CIB uses new Jensen Huang text scam to raise public's fraud awareness

Resumen detallado

Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) used the example of a new text message scam, in which a sender claiming to be ex-Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) asks recipients to borrow money, to raise public awareness about telecoms fraud.

Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) used the example of a new text message scam, in which a sender claiming to be ex-Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) asks recipients to borrow money, to raise public awareness about telecoms fraud.

In a news release issued Sunday, the CIB said a screenshot of an "unusual" text message had recently been making the rounds online.

In the message, the agency said, a sender claiming to be ex-Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang tells the recipient he has been "framed by the U.S. government" and is in urgent need of NT$1 million (US$30,380) to expose the plot against him.

If the recipient sends the requested funds, the Jensen Huang impersonator claims that he will name the company's upcoming GeForce RTX 6090 graphics card after them upon returning to the helm at Nvidia, the CIB said.

After finding images of the message circulating online, the CIB confirmed it had been sent via Apple's iMessage service but that there had been no reports of people falling victim to the scam so far.

The CIB said the message is very likely a "scam attempt disguised as a parody meme." Its content is an updated version of the common "military romance scam," in which a person claiming to be a military officer stationed in a war zone in the Middle East says they are trapped or injured and need money to escape or leave, the bureau said.

The CIB noted that fraud syndicates often use sensational narratives or celebrities' names to send out mass text messages.

If a recipient replies to the text, whether out of amusement or curiosity, their phone numbers are flagged by scammers as active and valid, putting them at risk of being targeted in future scams or phishing attempts to steal their personal information, the CIB said.

The CIB advised the public to be wary of any messages coming from unfamiliar numbers, as fraud syndicates frequently use overseas or proxy phone numbers to send out mass text messages.

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