Taipei: Migrant workers in Taiwan are encountering a range of fraudulent schemes, but many cases remain unreported due to language barriers and other challenges, according to a non-governmental organization.
According to Focus Taiwan, the TransAsia Sisters Association, Taiwan, highlighted several issues at a news conference, based on interviews conducted over the past year with migrant workers and some foreign spouses. The interviews, carried out through online surveys and questionnaires in Taoyuan, Taichung, and Kaohsiung, revealed that 30 percent of the 243 respondents had experienced financial fraud, yet only a third reported their cases to Taiwanese authorities. The reluctance to report was attributed to the lack of multilingual services at police stations.
The association noted that migrant workers and new immigrants often seek assistance from compatriots or NGOs rather than government agencies. The survey identified common fraud types, including receiving counterfeit products from online shopping and scams involving fake manpower brokers or imposters posing as family or friends.
Ah Lai, a Thai interviewee, shared that her friend was deceived into an unpaid job and received no help from her manpower broker, forcing her to leave the position. Kuomintang lawmaker Wang Yu-min criticized the government for insufficient support, citing the Chinese-only operation of the 165 anti-fraud hotline as a barrier for non-Chinese speakers. She urged for multilingual communication channels to provide accurate information and combat scams.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yue-chin cited estimates by One-Forty, indicating that migrant workers in Taiwan were collectively defrauded of approximately NT$1.7 billion (US$56.78 million) in 2024, averaging NT$8,000 per person. Lin called for improved data collection and expanded multilingual services.
Wu Jing-ru from the Taiwan International Workers’ Association criticized a restriction in the Employment Service Act that prevents blue-collar migrant workers from changing employers freely, increasing their vulnerability to scams. Hsia Hsiao-chuan, a founding member of the TransAsia Sisters Association, emphasized the need for better governmental communication and collaboration with migrant organizations.
In response, Su Yu-kuo of the Workforce Development Agency under the Ministry of Labor stated that the 1955 hotline provides multilingual services to help identify fraud schemes, contact third parties, and report cases to local labor authorities. The Ministry of Labor has collaborated with other agencies to compile common scam tactics and legal responsibilities, disseminating this information through various channels, including airport briefings and the Foreign National Labor Rights Portal.