For foreign netizens who don't know what a columbarium scam is:
First of all, the prices of columbarium niches in Taiwan vary drastically. Some are very cheap, while others are extremely expensive; the price difference can be up to a hundredfold. Because of this, there are people who will try to pitch and sell columbarium niches to you. For Taiwanese people, most hope to at least have a place to rest after they die, so they might purchase one during their lifetime.
Precisely because the price difference is so massive, some people might experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). They will buy cheaper niches early on to avoid being unable to afford them in the future if prices skyrocket a hundred times over. However, in reality, columbarium prices do not shoot up like a rocket over time. Building columbariums is much easier than building social housing. If prices rise too aggressively, simply building a few more can instantly bring the supply back up. The price difference mainly stems from the location and which company operates and manages it. Therefore, many people might buy at a high price and get stuck at this very first step—buying it too dearly from the get-go due to unfamiliarity with market prices and FOMO.
Once you own a columbarium niche, this owner registry list might be leaked to scam syndicates. The scammers will contact you, falsely claiming that someone is willing to buy the niche you hold at a high price. Their pitch sounds something like: they want to buy positions for their entire family, and it just so happens that your niche is right next to theirs; they are just one niche short of keeping their whole family together. Things of that nature.
After you mistakenly believe their pitch and sign a contract, they will then say the buyer will only make the purchase if you also buy an ash urn. After you pay, they will claim that a ritual must be included before the buyer will proceed. In short, they will find all sorts of excuses to make you shell out more money for add-ons. They might even claim you need to pay taxes, processing fees, and so on in advance. Once they can no longer squeeze any more money out of you, or if you are lucky enough to wake up first and refuse to give them more money, they will claim you breached the contract. Consequently, all the money you previously paid will be completely confiscated, and the scam syndicate will vanish, blocking all means of contact.
That is roughly how the scheme works.
