I had to go to the ATM today and instead of using my bank's, I used the one of the bank closest to where I was. Since I wasn't used to their system, I chose the English language option, and this screen came up. I really don't know how this could be the case, but i made sure to double check my bank transactions later on in the day at my bank just to make sure everything was as it should be.
As for scams in Taiwan, there are not so many (that I know of) run by con artist. Of course some come and go, the one I hear most is about some phone scam where a number calls you and hangs up and if you call that number back you get charged a lot. But for foreigners there aren't many scams, I think mainly because being in a strange land and not speaking the language, you are naturally extra careful with everything you do.
Actually the only real scam of sorts I can think of is one where Taiwanese will send emails or use a chat client to talk to people to get their phone number. And what do they do with this phone number? They send you advertisements through text messages. I'm pretty sure most people would be upset at the annoyance and make sure not to buy something from a company that sent a text.
The real scam artists are big companies, especially in real estate. They do not live up to promises, agreements, and even contracts. Also Taiwan businesses aren't so well informed so they usually can't tell you how much something will cost until they do it. I used to think this was a scam, but I found out that they actually just don't know. I don't know what's worst, being a cheat or being bad at business.
I say that companies are the con artists, because when a business cheats you, you really have no recourse. The police don't really handle these types of disputes, and Taiwan is not a culture where people sue companies (or even each other). Even if you tried to, you wouldn't win. All court trials outcomes are decided by three appointed judges, there are no jury trials. Making it hard for the little guy to get justice.
