Scam Glossary (Understand These, Get Scammed Less)

The basics: start with these 10 terms

• Withdrawal
  Moving money from your platform account back to your own bank account. A scam platform is defined by 'withdrawal is impossible'.
• Unfreeze fee / security deposit
  A second-stage scam that tells you 'your account is frozen; pay a fee to get it back.' Even after paying, you cannot get your principal back.
• Pig-butchering scam
  A long-con scam that first builds an emotional bond/trust with you (fattening the pig), then lures you into investments and reaps the payoff (slaughtering the pig).
• Raise, trap, kill
  Let you make small profits initially (raise), lure you into adding more and getting stuck (trap), then take everything in one final sweep (kill).
• Money mule
  A person who withdraws or moves stolen money for a scam ring, often recruited through job scams; doing this is a crime.
• Mule account
  Another person's account used to channel scam money; handing over your passbook or debit card can turn you into one.
• One-page ad
  A shopping scam with only a single landing page and no official site; often the product doesn't match, or they take money and never ship.
• Phishing
  Using fake links/pages to trick you into entering account passwords, card numbers, or OTPs.
• OTP / verification code
  A one-time password; anyone (including 'customer service') asking for your OTP is a scam.
• Custody account
  A fictitious 'state custody account' used in fake police/prosecutor scripts; it does not actually exist.

Money flow and organization: how money and accounts are moved out

• Money laundering hub
  The unit in a scam ring responsible for processing dirty money. As soon as funds come in, they are split and moved through multiple account layers or virtual currency to break the money trail and make recovery difficult. That's why reporting later makes it much harder to trace.
• Passbook collector
  A role that buys or tricks others into giving up passbooks, debit cards, or online banking credentials. It is often disguised as 'lend your account to receive money and earn a cut' or 'you need to verify your assets before applying for a loan.' If you hand them over, your account could become a mule account and be listed as a warning account.
• Warning account
  Once an account is reported as involved in fraud money flow, it will be frozen and restricted, which also affects the owner's other accounts. Lifting the restriction requires time and evidence; it is not a matter of just 'explaining yourself.'
• Scam call center
  The call center of a scam ring, often located overseas. Different people take turns playing 'customer service,' 'police/prosecutor,' and 'teacher' with the same script, making you think 'if several people say it, it must be true.'
• Piglet
  People lured overseas by high-paying job ads, then controlled and forced to do scam work. A common term in recent Taiwan and Southeast Asia compound cases; be especially alert to 'high pay overseas, free room and board, no experience needed.'

Standard scripts used by fake investment groups

• Investment group / Teacher
  In LINE or Telegram groups, people calling themselves 'teacher' or 'analyst' lead trading. Most 'students' are accomplices who post profit statements and chime in to create a 'everyone is making money' atmosphere.
• Hot stock / Insider tip
  Claims of non-public information and guaranteed daily limit. If real insider information existed, it would be insider trading, a crime; anything openly sold is definitely not real.
• Rigged book
  The platform acts as the house. The quotes and profit/loss you see are backend numbers not connected to the real market. Early gains are manipulated, and the losses after you add more are also manipulated.
• Clone App / Fake broker
  The interface mimics a legitimate broker or exchange, but the URL and download source are not official. Always double-check against the FSC-approved list and official app store sources.
• Guaranteed profit / Guaranteed principal and interest
  In Taiwan, financial products may not claim guaranteed profits. If you see such a guarantee, you don't need to read the details; it is illegal solicitation.

Romance and dating scripts

• Fake dating (online romance turned investment)
  You meet on a dating app or social media, build the relationship for weeks or months, then they 'casually' mention their investment profits. The romance is a setup; the investment is the real goal — the first half of a pig-butchering scam.
• Fake customer service / Fake platform support
  They claim your order is abnormal or your account is under risk control, and guide you to use an ATM, online banking, or provide OTP. Legitimate customer service will never ask you to use an ATM or ask for any verification code.
• Collecting payments on behalf / Helping with transfers
  They borrow your account with excuses like "I'm overseas and can't handle it" or "help receive payments for a cut." In reality, they turn you into a money relay, and you may be found to be aiding fraud.