No, no no and no. Scams like this are twenty an hour in Taiwan.
This place/incident hits the trifecta. Never rent from abroad, never rent without seeing. If it is too good to be true, it isn’t.
Plus anyone with a bit of brains, if living abroad, would already have an agent on the ball. The agencies do not charge a lot, maybe a month’s rent, and most are quite reliable.
Plus the English speaking agents/agencies charge premium on the customer - yes, they have good stuff, but their market is geared towards the expats on company payroll who have a very generous allowance for rent and hence do not care to overpay as it is not their money. They care about convenience, ease of transation and getting on with million dollar deals.
Look, you can live anywhere. I challenge you to give me a Taipei map, throw a dart, and I’ll find a nice place for you. Problem is it must be convenient for you. Suitable for your needs. let me give you an example: one of my acquaintances rented a place in Sanchong. I was appaled. But she was happy because she wanted a big place -she has hubby and 2 kids- with a balcony for parties and this fit the criteria. A new building, elevator and guard, furnished, very cheap. Plus as she attended FuJen this was conveniently located for MRT or bus runs. I was worried about the kids attending school in a not so affluent area, with not so many resources nor so much exposure to foreigners. Lo and behold, they loved it and the school loved it and they made great friends and were treated really nice. So it worked out fine for them.
I am not telling you to move to Sanchong, just to look for what works for you. Daily commute is an issue. Also, if you are a party animal, living in Tamsui will not work as you will be spending a small fortune in taxi cabs on weekends. If you are a hiking/nature kind of person, Muzha/Xindian/Liuchangli/Neihu by the lake will work.
Daan is OK if you attend Shida/NTU or other colleges in the area, or work in Taipei city and like to go out and don’t mind the city hussle and bustle. Personally, I couldn’t take paying 17K in electricity bills -3 of us though at that time.
Xindian is very large, and there are many areas. Bitan is nice and you will get a seat on the train. Plus it is closer to Wulai and you have the bike path all the way to Banciao. I prefer Zhongzheng road area or Tapinglin, because there are more restaurants/shops/hospitals/vets/stores/markets, but Bitan has those too. I wouldn’t live in Meiheshu, though, not even if they paid me, that would be the only red flag. Even the street by my house where all the mafiosi gather would be better. I think Ankeng is awesome, lovely, cheap, but too far for a daily commute, IMHO. However, I am told that if you drive it is easier now with the new highway and the MRT will eventually get there… someday soon. And you get snow in winter!