One OTP code can become payment authorization. After the new semester began, scammers targeted students by impersonating classmates or friends to obtain verification codes. More than three-quarters of victims in telecom micropayment scams reported over the past three months were students.

These scams often begin with Instagram direct messages. Scammers claim their phone is locked or that they urgently need a phone number to receive a text message, then ask for the victim's phone number and one-time password. What appears to be a simple favor can allow the OTP to complete a telecom micropayment.

In a case released by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, a junior high school student received a message from an account differing from a real friend's account by only one character. The student believed the request to borrow a phone number to receive a verification code and provided the information, then immediately received a payment deduction notice. In another case, a child provided two verification codes and lost more than NT$7,000 within minutes on paid services for a gaming platform.

The scam works by exploiting familiarity and urgency to lower people's guard, then turning the OTP into a pass for actual purchases. Parents can check whether their children's phone numbers have telecom micropayments enabled. If the service is not needed, they can ask the telecom operator to disable it and reduce the risk of unauthorized charges.

If classmates, friends or relatives ask for a phone number, help receiving a text message or an OTP, verify their identity through an existing contact method instead of following the message. For suspicious situations, call the 165 Anti-Fraud Hotline or check related cases on the "165 Anti-Fraud Dashboard".