TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — With Taiwan's Ghost Month underway, two men were arrested in central Taiwan on Saturday (Aug. 24) and face up to NT$30,000 (US$940) in fines for spooking people with a female demon costume.
On Aug. 17, passersby in Yuanlin, Changhua spotted a person wearing a white dress and a black wig with a long, red tongue dangling from the mouth, per Liberty Times. The apparition was concocted by two men who were "playing ghost" to scare people and boost their live streaming traffic.
A member of the Facebook group Breaking News Commune II (爆料公社二社) posted a video of the ghoulish figure standing at the intersection in front of Guangning Temple (廣寧宮). The man behind the camera could be heard saying, “This will get us some views,” drawing criticism from netizens for taking advantage of the religious festival to frighten people.
Police said they received a report at 2 a.m. on Aug. 17 about a person pretending to be a ghost to scare people in front of the temple. When police arrived, the suspects had already left.

After checking surveillance footage, police on Aug. 24 arrested a 40-year-old man surnamed Chang (張), who played the ghost, and a 35-year-old man surnamed Tsao (曹), who filmed the video. Both admitted the prank was meant to boost their channel's views on TikTok.
Yuanlin Police Station Chief Chiang Yao-pang (江耀邦) said the two suspects were "pretending to be ghosts" and scaring people for nearly 10 minutes. Chiang said their actions violated Article 63, Item 6 of the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which states that anyone who endangers safety by wearing a mask, disguising themselves, or using other methods to frighten others shall be detained for up to three days or fined up to NT$30,000.
This year's Ghost Month from Aug. 4 to Sept. 2 is when Taoists and Buddhists believe the gates of hell are opened for "hungry ghosts" to roam the world of the living in search of food, money, entertainment, and possibly souls. During this period, many Taiwanese follow certain taboos for fear of attracting lost souls or being taken as their replacement.