Two 24-year-old Taiwanese college students surnamed Zhang and Liao concocted an outrageous scheme to defraud insurance companies for compensation. Zhang immersed his feet in a bucket of dry ice for a staggering 10 hours, resulting in frostbite and necrosis below the knees, ultimately leading to amputation. They then attempted to claim a total of NT$41.26 million (approximately HK$10.53 million) in compensation from eight insurance policies, citing motorcycle frostbite as the cause. However, their scheme was uncovered by the authorities, and they were ultimately charged with fraud and causing serious injury to others.
According to reports from Taiwanese media outlet “ETtoday News Cloud” and others, police investigations revealed that the two students had taken out insurance policies from six insurance companies in January 2023, totaling NT$41.26 million. They then purchased large quantities of dry ice and had Zhang immerse his feet in it for 10 hours, with Liao tying him to a chair to prevent him from backing out.
During the 10-hour dry ice bath, Liao even touched Zhang’s calves with a pen, remarking, “Hey, you can’t feel your legs at all. It’s amazing.” Zhang endured the pain of the dry ice for the full duration until his lower legs turned black and hardened from frostbite. After seeking medical treatment, Zhang’s injuries met the criteria for severe frostbite, resulting in amputation below both knees.
The two claimed that starting from late February of the same year, they rode motorcycles for night tours in Yangmingshan, Jinshan, and Danshui areas, where they allegedly suffered frostbite due to a cold snap and sought compensation from insurance companies. However, they only received a payout of NT$230,000 from one insurance company and had to repay NT$210,000, spending NT$440,000 on making prosthetic legs. Due to the excessively high insurance coverage they applied for and the fact that they purchased the policies just days before their alleged “outing,” insurance companies deemed their claims unreasonable and reported the fraud to the police.
Taiwanese authorities discovered through meteorological data that the temperatures during the alleged night rides ranged between 6 to 17 degrees Celsius, making frostbite highly unlikely. Additionally, the injuries were symmetrically uniform and lacked shoe or sock imprints, further casting doubt on their claims. Their fraudulent scheme involving scalding their hands with plaster powder and water and immersing their legs in dry ice was ultimately exposed by law enforcement.