Changhua County, Taiwan — February 2, 2026 — A district court in Changhua has ordered a 21-year-old truck driver to fully compensate a fraud victim after selling his mobile phone SIM card to a scam syndicate for a small profit, a transaction that ultimately led to losses exceeding NT$3.77 million.
The defendant, surnamed Wu, admitted to selling his SIM card after responding to an online advertisement in late November 2024 offering NT$8,000 in exchange for a mobile phone number. Wu registered a new phone line at a convenience store and handed the SIM card to the fraud group, receiving the promised payment on the spot.
In early December of the same year, the scam syndicate used Wu’s phone number to impersonate police and prosecutors, contacting a man surnamed Chung. The fraudsters falsely accused Chung of involvement in a money laundering case and warned him that failure to cooperate would result in arrest.
Fearing legal consequences, Chung liquidated his stock holdings and mailed 10 ATM cards along with their PIN codes to the scammers. A total of more than NT$3.77 million was subsequently withdrawn from his accounts.
While police were unable to apprehend members of the fraud syndicate, Chung filed a civil lawsuit against Wu, seeking full compensation for his financial losses. Wu argued in court that he had also been deceived, claiming the scammers had posed as real estate agents who needed multiple phone numbers for business purposes.
The Changhua District Court rejected Wu’s defense, ruling that he should have been aware that providing a SIM card to others could facilitate criminal activity. The court determined that Wu acted with “conditional intent” to assist fraud, making him jointly liable for the damages suffered by the victim.
In the criminal case, Wu was convicted of aiding fraud and sentenced to three months in prison, commutable to a fine of NT$90,000. The NT$8,000 he received from selling the SIM card was also confiscated.
In the civil ruling, the court ordered Wu to pay Chung the full amount of the stolen funds, totaling more than NT$3.77 million. The verdict remains subject to appeal.
The case highlights growing judicial scrutiny over the sale of phone numbers and SIM cards, which authorities warn are frequently exploited by scam syndicates to commit large-scale fraud.