Ho Chi Minh City police warn against 'traps' involving visa services that guarantee 100% approval.

Ho Chi Minh City police said the scammers used a series of attractive offers such as: 100% guaranteed visa approval, super-fast processing, and no need to prove financial means. After receiving the money, the fraudsters immediately cut off contact and deleted their accounts.

Báo Sài Gòn Giải phóng•27/05/2026

On May 27th, the Criminal Police Department (PC02) of the Ho Chi Minh City Police announced that the start of the 2026 summer tourist season has also marked the emergence of numerous sophisticated scams involving online tour and accommodation bookings, as well as fraudulent visa services promising 100% approval.

Ho Chi Minh City police warn people against falling victim to visa services that promise — Ho Chi Minh City police are warning citizens to be vigilant against various scams. INFOGRAPHIC: THANH TUYEN

PC02 stated that it has recently received numerous complaints from citizens about being scammed when booking hotel rooms, homestays, or purchasing airline tickets through social media.

The most common tactic nowadays is for individuals to create fake fan pages and groups on Facebook and Zalo impersonating reputable travel companies and agencies. To increase credibility, they spend money on extensive advertising with catchy titles designed to appeal to buyers, such as: "Last-minute ticket clearance," "Golden hour combo with 30% - 50% discount including round-trip airfare and 5-star hotel." Even more dangerously, many fake pages possess verified "blue checkmarks" or have fan page names that closely match those of major travel brands, making it very difficult for consumers to distinguish them.

To build absolute trust, the perpetrators used hundreds of fake accounts to comment and praise the service, even using technology to forge money transfer receipts and successful booking invoices.

Once the victims have taken the bait and transferred the deposit (usually 50% to 100% of the service package value), the scammers immediately block communication, shut down the page, and disappear with the stolen money. Many families only realize they have been scammed when they arrive at the airport or hotel, only to find that their name is not in the system.

Deceptive tactics involving the sale of "fake" homestays and "guaranteed" visa approvals.

Beyond simply selling combo packages, scams involving renting "virtual" homestays and villas in popular tourist destinations like Da Lat, Nha Trang, Da Nang , and Vung Tau are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

PC02 reported that fraudsters brazenly copy all the images and video clips of luxurious homestays and villas from the internet and post them in online groups at surprisingly low prices. When customers hesitate, they readily send business licenses and booking confirmation invoices with red stamps (which are actually photoshopped) to gain trust.

Many tourists travel long distances only to be shocked to find that the rental address doesn't exist at all, or it's just an ordinary private house.

Furthermore, in the overseas tourism sector, people are wary of falling prey to visa services that guarantee 100% approval and offer super-fast processing without requiring proof of financial means, which are also flourishing. Exploiting people's reluctance to deal with administrative procedures, these scammers lure victims into paying tens of millions of dong in fees along with important original documents such as passports and identity cards.

"Not only do people lose money, but they also face the risk of personal data leaks. This information can then be exploited by malicious actors to open fake bank accounts, borrow money through apps, or commit other illegal acts," PC02 noted.

5 essential rules to avoid becoming a victim.

To ensure a complete and safe summer in 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department's PC02 recommends that citizens strictly adhere to the following principles:

Beware of extremely low prices: Absolutely do not trust travel offers with prices that are unusually cheap compared to the market average.
Multi-channel verification: Before transferring money, proactively check the company's legal status. It's advisable to call the airline, hotel, or resort's hotline directly to confirm whether the agency has made the reservation for you.
Prioritize official platforms: Only transact through official websites and applications registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, or through authorized agents with clearly stated ticket offices and addresses. Minimize transferring deposit funds to personal accounts.
Information security: Absolutely do not provide photos of your citizen identification card, bank card, or OTP code to anyone via social media.
Report promptly: If you suspect you are a victim or unfortunately become one, you should take photos of all messages and transfer receipts and immediately go to the nearest police station to report the incident and receive assistance in handling the case according to regulations.

Source: https://ttbc-hcm.gov.vn/cong-an-tp-hcm-canh-bao-bay-dich-vu-visa-bao-dau-100-1021429.html