HK man jailed in Taiwan after alleged job scam, left stranded without ID

A Hong Kong man has claimed he was duped into joining a fraud operation in Taiwan after accepting what he believed was a legitimate job offer, leaving him jailed for nearly two years and stranded without identification documents.

In a social media post on Wednesday (Jun 24), the man said he travelled to Taiwan about three years ago after graduating and struggling to find work.

He said he accepted a low-paid external operations position, only to later discover that the company was allegedly involved in fraud.

According to the man, he was arrested and prosecuted despite maintaining that he had been deceived into taking the job. He said his family spent hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars on legal fees and medical expenses, but he was still sentenced to prison.

After serving nearly two years behind bars, he was released on bail pending further court proceedings.

However, he said he was unable to recover his passport and Hong Kong identity card, which had been left with the company before his arrest. Without valid identification, he claimed he was unable to rent accommodation, find work or access medical services.

The man said he has been staying in internet cafés and relying on financial support from his family to survive.

He also alleged that he had been mistakenly listed as wanted by authorities after his release, resulting in further detentions while he awaited court hearings.

To support his account, he uploaded photographs of official documents, including a prison release certificate, immigration papers and court notices.

The post sparked widespread discussion online, with some netizens expressing sympathy and offering assistance, while others questioned whether he had been aware of the nature of the work.

Responding to the criticism, the man acknowledged that he had interacted with customers as part of his duties but insisted he had been misled. He said he shared his experience to warn others about overseas job scams.

The case remains before the courts in Taiwan.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓