According to statistics compiled by the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) under the National Police Agency, 41,093 cases of fraud were reported in 2008, with police managing to help intercept money transfers worth a total of NT$283.07 million (US$8.45 million) in 1,807 such cases.

Among the reported incidents, 54 percent, or 39,381 cases, involved personal online shopping information being fraudulently leaked.

Another 13,289 cases, or 18 percent of the total, involved fraud committed by people disguised as law enforcement officers, followed by 5,803 cases, or 8 percent, involving interactive dating-related scams.

The CIB tallies also show that 2,183 persons fell victim to online interactive dating fraud, of whom 90 percent were urban women in their 20s and 30s, with 20-somethings accounting for 51 percent and the remainder in their 30s.

Having people put up money to win big prizes was the fourth most common type of fraud, with 3,667 cases, or 5 percent of the total, followed by 3,262 cases of fraud, or 4 percent, involving swindling by people disguised as relatives.

Other reported fraud cases involved 1,182 lending scams, 503 fake kidnappings, 332 fraudulent employment schemes, 312 schemes manipulated by con artists, and 54 cases of forcible seizure of vehicles to extort money.

Meanwhile, CIB officials said an individual's sign of zodiac did not offer any insight into a person's vulnerability to fraud because there were no significant differences between the signs in the number of people who fell victim to online dating fraud.

Of the online dating victims recorded in 2008, 206 were Libras, 200 were Scorpios, 196 were Virgos, 194 were Leos, and 193 were Aries. Another 191 belonged to the sign Sagittarius, 189 were Geminis, 180 were Cancers, and 175 belonged to the sign Aquarius.

With the number of Internet users exploding, online shopping and dating fraud has become rampant, CIB officials said, adding that local people should cultivate a habit of remaining calm whenever receiving suspicious information and verifying the information before making any response.

(By Sofia Wu)