Meta: Meta on Thursday released a Facebook reel warning users about phishing scams disguised as official announcements related to Taiwan’s upcoming NT$10,000 (US$323) cash handout program.

According to Focus Taiwan, the video was created in collaboration with Taiwanese fact-checking organization MyGoPen and urged people not to click on suspicious links, share personal data, mail ATM cards or financial documents, or forward unverified messages and social media posts.

The reel illustrated examples of text messages and emails linking to fake government websites that request personal information to “register” or “collect” the handout ahead of the official registration date of Nov. 5. Meta emphasized that the government will not use text messages or emails for announcements about the handout, nor will it request ATM transfers.

In addition to the video, Meta issued a press release warning that scammers impersonating police officers may claim that someone has fraudulently collected a person’s handout. These scammers might then ask for bank details, ATM cards, or passwords under the guise of investigative procedures.

After significant political debate, Taiwan’s government resolved to distribute NT$10,000 to each citizen, as well as foreign nationals who are permanent residents or spouses of Taiwanese citizens. This policy aims to stimulate the local economy, which has seen strong AI-related export growth but stagnant economic activity overall, and to support consumers facing rising prices and sluggish real wage growth.

Charles Yang, the founder of MyGoPen, noted that many people were scammed during the government’s 2021 stimulus voucher program, which distributed vouchers worth NT$5,000. He warned that fraudsters might employ “more convincing and sophisticated methods” this time to exploit people’s eagerness to claim the funds or their fear of losing them to identity thieves.

Official information about the NT$10,000 handout is available on the government’s official website, where online registration will commence on Nov. 5. Registrants must provide a national health insurance card number, a national ID number, or residence permit number, and a bank account number, with funds expected to be deposited about a week after registration.

The NT$10,000 handout can also be collected without online registration, through ATMs starting on Nov. 17 and post offices starting on Nov. 24. Aside from Meta’s warning, the government has issued several warnings against fraud ahead of the handout’s rollout.