Fraud in Taipei is falling sharply, with fewer cases and fewer victims than a year ago — good news for residents and police.

• Reported fraud cases in the city dropped 17.5% in the first six months of the year, and the number of victims fell by a similar amount.
• Police also solved more of these cases, with the clear-up rate rising to about 80%.
• The biggest drop came among young people — victims under 18 fell more than 40%, and those aged 18 to 23 fell about 30%.
• Fake online auctions were the most common scam, followed by investment fraud.
• Women made up more than half of all victims, and were more often hit by scammers posing as government bodies or sending fake text messages; men more often fell for sex-service and gaming-credit scams.

Outlook: If the trend holds, Taipei should end the year with noticeably less fraud, though online shopping and investment scams remain the main threats.