According to the National Taxation Bureau of the Northern Area, Ministry of Finance (NTBNA), scam cases have been reported frequently in which fraudsters send fake “invoice prize notifications” by email to trick people into giving up their credit card details. If you receive one of these emails, please follow two simple rules: do not click on any links and do not enter any personal information. Instead, check your prize status directly by logging into the Ministry of Finance’s Uniform Invoice Prize Redemption App, or by visiting the E-Invoice Platform (hereinafter referred to as “the Platform”). If you are still in doubt, please call the 165 Anti-Fraud Hotline or the Platform’s customer service line at 0800-521-988 to verify the message. Taking these steps will help you avoid having your credit card stolen and used for unauthorized purchases.

The NTBNA explained that scammers often pretend to be well-known online shopping sites or electronic ticket companies (such as EasyCard or iPASS) in order to make their emails look trustworthy. They keep changing the wording of their messages to catch people off guard and to get them to click a link. Once a victim clicks on a link, they are taken to a fake website that looks almost exactly like the real one. The fake site then asks for credit card information — including the card number, expiry date, and security code — which the scammers use to make fraudulent purchases. Because both the emails and the fake websites can look very convincing, even cautions individuals may be fooled.

So how can you tell a real notice from a fake one? The easiest way is to carefully check the web address and the email address. The official E-Invoice Platform uses the website “https://www.einvoice.nat.gov.tw”, and official emails are sent from “einvoice@einvoice.nat.gov.tw”. Both addresses end in “.gov.tw”, which is a web domain used only by government agencies in Taiwan. If the link or email address you receive does not end in “.gov.tw”, you should not trust the message, regardless of how official it may look. The safest method is to go directly to the official platform by typing the address into your browser yourself, rather than clicking on anything inside the email.

The NTBNA would like to remind the public that the Ministry of Finance will never send emails asking you to enter your credit card information. No real government agency will ever ask for your card number, expiry date, or security code by email or text message. If you receive a suspicious message, do not click on any links and do not fill in any personal or financial details. Always double-check the sender’s email address and any web links in the message — if the ending is not “.gov.tw”, treat it as a possible scam. Please stay alert and help protect your family and friends, especially older relatives who may be less familiar with online scams.

If you have any questions, please call the toll-free number 0800-000321. The Bureau will assign a professional to serve you.

〔Contact person：Mr. Tsai, Section Head of Sales Tax Division.; Tel：(03)3396789, ext. 1240〕