Taiwan scam report: Email and social media rise as primary fraud channels

The 2026 Asia Scam Survey Report: Taiwan Edition, released by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and Whoscall, reveals that 75% of people in Taiwan encountered scam scenarios in the past year. While 52% interacted with scammers, 23% suffered financial losses and 12% provided personal information.

Scam methods are shifting from traditional phone calls, which dropped from 50% to 44%, to email, which rose to 44%. Social media and instant messaging platforms also saw significant growth. LINE (45%) and Facebook (44%) were identified as the most common digital platforms used for scams, followed by Gmail (35%).

Investment scams remain the most frequent type, encountered by 82% of respondents, followed by shopping and romance scams. Notably, romance scams had the highest interaction rate at 19%. The report also highlights a trend of “secondary victimization,” with 45% of adult victims reporting they were scammed more than once.

Beyond financial impact, the survey noted psychological and social consequences. Approximately 44% of victims experience anxiety regarding future scams, and 33% faced blame from friends or society, a figure significantly higher than the Asian average of 18%.