Taiwan Officials ‘Baffled’ by $600K Lottery Scam Involving Genuine Winning Tickets

Three men in Taiwan have been arrested after one attempted to claim two jackpot prizes worth a combined US$612,000 using genuine tickets that belonged to other lottery winners.

The case has baffled authorities, who are investigating how the suspects were apparently able to print winning tickets and claim prizes that weren’t rightfully theirs.

The alleged fraud took place in Penghu County, an island archipelago off Taiwan’s western coast, where a 28-year-old man surnamed Chang attempted to redeem two NT$10 million (US$306,000) prizes on Oct. 5 and 12, according to United Daily News.

Another suspect, 24, also surnamed Chang, attempted to claim a NT$200,000 (US$6,100) prize.

Employees became suspicious of the men’s extraordinary run of luck and refused to pay the larger prizes, instead alerting police.

Investigators subsequently discovered that the three suspects possessed more than 30 winning tickets. They had already successfully redeemed more than 20 between Oct. 6 and 18, collecting NT$199,600 (US$6,100), according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA).

A Lottery Built into Every Receipt

Taiwan’s unique Uniform Invoice Lottery, introduced in 1951, turns everyday shopping receipts into official lottery tickets.

Businesses issue numbered receipts for virtually all consumer purchases. The government holds bi-monthly prize drawings, with top jackpot awards reaching NT$10 million. Originally designed to combat tax evasion, the system encourages consumers to demand receipts, making it difficult for businesses to hide sales.

Today, electronic receipts can also be redeemed by printing prize claim certificates at multimedia kiosks—such as 7-Eleven’s ibon terminals—in convenience stores across the island.

Investigators believe the suspects used these convenience-store kiosks to print valid winning certificates using transaction details tied to other shoppers’ purchases.

The Ministry of Finance confirmed that the rightful winner of one of the NT$10 million prizes has since presented supporting digital documentation and successfully claimed their payout.

No System Hack Detected

It’s unclear how the suspects obtained the information needed to print winning ticket receipts. According to United Daily News, investigators are examining whether they had help from insiders with access to the data or whether computer systems were compromised.

Officials said there was currently no evidence that the government’s electronic invoice system had been hacked.

“We are also baffled,” Lou Mei-chung, director-general of Taiwan’s Taxation Administration, told reporters, describing the apparent method as virtually unprecedented.

The Penghu District Court ordered all three suspects detained without outside contact, citing risks of collusion, evidence destruction, and repeat offenses.

The Ministry of Finance maintained that existing security protocols—including automated systems designed to flag duplicate prize claims—remain fully operational as law enforcement continues to investigate the source of the leaked receipt data.