October 7, 2025 – Hsinchu City, Taiwan
Two men in Hsinchu who attempted to fraudulently claim government housing assistance have been convicted and sentenced for forgery. The Hsinchu District Court ruled that the two defendants, identified by their surnames Huang and Chen, fabricated lease contracts and forged a landlord’s seal in order to apply for rental subsidies from the Ministry of the Interior’s Land and Resources Agency.
According to court documents, Huang and Chen each produced false rental agreements in 2023 using the name and forged seal of a man surnamed Song, who was falsely listed as the property owner. The fake contracts were then submitted to the Land and Resources Agency as part of their subsidy applications.
Huang’s forged contract claimed he was renting a property from September 5, 2022, to September 5, 2026. Based on these falsified documents, he successfully obtained a total of NT$22,761 in subsidies covering rent payments from February 21 to April 3 of the following year.
Chen, meanwhile, submitted a similar fake contract alleging he rented a house from January 5, 2023, to January 5, 2027. However, he later withdrew his application and did not receive any payments.
The court sentenced Huang to four months in prison and Chen to three months, both terms commutable to fines. A third suspect, identified as Lin, who allegedly assisted Chen in forging the documents, will be tried separately.
Officials emphasized that the government’s expanded rental subsidy platform was launched to assist low-income and disadvantaged families in finding affordable housing. The court noted that fraudulent activities not only violate the law but also undermine the integrity and intent of the program, which is designed to provide genuine support to those in need.