A Taiwanese Man in His 20s Intentionally Amputates Both Legs to Claim Insurance... The Method of the Crime Is Also 'Shocking'

20s Male in Taiwan Simulated Insurance Fraud Last January
Soaked Feet in Dry Ice for 10 Hours Causing Frostbite and Amputation
Had Insurance from 8 Companies Beforehand, Claimed 1.8 Billion After Surgery
Insurance Company Reported Suspicion...Caught by Police Investigation

Photo for article understanding purposes, unrelated to the article content [Photo source=Pixabay]

A Taiwanese man who deliberately caused frostbite on both legs to have them amputated in order to claim a large insurance payout is now facing trial.

On the 19th, local media including Taiwan's CTS cited an announcement from the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Taiwan, reporting on a case involving two men in their 20s living in Taipei who actually had their legs amputated for insurance fraud. They are only known by their surnames, Chang and Liao. The incident dates back to January of last year. The two planned insurance fraud to repay debts owed to a criminal group. Their method was horrific: soaking their legs in dry ice for 10 hours to cause necrosis and then having both legs amputated.

Eventually, Mr. Chang underwent below-the-knee amputation surgery in February, losing both legs. They had previously taken out high-value life insurance, travel insurance, and accident insurance policies with eight different insurance companies. Then they rode motorcycles around, intending to deceive the insurers by claiming, "I had an accident on my legs while riding a motorcycle in cold weather." One month after the leg amputation surgery, Mr. Chang filed insurance claims totaling 41.26 million New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 1.8 billion Korean Won). He also claimed an additional 230,000 dollars (about 10 million Korean Won) for frostbite sustained overnight, which he received.

A briefing scene of the Taiwan Criminal Police Department arresting a ridiculous insurance fraud gang. A briefing unrelated to the article content.
[Photo by Taiwan Criminal Police Department]

However, many insurers were suspicious. The insurance subscriptions, incident occurrence, and claims all happened within less than six months. Eventually, the insurance companies reported them for insurance fraud. During the police investigation, several suspicious circumstances were uncovered. Although they claimed to have suffered frostbite in January, Taiwan’s January temperatures range from 6 to 17 degrees Celsius, unlike Korea. The possibility of frostbite on both legs at such temperatures was extremely low.

Medical staff also told the police, "There were no shoe or sock marks on the legs, and the injuries were symmetrical, which does not match naturally occurring frostbite." In November of last year, police conducted a search and seized plastic buckets used to freeze the legs, insurance documents, a box containing dry ice, eight mobile phones, and a tablet computer. Recently, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted them on charges of fraud and embezzlement. If found guilty in court, Mr. Chang will lose both legs and have to rely on prosthetics or a wheelchair. In addition, he will not receive any insurance money and will be imprisoned.

The American outlet Business Insider, which reported on this case, added that some insurers and authorities have noted an increase in insurance fraud rates since the pandemic. According to the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department under the London Metropolitan Police, opportunistic fraud?where someone pretends to be injured or attempts to exaggerate claims?rose by 61% from March 2022 to April 2023. The outlet also introduced that "in February, South Korea amended its Insurance Fraud Prevention Act to impose harsher penalties on violators, including up to 10 years imprisonment or fines of up to 37,000 dollars."