10 arrested in Taiwan over counterfeit goods, money laundering on Shopee

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) Ten people have been detained in connection with a scheme that used rented accounts on Shopee, a Singapore-based e-commerce platform, to sell over NT$300 million (US$10 million) in counterfeit goods from China in Taiwan, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Monday.

The CIB said the scheme was orchestrated by a 54-year-old man surnamed Hu (胡), who is currently wanted for fraud and economic crimes but has fled to China.

Hu allegedly directed a woman surnamed Chang (張) to set up a company in Taiwan and recruit a man surnamed Wang (王) and others to rent Shopee accounts for NT$2,000 plus 1-2 percent of sales, according to Li Yang-chi (李泱輯), head of the CIB's 2nd Investigation Corps.

Speaking at a CIB news conference on Monday, Li said the group commandeered 290 such accounts between January 2024 and June 2025, generating over NT$300 million in sales and at least NT$6 million in illegal gains.

Counterfeit Chanel, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Sanrio and Crayon Shin-chan items were imported from China and stored in a warehouse in Taoyuan's Luzhu District before being mailed to customers in Taiwan, the CIB said.

The proceeds were first sent to the shell company and then remitted to China by Hu's sister, also surnamed Hu (胡), and a woman surnamed Ssu (斯), the bureau added.

To disguise the illegal money flows, Chang ordered subordinates to create additional dummy firms and had employees sign confidentiality agreements, the CIB alleged.

On June 12, investigators searched five commercial sites and 13 residences in Taipei and New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung, arresting the 10 suspects, the CIB said.

The case was transferred to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office where bail for the suspects was set at between NT$100,000 and NT$500,000, the CIB said.

Hu's sister and Ssu -- who frequently traveled to China -- were also barred from leaving Taiwan, the bureau said.

The scheme violated Taiwan's Money Laundering Control Act, Banking Act and Trademark Act and posed "national security risks" by flooding the Taiwanese market with low-quality prohibited goods, the bureau said.

The CIB reminded the public that renting or lending personal financial or payment accounts is illegal under the Money Laundering Control Act.