Why did a man in Taiwan give himself frostbite to get both his legs amputated?

Countless TV game shows and reality competition series are based on the premise: What would you do for $1 million? In a bizarre Taiwanese true-crime case, one man took that question to an extreme: He allegedly gave himself frostbite in both his legs to justify having them amputated.

What’s worse, that 24-year-old Taiwanese man, identified in the press only by his surname, Chang, had his legs removed, but he only collected $7,000 of the $1.3 million he expected. And in the aftermath, Chang and his friend, also identified in the press by his surname Liao, now face criminal charges, Newsweek reported.

But how exactly does one give yourself frostbite in both your legs? Reportedly, in Jan. 2023, Chang and Liao filled buckets with dry ice, with a surface temperature exceeding 100 below, more than cold enough to injure skin and cause frostbite. Chang sat with his legs in the dry for 10 hours, and The Daily Mail says Liao strapped Chang to the chair to keep his legs in place.

After the ordeal, Chang sought medical attention. He told the doctor it happened in a scooter accident, but Taiwan is subtropical, so frostbite is rare, and even fewer frostbite cases are severe enough to require amputation. So, doctors were suspicious from the start. Especially after medical staff noticed the injuries were symmetrical, suggesting they were intentional. Chang also had bare feet when he went to the hospital, with no indication he had socks and shoes on when the frostbite happened.

It was an insurance scam

As Taiwanese legal documents now allege, Chang agreed to give himself frostbite and have both his legs cut off to collect on several lucrative insurance policies, and both Chang and his accomplice, Liao, are charged with insurance fraud. According to People, Chang took out several insurance policies shortly before the incident, and Liao convinced Chang to go along with the scheme, telling him gang members were after him. But allegedly, Liao sought to recoup massive cryptocurrency losses.

After the amputation, Chang made several insurance claims. Most were denied, meaning he only received about $7,000 of the more than $1 million expected, given the short timeframe between when the policies were purchased and when the claims were made. Authorities also recovered the dry ice and other supplies necessary for Chang to give himself frostbite on purpose, and temperatures were nowhere near cold enough where Chang lived to cause frostbite. Liao’s photographs of Chang with his legs in the dry ice will also be used as evidence.