Scammers are posing as fruit growers in Miaoli's Sanwan township and taking money for cheap pears that never arrive, a warning for anyone buying farm produce online.

• Fake accounts are advertising a box of nine Sanwan pears for NT$150, far below the normal market price.
• Buyers who pay or agree on a delivery date find the seller vanishes and the phone stops working.
• Sanwan township chief Li Yun-kuang says the accounts are set up by criminals using the local pear brand's name.
• People are told not to wire money or hand over personal details to these sellers.
• The safe route is ordering through the Sanwan farmers' association, buying from licensed local growers, or picking up pears at the roadside and street stalls in the township.

Outlook: The scam is likely to keep spreading through pear season, so bargain prices on famous local produce should be treated as a red flag.