Recent media reports highlight that many people have received LINE messages from friends or relatives asking them to "help vote" or "like a post for a child." Acting out of goodwill, users often click these links without a second thought, only to unknowingly have their accounts hijacked. In some cases, scammers even impersonate them to solicit loans and defraud their contacts. The Criminal Investigation Bureau(CIB) stated that these scams persist because fraud syndicates exploit people’s kindness and helpfulness, leveraging this trust to compromise their accounts. They use phishing tactics to steal LINE account login details, and SMS verification codes on phishing pages to take over their accounts. There is no need for public panic—by staying alert and using the available security features, people can easily protect their accounts as well as those of their friends and family.
The CIB stated that in order to block phishing links at the source, the Fraud Crime Prevention Center compiles a dialy list of phishing links based on reports and complaints filed by the public, and requests the Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC) cease DNS resolution and blacklist them. In addition, domestic telecom operators implement DNS blocking to prevent users from accessing malicious websites. It proactively gathers and takes action against spoofed domains from the same source, or reports them through the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ “Online Fraud Reporting and Inquiry Website” and then refers them to the platform for immediate takedowns.
In addition, according to statistics, nationwide cases of LINE account hijacking totaled 4,033 in 2025, averaging 336 cases per month. From January to July 2026, this number dropped sharply to 138 cases (averaging roughly 20 cases per month)—a remarkable 94% decrease on a monthly average, indicating that the prevention measures have been effective. Furthermore, data from the 165 Dashboard analyzing common scam pretexts and tactics revealed numerous cases where hijacked LINE accounts were used to defraud victims' friends and family. These pretexting tactics included fake contests such as 'voting' (288 local cases), 'drawing contests' (34 cases), 'photography contests' (17 cases), 'beauty pageants' (5 cases), and 'pet contests' (1 case). The public is reminded to pay close attention to the source of links when receiving requests to “vote for or like posts” for a friend's or relative's child or pet. Always inspect the link's source and verify directly with the person before clicking links or sharing verification codes.
The CIB stated that the government had urged LINE to implement enhanced security features, including “primary device authentication,” “24-hour parallel account migration window,” and “trusted friend notification system.” According to LINE's official guidelines, users who still have access to their accounts should immediately change their passwords, disable “Allow login from other devices,” and log out of all unrecognized devices. Users who have been logged out must not delete the APP; instead, users can recover their accounts and keep chat history by clicking “Log in again” on the “Logged out Account” screen. If the registered phone number or password has been changed, users can visit LINE's Help Center, select “Continue without logging in,” and submit a form. LINE will then assist in suspending the compromised accounts.
The CIB urges the public to follow the “Three Nevers”: 1. Never enter your LINE account password on unknown websites; 2. Never share your verification code with anyone; 3. Never scan QR codes from untrusted sources, and always stay alert for suspicious login notifications. Any messages emphasizing “limited time,” warning that your “account will be suspended,” or asking for your account credentials and verification codes is a scam. To stay safe, you can link your LINE account to an Apple or Google account and enable the “Detect suspicious websites” feature to proactively block phishing links. If your account is compromised and you suffer financial loss, please file a police report as soon as possible or call the 165 Anti-fraud Hotline for assistance.
