A Taichung man came close to losing NT$100,000 to an online shopping scam, but a bank teller spotted the trick in time — good news for him, and a warning for anyone buying cheap goods online.

• A man in his 50s found an ad for imported frozen salmon priced far below normal, with home delivery included.
• After joining the seller's chat group, he was sent a link and told he had to pass "real-name verification" before ordering.
• The steps were the giveaway: turn on cardless ATM withdrawals, photograph a QR payment code, transfer NT$100,000, then photograph the record.
• Unsure how to do it, he walked into a nearby bank branch to ask — staff realized it was a scam and called police, who confirmed it and stopped the transfer.

Outlook: Expect more scams using fake "verification" steps to move money out of victims' accounts, with banks and police leaning on front-line staff to catch them.