Taiwanese authorities have charged two local businessmen with helping Chinese cyber spies by supplying LINE instant messaging accounts used in cyber-espionage operations targeting Taiwan's political and academic communities.
According to Taiwan's Investigation Bureau, the suspects operated a company that collected LINE accounts registered with Chinese mobile phone numbers and rented them to a Chinese cyber unit linked to Xiamen-based ‘Xiamen Female Information Technology Co., Ltd.’ for about 1,100 yuan ($150) per account.
Authorities said the accounts were used in social engineering campaigns in which attackers posed as international journalists to contact Taiwanese government officials, academics, and staff at non-governmental organizations. Victims were invited to participate in fake media interviews to gather sensitive information and were later sent emails containing malware disguised as encrypted communication software, allowing hackers to compromise their devices and steal data.
The Taipei City Investigation Office started an inquiry after receiving reports in April 2025 of repeated phishing attempts targeting prominent figures in Taiwan. Authorities carried out two rounds of searches in 2026, questioned the two suspects, identified by their surnames Li and Chen, and transferred them to prosecutors. On July 7, prosecutors granted the pair deferred prosecution.