In early May, Ms. LTTH, residing on Thai Ha Street (Dong Da Ward, Hanoi), planned a family trip to Dong Do Lake (Kim Anh Commune, Hanoi). She searched online and came across a Facebook page called “May Retreat Dong Do Lake, Soc Son”. After carefully researching and seeing that the page had a verified badge, over 32,000 followers, daily posts, and stable interaction, Ms. LTTH trusted it, messaged to inquire about room rates and services, and transferred a deposit.

Ms. LTTH stated: "I transferred the money but forgot to include the correct transfer details, so the scammer said they hadn't received it. After the second transfer, they said they had received the money and confirmed the booking, instructing me to contact the accounting department to get back the money that was transferred incorrectly earlier. Then, the scammers gave me roundabout explanations and asked me to make a video call, share my screen, download and install applications... with the intention of stealing my bank account. At this point, I knew I had been scammed."

The official Facebook page of the resort at Dong Do Lake (left) and the fake Facebook page impersonating the resort (slashed) that Ms. LTTH was scammed on.

After finding the correct Facebook page for the resort at Dong Do Lake, Ms. LTTH discovered that the page did not have a verified badge and had posted warnings about impersonation and scams several years prior. The Facebook page administrator also stated that there are many fake social media accounts impersonating the resorts at Dong Do Lake. To ensure credibility, the resort managers are always ready to video call guests to view rooms and grounds.

Mr. NCH, residing in Dam Hong Street, Phuong Liet Ward ( Hanoi ), was also nearly scammed using a similar trick as Ms. LTTH. Needing to find a hotel in Hue City, he came across the Facebook page "Le Carré Hue," which had over 6,500 followers and posted daily updates. He trusted it and proactively messaged them to inquire about rooms. After the exchange, the fanpage informed him that they still had all the room types he requested, sent an invoice, and asked him to pay 50% of the room rate in advance to reserve the room. However, because he booked close to a holiday, while many other hotels announced they were fully booked, he began to suspect: Why would a hotel with nice rooms and reasonable prices still have so many rooms available during peak season?

To verify, Mr. NCH found the hotel's phone number and called directly. The hotel staff said that all rooms were fully booked for the holiday; the fan page he had contacted was fake and many people had already been scammed. Notably, the fake fan page had a higher number of followers than the real one, making it easy for customers to be misled. Recognizing the signs of a scam, Mr. NCH did not transfer the deposit. Afterward, the scammer had a man speaking with a Hue accent call him, asking why he hadn't paid and repeatedly urging him to transfer the money to reserve the room.

Mr. NCH stated: “The current methods of impersonating hotel fanpages are very sophisticated, easily trapping those who need to book rooms urgently. Fake fanpages sometimes have more followers than the real ones, and they send messages quickly, send invoices, and urge bank transfers very professionally. It's very difficult to distinguish them just by looking at Facebook. After this incident, I think when booking rooms, especially during peak seasons, people should call the official phone number on the website or other verified channels of the hotel before transferring a deposit.”

In response to this scam, the Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (Hanoi City Police) advises citizens to: Carefully check fanpage information, be wary of room booking advertisements with prices that are too cheap compared to the market, compare prices on different platforms to ensure reasonableness, and only book through reputable platforms. Seek opinions from people who have previously stayed at the hotel you want to book through sites like TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, or other reputable booking sites that often have detailed reviews from previous guests.

Proactively contact the hotel directly before making payment through the contact information on the official website, such as the hotline number, or send a direct email to verify room and service information. Do not follow requests or instructions to transfer money to unauthorized parties for reasons such as incorrect SMS syntax or money being held up in the system. Absolutely do not download unfamiliar applications or click on unknown links from third parties.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/xa-hoi/cac-van-de/dat-coc-du-lich-dung-voi-tin-tuong-facebook-co-tich-xanh-1041554