On the afternoon of June 29th, the Cau Giay District Police ( Hanoi ) announced that they are investigating an individual who impersonated police officers, calling citizens to instruct them on installing fake public service software and then stealing their money.

Warning: Users are being scammed by scanning QR codes.jpg
People are advised to be cautious as online scams occur frequently. Photo: Market Management Magazine.

On June 11th, Ms. T. (born in 1983, residing in Cau Giay district) received a call from someone claiming to be a police officer from Trung Hoa ward, Cau Giay district, informing her that her identity verification account was malfunctioning.

The perpetrator instructed Ms. T. to install a fake public service software. After installation, she discovered that over 1.2 billion VND had been stolen from her bank account. Realizing she had been scammed, Ms. T. reported the incident to the police.

Following the above incident, the Hanoi City Police advise citizens to be vigilant and absolutely not install software or applications at the request of strangers.

Furthermore, the Hanoi City Police also clarified the tactics used by perpetrators impersonating police officers, calling citizens to inform them that their citizen ID cards are faulty or that they need to update their population data and identification codes, then requesting them to come to the police station. They will pressure them with the excuse that they need to urgently complete the paperwork, and then ask them to download fake software via the provided link.

By installing this fake software, the perpetrators will gain control of the phone, thereby stealing money from the victim's bank accounts and payment applications stored on the phone.