Warning about online customer appreciation scams

Calls inviting customers to receive gifts, congratulatory messages for winning prizes or promises to “complete tasks to receive bonuses” are becoming sophisticated traps in cyberspace. With just a few clicks, OTP codes are stolen, and bank accounts are suddenly empty. Under the guise of gratitude, criminals are taking advantage of users’ trust and gullibility to pickpocket right in the digital world.

The perfect scam scenario

A few days ago, Mr. CBP, a resident of an apartment building in Hac Thanh ward, received a call from the number 024xxxx. The caller claimed to be a customer service employee of AEON Shopping Center, informing him that he was a lucky customer to receive a thank you gift.

At first, Mr. P. was skeptical because he had not shopped at AEON recently. However, out of curiosity, he still answered the phone and was instructed to add Zalo account “Luong Thi Ha Vy” to choose the reward. This account uses a profile picture of a young girl, speaking warmly and professionally.

After making friends, Mr. P. was asked to complete a brand care task on Zalo to receive 15,000 VND, and was promised to participate in a lucky spin at 7 p.m. with many valuable gifts. Everything was presented cleverly and reasonably, making the listener gradually lose his guard.

The reward that CBP, a resident of an apartment building in Hac Thanh ward, received while on duty and the amount of money deposited to register as a member.

Soon after, Mr. P. was added to a Zalo group called CSKH - KHTN (Customer Care - Potential Customers), with nearly 100 members. Another person in the group, claiming to be the manager, continued to guide Mr. P. to perform online tasks to receive commissions from 300,000 to 900,000 VND per day, depending on the level of participation.

These tasks are simply to care about the brand, take a screenshot, send it back to the group and provide a bank account to receive the bonus. Everything is done smoothly, even small bonuses are transferred for real, to strengthen the player's trust.

When Mr. P. began to believe, the subject upgraded the gratitude program by inviting him to a new group called DKTKTV (Register for a member account), promising a higher commission if he registered as a paid member.

Three investment packages are offered, including: Code A: deposit 150,000 VND, receive 250,000 VND; Code B: deposit 250,000 VND, receive 400,000 VND; Code C: deposit 500,000 VND, receive 800,000 VND.

The account to receive the money was under the name of an individual named “Nguyen Tan Hoang”, which has nothing to do with AEON. After Mr. P. transferred the money, the entire Zalo group was deleted, the contact account disappeared and the gratitude program ended with the loss of all the money he had participated in.

Fraudsters forge documents and information to receive money to register for membership.

Beware of bait

According to cybersecurity experts, the trick of impersonating businesses, supermarkets, and e-commerce platforms to thank customers is not new, but is becoming more and more sophisticated. The danger lies in the fact that initially, the victims actually receive a small reward - a sum of money, a phone card, or a discount code, making them believe the program is real.

The scammers will then gradually increase the reward level, creating psychological pressure for the player to transfer money or provide personal information. When the victim is no longer able to meet the request, the subjects will take all the money and disappear.

In other cases, users are invited to receive free gifts without doing any tasks. However, they unwittingly become “decoys” when their image of receiving gifts is exploited to attract new victims.

The Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention ( Ministry of Public Security ) warns: Online customer appreciation scams are increasing rapidly in 2025, focusing on vulnerable groups such as middle-aged women, the elderly, freelance workers, people with little exposure to technology, ethnic minorities in remote areas... These are groups that tend to trust simple online gift giving or job programs without carefully verifying their origins.

Authorities recommend that all calls, text messages announcing winning prizes, receiving gifts of gratitude or requests to do tasks to receive money must be carefully verified. People absolutely do not provide personal information, bank accounts, OTP codes to anyone, do not access strange links, do not transfer money to strangers, even small amounts. To verify, you should contact the business directly via the switchboard or official website.

Ba Phuong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/canh-bao-chieu-lua-tri-an-khach-hang-truc-tuyen-266774.htm