Let's take a look back at the top news stories about online scams from the past week.

IMPERSONATING "PEACEKEEPERS" TO DEFRAUD AND APPROPRIATE PROPERTY

According to information from the Binh Phuoc Provincial Police, a resident of Dong Xoai City was scammed out of more than 1 billion VND through social media.

On April 26th, the victim accepted a friend request on Facebook from an account named "Yadni Bentos," after which the perpetrator messaged her to get acquainted. During their conversation, the perpetrator stated that they were currently working for the US government in peacekeeping operations in Syria, and that their biological father was Vietnamese but had passed away.

At the same time, the perpetrator told her that before he died, her father had left her $600,000 and trusted her so much that he would send the money to Vietnam for her to invest. A few days later, the perpetrator took pictures of the money box and the shipping confirmation slip for Vietnam and sent them to her.

On May 5th, the victim received a phone call from someone claiming to be an employee of a delivery company, stating that she had to pay a customs clearance fee of 52 million VND to receive a package sent from abroad. She transferred 52 million VND to the caller. Later, the caller called again, saying she had to pay a customs tax of 130 million VND.

Fearing the loss of the money in the shipment, on May 7th and 8th, the woman repeatedly complied with the perpetrator's demands and transferred over 1 billion VND to complete the process of obtaining confirmation documents and insurance for the shipment.

After receiving numerous phone calls requesting money transfers, the woman became suspicious and reported the matter to the police.

Following this information, the Information Security Department ( Ministry of Information and Communications ) advises people to be extremely cautious of individuals who befriend or get acquainted with them on social media. It is necessary to verify the identity of these individuals by researching them, requesting their address, contact phone number, or even meeting them in person if possible. Do not hastily follow any requests or instructions from these individuals.

Never share personal information or bank account details in any form. Do not access suspicious links; do not download applications from unknown sources.

If you discover you've been scammed, stop sending money and block all communication from the scammer. Immediately contact your bank or financial institution to report the scam and ask them to stop all transactions. Gather and preserve evidence, and file a complaint with the police in your area. Warn your family and friends about this scam.

IMPERSONATING POLICE OFFICERS AND NOTIFYING PEOPLE WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES TO DEFRAUD OVER 1 BILLION VND

Impersonating police officers to scam people out of their money is not a new tactic, but many people still fall prey to these scammers.

Recently, the Hoan Kiem District Police in Hanoi have been investigating a case of impersonating a police officer and defrauding people of over 1 billion VND.

Accordingly, on May 24th, the Dong Xuan Ward Police Station, Hoan Kiem District, received a report from Ms. N (born in 1953, residing in Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) regarding the theft of her property. Ms. N stated that she received a phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. The caller informed her that she was involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering ring and demanded that she provide her bank account details to prove her innocence.

Out of fear, Ms. N transferred 1.1 billion VND to the scammers' account for verification. Later, Ms. N realized she had been scammed and reported the incident to the police.

To prevent this situation, the Information Security Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) advises people to be vigilant and spread awareness to their relatives and friends about the tactics of fake phone calls impersonating authorities to avoid falling into the traps of scammers.

To work with citizens, the police will directly send invitations or summonses, or send them through the local police; under no circumstances will they request citizens to provide bank account information or transfer money to bank accounts.

People should not rush to follow the requests or instructions of these individuals. Under no circumstances should personal information or bank account details be shared.

When detecting cases with signs of fraud like the ones described above, people should immediately report them to the nearest police station.

IMPERSONATING A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR, FRAUDING PEOPLE OUT OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF VIETNAMESE DONG.

Posing as a driving instructor, a young man posted advertisements on social media offering to handle driver's license exam and upgrade applications, then defrauded numerous victims out of hundreds of millions of VND.

On May 30th, information from the Tan Ky District Police (Nghe An province) indicated that they had issued a decision to prosecute and temporarily detain Nguyen Van Hung (32 years old, residing in Quang Luu commune, Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa province) to investigate the act of fraud and appropriation of property.

Initial investigations by the police determined that to deceive people seeking to learn or upgrade their driver's licenses, Hung created a Facebook account under the name Manh Hung, introducing himself as a driving instructor from a driver training and testing center. He also posted content on this account offering services to handle applications for driver's license exams, license upgrades, and license restoration.

Here, the person stated that if you register to take the driving test for a car license or upgrade your license, you don't need to take the theory test, only the practical test, and they will take care of everything.

Trusting Hung, many people contacted him to process applications for driver's license exams and license upgrades, and many of them transferred money to his account as requested.

Initially, the police determined that the suspect Hung had defrauded 15 people in Nghe An province and 10 people in Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Gia Lai, and Binh Phuoc provinces, appropriating more than 300 million VND from the victims.

Following this information, the Cybersecurity Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) advises people to be extremely vigilant when using services on social media. It is necessary to clearly verify the identity of the user, request necessary information from them, and ensure that users choose reputable platforms.

Never rush to listen to, trust, or follow the instructions of strangers. Do not provide personal information or bank account details to avoid falling into scams.

When detecting cases with signs of fraud like the ones described above, people should immediately report them to the nearest police station.

A fake VTV online fanpage is posting false information and misappropriating property.

Recently, according to information received from citizens, the Fanpage "Legal Library / Online Legal Consulting" has been using the VTV Online interface to post false information, showing signs of fraudulent activity.

Specifically, a Facebook Fanpage called "Legal Library / Online Legal Consulting" recently posted an image with the interface of VTV Online, titled "A05 High-Tech Crime Prevention Department. Announcing the hotline number: 0948.304.750. Receiving complaints from victims of online fraud," along with the following content:

According to VTV Online, on January 5th, the Ministry of Public Security requested the High-Tech Crime Prevention Department to coordinate with professional units and banks to block the flow of money from fraudsters and verify the return of illegally seized funds to the people. Anyone who is a victim of these individuals is requested to contact the hotline at 0948.304.750 for timely advice and support.

Following the above information, VTV Times issued a statement confirming that the post was completely fake news and not an article published on VTV Online.

After conducting an investigation, it was determined that the suspect was engaging in fraudulent activities by impersonating an officer of the A05 High-Tech Crime Prevention Department. The suspect did not provide the victim's identity or position when calling, but only inquired about the victim's current situation.

After explaining the nature of the scam, the man immediately asserted that the reporter had been defrauded of the aforementioned sum of money by an online scam organization, and that someone from a law firm would call within 10 minutes to advise on the procedures for recovering the money.

Next, another phone call came in, the caller introduced himself as Duy Anh, currently working at Tri Minh Law Firm, located in the Vimedimex building, 246 Cong Quynh Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

The person who revealed the "secret" can recover the money lost in the scam. All the reporter needs to do is provide complete personal information and transfer history to the competition organizers. The scammer will then verify that the reporter is indeed a victim of the scam, access the "interbank" system to confirm that the amount transferred by the reporter and the frozen balance match, and then unfreeze the money for the reporter to receive immediately.

After receiving the money in their account, reporters will only have to pay 5% of the amount received (approximately over 6 million VND) and are guaranteed not to incur any fees if the money is not received.

In response to these sophisticated scams, the Information Security Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) advises people to be vigilant against unreliable services on social media. Absolutely do not use any service without verifying the identity and reputation of the entity/organization.

Do not rush to follow the instructions of the perpetrator; absolutely do not provide personal information or bank account information in any form.

When detecting cases with signs of fraud like the ones described above, people should immediately report them to the nearest police station.

WARNING: SCAMS OFFERING CHEAP GOODS THROUGH ONLINE PLATFORMS

Recently, Xiao Li (residing in Yangzhou, China) fell victim to scammers while shopping online. Li is a student looking for a budget-friendly phone.

During her search, Xiao Li came across an advertisement offering discounted smartphones. The prices offered were incredibly attractive, so Li proactively contacted the seller for more information.

Later, Li was befriended by the seller and received a private message via WeChat. After exchanging messages, the seller offered a nearly new iPhone for just over 1500 Yuan (approximately 5 million VND), promising immediate shipping if the buyer paid the full amount upfront. The seller sent a few QR codes and requested payment via Alipay e-wallet.

Ignoring the scam warnings issued by the Alipay app, Xiao Li quickly borrowed a friend's account and proceeded with the transaction.

After successfully transferring the money, the scammer said additional fees were required and asked the victim to pay an extra 500 Yuan (approximately 1.7 million VND). After following the instructions, the scammer unfriended Xiao Li's WeChat account and deleted all contact information. Realizing she had been scammed, Xiao Li reported the incident to the local police.

Following this information, the Cybersecurity Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) advises people to be vigilant when conducting transactions during online shopping. People should be careful when encountering products with unusually low prices and absolutely avoid buying goods from individuals with fake social media accounts, little personal information, and low interaction.

It is necessary to carefully verify the seller's identity and cross-check it with their bank account before transferring money. In case of encountering such scams, people should immediately contact their bank and report the fraudulent transaction, and contact the police to promptly track down and prosecute the perpetrator.

MAN SCAMMED OUT OF NEARLY $60 MILLION AFTER ONLINE DATING.

Recently, a 75-year-old man living in the US was scammed out of $60 million in a fraudulent company. The perpetrator, posing as a successful woman, built a romantic relationship with the victim through LinkedIn and enticed him to invest in a lucrative project.

Initially, the man received a friend request from a woman. She introduced herself as a successful businesswoman with many upcoming business plans, seeking experienced people in the same field to share and learn from.

On her personal page, the woman posted photos of her wealthy lifestyle and many achievements. After chatting, she suggested using WhatsApp to exchange private information.

The perpetrator gradually built an emotional relationship with the victim, proactively sending messages daily. Besides conversations about work, the perpetrator also frequently shared details of their personal life to gain the victim's trust, making it easier to seduce and manipulate them.

The woman offered to collaborate with the victim in investing in a stock trading app called FX6, promising large profits in the future.

Trusting the scammer, the man readily transferred money into the aforementioned app. After some time, the interest displayed on the app increased rapidly, and the man continued to invest, hoping to reap huge profits.

When attempting to withdraw money, the victim noticed the app indicated that the withdrawal was denied for various reasons. She tried to contact customer service but was unsuccessful. The woman's accounts on both LinkedIn and WhatsApp had also been deleted.

Following this information, the Cybersecurity Department (Ministry of Information and Communications) advises people not to trust any strangers on social media. Do not accept friend requests or messages from individuals with fake personal accounts. Do not transfer money to anyone without meeting them in person and verifying their information and identity.

In the event of being scammed, people should quickly record the conversations and promptly report it to the relevant authorities to track down and prevent fraudulent acts of property theft.

According to nhandan.vn