Kaohsiung hacker arrested for selling real-time ambulance data to funeral homes

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 30-year-old man from Kaohsiung has been arrested for allegedly hacking into the city’s Fire Department emergency dispatch system and selling real-time ambulance call data to funeral service companies for more than four years.

Authorities said the suspect, surnamed Pan (潘), breached the department’s mobile dispatch and emergency medical systems. The stolen data included caller timestamps, responding fire stations, case types, addresses, and GPS coordinates.

Funeral businesses reportedly used the information to quickly reach emergency scenes and secure service contracts. Pan's operation extended to emergency systems in 21 cities and counties across Taiwan.

The investigation began in August last year after a tip-off about suspicious activity in the department’s systems. Authorities then uncovered irregular access patterns, prompting further inquiry.

Pan, a former private ambulance driver, is believed to have begun exploiting the system in 2021 at the request of funeral industry operators. By 2022, Pan was allegedly extracting records via a demo machine used for system testing by a maintenance contractor.

During a raid on March 28, investigators seized software and devices involved in the operation. Pan reportedly ran a self-built cloud platform and converted his mobile phone into a data server, distributing information to funeral companies in exchange for monthly payments ranging from several thousand to tens of thousands of Taiwan dollars.

Investigators found that funeral businesses monitored the data feed in real time and dispatched representatives to incidents involving severe injuries or out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. In some cases, sales agents arrived at the scene before ambulances, distressing family members.

Follow-up raids on June 13 and 24 resulted in the questioning of additional suspects, including personnel from funeral companies and IT staff. Pan and others were charged with unauthorized computer access and related offenses.

Pan has been detained, while other suspects were released on bail.