Malaysian man arrested in Taichung over fake prosecutor scam

Taichung, June 16 (CNA) A Malaysian man has been arrested in Taichung for allegedly collecting cash and bank cards from a 79-year-old woman who was duped in a fake prosecutor scam, police said Sunday.

The Taichung Police Department's Second Precinct said at a press briefing that officers from Liren Police Station saw the man handing a kraft paper bag and a red envelope to the woman on Shenyang North Road in Beitun District on Wednesday -- a textbook cash handoff -- and called for backup.

Earlier, the man had drawn police attention by acting suspiciously -- wearing a hat and face mask while nervously looking around in a nearby lane, the precinct said.

The woman told investigators she had received a phone call from someone claiming to be "a district prosecutor." The caller accused her of being involved in a money laundering case and threatened court detention if she didn't hand over a "security deposit" along with her bank cards for "account monitoring."

She subsequently gave the man NT$3,900 (US$132) in cash and two bank cards holding a combined NT$720,592.

Police arrested the man after confirming he was involved in the scam and seized the NT$3,900, two mobile phones, two bank cards, a forged promissory note from the "Taipei District Court," and a sealed kraft envelope.

The case remains under investigation as police work to identify others involved in the crime.