uniform Invoice Redemption app to link various digital carriers to a mobile barcode and link a bank account to receive prize money, helping ensure they do not miss out on winnings.

Fiscal Information Agency Director-General Chang Wen-hsi (張文熙) said more than 2.85 million people have downloaded the app to date. The app was revamped on July 1 to provide a smoother and more convenient user experience.

New features include a bilingual interface and an automatic bank transfer service for prize winnings, Chang added.

Meanwhile, the agency reminded the public that the E-Invoice Platform never asks for credit card information via email or text message.

The warning came after reports of scammers impersonating companies in emails that directed recipients to fake MOF websites and asked them to enter their credit card information.