Avoid Travel Scams2026–2027 Guide
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Destination · East Asia

Travel Scams in Taipei

Taipei has few documented scams — violent crime is rare, licensed taxis use meters by default, and most visitors report no problems beyond the occasional vendor without posted prices at night markets. The schemes that are documented cluster at the edges of the trip: unlicensed taxi touts at Taoyuan Airport and inflated fares on the Jiufen day-trip circuit, plus Taiwan-wide fraud patterns such as fake-authority phone calls and paid impostor websites for the free arrival card.

1. Illegal taxi touts at Taoyuan Airport and inflated Jiufen day-trip fares

Unlicensed drivers solicit arriving foreigners inside or just past the arrivals area at Taoyuan International Airport, walking them to unmarked sedans with no meter and demanding cash fares several times the legitimate rate; in a June 2025 case reported by Taiwan News, a Spanish tourist jumped from a moving unlicensed cab near Terminal 2 when the driver tried to flee airport police, and the repeat-offender driver was fined NT$9,600 on the spot. On the Jiufen day-trip circuit, some drivers quote three to four times the legitimate fare, sometimes claiming the train from Ruifang is sold out or cancelled.

Warning signs

  • Quiet 'Taxi? Taipei?' approach inside the terminal or just past customs
  • Unmarked sedan parked away from the official taxi queue
  • Flat fare demanded with the meter disabled or 'broken'
  • Driver at Ruifang or Taipei Main Station insisting the Jiufen train is not running

How to avoid it

  • Take the Taoyuan Airport MRT from inside the terminal to Taipei Main Station (about 35 minutes)
  • Use only the official yellow-taxi coupon queue outside arrivals, where fares are posted in English and meters are mandatory
  • For Jiufen, take the TRA train to Ruifang and bus 788 or 1062 to the Old Street — refuse 'train cancelled' claims from curb drivers
  • Photograph the plate and dashboard driver ID before loading luggage; call the tourism hotline 0800-011-765 or police 110 if pressured
Sources

2. Fake-authority phone and email scams

Foreigners in Taiwan receive calls or emails from people claiming to be local authorities or financial institutions, alleging customs or administrative problems that can be 'resolved' by providing personal information or transferring funds. Canada's travel advisory for Taiwan documents the pattern and warns against sending money or sharing personal details, and long-term residents report the same scripts targeting foreigners.

Warning signs

  • Unsolicited call claiming to be police, customs or a bank
  • Claim of an urgent administrative or customs 'problem' attached to your name
  • Request for personal data, bank details or a fund transfer
  • Pressure to act immediately and keep the call secret

How to avoid it

  • Hang up and verify directly with the agency through its published number
  • Never transfer money or share personal information over an unsolicited call or email
  • Remember that real Taiwanese authorities do not resolve cases by phone payment
  • Report attempts to police on 110
Sources

3. Paid impostor websites for the free Taiwan Arrival Card

Most visitors must complete the Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) online within three days before arrival, and the official government site is free. Lookalike third-party websites rank in search results and charge 'service fees' for the same form — and may harvest the personal information entered, according to Canada's travel advisory for Taiwan.

Warning signs

  • Arrival-card website asking for payment
  • Third-party 'agency' branding instead of the Ministry of the Interior
  • Search ads placed above the official site
  • Requests for excessive personal data beyond the official form

How to avoid it

  • Complete the TWAC only on the official Ministry of the Interior site, which charges nothing
  • Navigate from the Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs or airport authority pages rather than search ads
  • Check your card statement if you paid a 'fee' and dispute it
  • Never reuse passwords on third-party visa or arrival-card services
Sources

Practical safety briefing

  • Airport arrival: The Taoyuan Airport MRT express runs from inside the terminal to Taipei Main Station in about 35 minutes (roughly NT$160) and is the safest arrival route; ignore any 'Taxi? Taipei?' approach in the hall and use only the official yellow-taxi coupon queue where meters are mandatory.
  • Trusted transport: The MRT with an EasyCard covers the city; yellow taxis are metered by default, and Uber and LINE Taxi are the common booking apps that fix the fare in advance.
  • Money & payments: Use ATMs inside banks or convenience stores and change money at Bank of Taiwan at the airport or licensed bank branches — never with street changers. At night markets, ask the price before ordering at any stall without a posted price board.

Official travel advisories

  • Canada Travel (travel.gc.ca) — Rates Taiwan 'take normal security precautions'; documents credit-card/ATM fraud, phone and email scams impersonating authorities, and fraudulent paid websites for the free Taiwan Arrival Card.

Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.