In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit almost all countries in the world.

In mid-May 2021, the Republic of China (Taiwan) suddenly experienced an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

When Taiwan is in dire need of assistance, partners such as the United States, Japan, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, as well as the COVAX Facility (a global mechanism for access to COVID-19 vaccines), immediately pledge to donate and deliver vaccines to Taiwan, making it able to gradually control the pandemic.

That is an evidence to the concerted international efforts to address the serious challenges posed by the pandemic.

Such a rigorous effort is also needed to tackle the rise in international cybercrime in the post-pandemic era, and Taiwan is willing to be a part of this fight.

During the pandemic, Taiwanese government agencies and private companies have followed anti-pandemic policies to prevent cluster infections.

People started to work from home, schools adopted virtual learning methods, consumers turned to e-commerce services, and online food ordering and delivery service platforms boomed.

The pandemic has caused changes in human life.

Although the pandemic would subside in the future, it is not the case with the spread of cyber technology which has penetrated into our lives in work, study, leisure and entertainment, forming a whole new lifestyle.

The increasing reliance on cyber technology also makes it easier for criminal groups to exploit security vulnerabilities to commit crimes.

Therefore, cybersecurity will be a crucial task in the post-pandemic era to maintain public safety around the world.

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Cooperation

Because cybercrimes have no national borders, victims, perpetrators, and crime scenes might be in different countries.

The most common cybercrime is telecommunications fraud, using the internet and other telecommunications technologies.

Cooperation between countries is needed to bring international criminal syndicates to justice.

In 2020, Taiwan police used big data analytics to identify several Taiwanese nationals suspected of carrying out telecommunications fraud operations in Montenegro.

Taiwan contacted Montenegro and proposed mutual legal assistance, allowing the Montenegro Special State Prosecutor's Office to proceed with the case.

Through joint efforts, Taiwanese and Montenegrin police forces uncovered three telecommunications fraud operations, and arrested 92 suspects accused of posing as government officials, police and prosecutors from China.

The number of victims of the fraud was more than 2,000, causing material losses of up to 22.6 million U.S. dollars.

The suspects were Taiwanese nationals, with the victims being Chinese nationals.

The alleged crime took place in Montenegro and was committed through telecommunications technology.

Thanks to the cooperation between the police of Montenegro and Taiwan, the suspects were arrested, preventing more victims.

Author: Huang Chia-lu [Commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) Republic of China (Taiwan)]