The National Police Agency Partners with Gogolook to Advocate the Formation of Community Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams

The National Police Agency Partners with Gogolook to Advocate the Formation of Community Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams

Under the “Anti-fraud Strategy Guidelines V1.5” of the Executive Yuan, National Police Agency  from the Ministry of the Interior continues to strengthen fraud identification efforts through public-private cooperation. It joined hands with TrustTech service provider Gogolook to hold a press conference for the inauguration of the Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams. The event was attended by the Director-general of the National Police Agency, Huang Ming-chao, the Commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Chou Yew-woei, Gogolook co-founder and Chairman Jackie Cheng, Gogolook director Kirk Yang, and the “Anti-Fraud Ambassador” of the New Taipei City Yonghe Police Precinct, Village Chief Chen Zi-yu. To combat phishing scams such as fake apps, the National Police Agency and Whoscall have jointly developed a new “URL Scanner” feature, which has identified tens of thousands of fraudulent links to date. Furthermore, to achieve the goal of “Elderly Fraud Prevention,” the National Police Agency encourages communities and neighborhoods to form “Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams” to enhance community care against fraud. Gogolook will provide the National Police Agency with the first batch of 100,000 sets of Whoscall Premium services to strengthen protection against fraud for the elderly.

Telephone, SMS, and Links – A Comprehensive Anti-Fraud Approach! The National Police Agency and Whoscall Launch a New Free Feature “URL Scanner”

In response to the development of scams, the Executive Yuan launched the “Next-Generation Anti-Fraud Strategy Guidelines V1.5” this year (2023), aiming to combat fraud through inter-departmental cooperation. Playing a key role, the Ministry of the Interior’s National Police Agency has actively collaborated with domestic enterprises on anti-fraud advocacy and technology development. Since 2016, Gogolook has partnered with the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency to pioneer a public-private partnership model for fraud prevention. As scam channels have spread from phone calls and SMS to links, Gogolook’s anti-fraud app, Whoscall, has collaborated with the National Police Agency to introduce a new “URL Scanner” feature in the app, offering users a one-click solution to filter high-risk links, ensuring comprehensive protection against fraud via telephone, SMS, and links.

Since the “URL Scanner” feature was launched in May, Whoscall has helped users assess the risk of over 150,000 unknown links, identifying more than 11% as fraudulent. Additionally, many users have developed the habit of double-checking before clicking on unknown links, with the highest individual user checking up to 533 times, averaging three checks per day, demonstrating the effectiveness of this service in enhancing national digital fraud prevention capabilities.

Investment scams often spread fake app download links (commonly known as apk) through digital advertisements and messaging apps, bypassing official platforms such as the App Store and Google Play to trick people into downloading, leading to mobile phone infections, personal information leaks, and credit card fraud. Director-general Huang Ming-chao of the National Police Agency stated, “When faced with unknown links, the public should pay extra attention and verify before clicking, and avoid downloading unfamiliar apps. If you suspect fraud, please contact the 165 anti-fraud hotline for advice.”

Supporting Community Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams! Gogolook Offers an Additional 100,000 Sets of Whoscall Premium to Help the National Police Agency with Elderly Fraud Prevention

According to the latest statistics from the National Police Agency, from January to October this year (2023), there were 3,507 cases of fraud involving people aged 65 and over, affecting 49,156 individuals, showing an upward trend compared to the same period last year. Elderly individuals are generally less adept at using technological tools for fact check and are more susceptible to becoming victims of frauds. The National Police Agency intends to use the concept of neighborhood watch teams to encourage community neighborhoods to form “Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams” to enhance community awareness of fraud prevention and help seniors establish a concept of fraud prevention.

To enhance protection against fraud for the elderly, Gogolook will provide the National Police Agency with the first batch of 100,000 sets of Whoscall Premium services for six months, in conjunction with the Anti-Fraud Patrol Teams to promote community anti-fraud awareness. Future cooperation mechanisms will be adjusted based on feedback. Gogolook co-founder and Chairman Jackie Cheng stated, “We are not only innovating in fraud prevention technology and services but also actively involved in anti-fraud education worldwide. By working with the government and major enterprises to popularize anti-fraud knowledge, society can establish a long-term and effective protection network only if the public first possesses basic fraud identification skills supplemented by technological tools.” Additionally, Whoscall will release a new anti-fraud promotional video in collaboration with the National Police Agency during its anniversary event in November.

Yongfu Village Chief Chen Zi-yu, who serves as the “Anti-Fraud Ambassador” for the New Taipei City Yonghe Police Precinct, also shared her experience participating in anti-fraud advocacy. Chen stated, “More and more seniors are starting to use smartphones, but they lack resistance to new types of scams and are easily victimized. In addition to community care and advocacy, we also welcome every young person to take the initiative to serve as the anti-fraud patrol team within their families, regularly sharing anti-fraud tips and cases to help seniors stay away from scams.”

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