HK man faces 9 years in Taiwan jail for MRT pickpocketing spree, fake credit card fraud

A 56-year-old Hong Kong man who stole wallets from 13 passengers on Taiwan's MRT trains and used the credit card chips to make counterfeit cards has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison, Taipei prosecutors said.

The man, identified as Chow Wai, joined a fraud syndicate in December 2025 and made three trips to Taiwan between December and March. He targeted passengers on Taipei and Kaohsiung MRT trains, stealing credit card chips from wallets to produce fake credit cards.

Victims reported unauthorised transactions after being notified by their card issuers. One victim's card was used to make a NT$90,000 (about HK$23,000) overseas purchase within 20 minutes of the theft.

Police arrested Chow at a hotel in Taoyuan following an investigation. Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of more than nine years on charges including aggravated theft and aggravated fraud.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓