An air-conditioning technician in Miaoli has been sentenced for printing fake receipts for a fraud ring — yet another piece of bad news for the victims of investment scams.

• A repair technician surnamed Lin joined a fraud ring operating under the fake name "Shuntai Investment" in late 2023, and was responsible for making trips to convenience stores to print forged company payment receipts.
• Through a LINE group chat, the ring lured the victim into trusting a bogus investment website, and handed over NT$1.9 million in a face-to-face exchange at a car park in Miaoli.
• The fake receipt was given to the victim by a cash collector to win their trust; the victim later realised they had been defrauded and reported it to the police.
• Police lifted Lin's fingerprint from the seized receipt, which became conclusive evidence in cracking the case, and he also confessed to the crime.
• The Miaoli District Court sentenced him to 1 year and 8 months in prison for jointly defrauding property by three or more people, imposing a lighter sentence in consideration of the fact that he had not received any share of the proceeds and of his living circumstances.

Outlook: Face-to-face investment scams continue to run rampant, and once cash collectors and peripheral accomplices leave behind evidence such as fingerprints, they still find it hard to escape legal prosecution.