TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Nearly 30% of migrant workers in Taiwan have experienced fraud, according to a survey by Taipei Fubon Bank and non-profit One-Forty.

The "Financial Management Awareness Survey of Migrant Workers" released on Thursday (Sept. 26) revealed that 27% of migrant workers in Taiwan have been defrauded, with the average amount per person at NT$8,000 (US$250). The survey results come after financial fraud complaints in Taiwan reached a new monthly high of 100 cases in August.

Founder of One-Forty Chen Kai-xiang (陳凱翔) said 85% of migrant workers have been defrauded one to two times, and up to 15% have been defrauded more than three times, per CNA. Considering the nearly 800,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, Chen estimated the total amount of fraud to be NT$1.7 billion.

Chen said the main types of fraud migrant workers faced were loans from people posing as friends and family (15.7%), cross-border remittances (11.7%), and shopping website scams (10.6%). They were often deceived by Taiwanese citizens or friends.

The survey also showed that 60% of migrant workers did not practice regular expense keeping. However, 90% said they were eager to improve their financial management skills.

Chen said the language barrier makes it difficult for migrant workers to protect themselves against fraud and obtain financial assistance. In addition, of the 240,000 migrant caregivers in Taiwan, 1 in 10 reported witnessing the elders they cared for fall victim to scams.

Chen said One-Forty will work with Fubon Bank to launch a series of "inclusive financial actions for migrant workers.” He said they will develop courses to increase migrant workers’ understanding of banking and cash flow services and build awareness of fraud prevention.

In addition, the board game Fubon Bank and Hondao Senior Citizens Welfare Foundation designed to teach senior citizens about fraud prevention will be reproduced in Indonesian. The "Fraud Prevention Selection Guide" and "Banking Service User Guide" will be printed in four languages: Indonesian, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Thai.

The survey collected 546 questionnaires, of which most of the respondents were women. Most of the migrant workers surveyed had been living in Taiwan for five to 10 years, and their average age was 35.