Fake fanpage takes advantage of charity race to scam

A series of fake fanpages of the Run of the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City have appeared, running massive advertisements to scam.....

When Kindness Becomes the Target of Fraud

Recently, the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City officially issued a warning about the appearance of a series of fake fanpages called “Rang Ham Mat Run”. These pages claim to be the organizers of a charity run to raise funds for children’s smile surgeries, and at the same time call on people to register to participate by buying a bib (registration number) with the promise that each bib will contribute 50,000 VND to the fund for children’s smile surgeries.

It is worth mentioning that these fanpages are designed quite professionally: with hospital logos, pictures of doctors, patients, and even touching articles about the “run for smiles” journey. Some pages also run Facebook ads to reach thousands of users, making many people trust and transfer money to register.

However, according to confirmation from the hospital representative, there is currently no race called “Rang Ham Mat Run” being organized. All fanpages calling for registration are fake and unrelated to the hospital. The hospital reported the fake behavior to Facebook, but the fake pages immediately changed their links to avoid being deleted.

Photo: Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, Ho Chi Minh City

Among the victims of this trick is Mr. T. (living in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City). Seeing the advertisement for the Run for the Teeth and Face on social media with a participation fee of only a few hundred thousand VND but also receiving a shirt, medal and certificate, Mr. T. quickly transferred the money. However, after many weeks, he did not receive any confirmation information, when he contacted again, the fanpage had been deleted.

Another case is Ms. H. (living in Dong Nai ), who regularly participates in community running competitions. When she saw the invitation to participate in the race named after the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City, she trusted it because she thought it was a reputable unit. Ms. H. registered for a group of 5 friends with a total amount of more than 3 million VND. But later, she found out that this fanpage was fake and had nothing to do with the hospital.

According to the leader of the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City, the two official communication channels of the race organized by the hospital are: website: https://www.rhm.run and fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/rhm.run. Only organize live races (onsite), not organize online races or walks. The hospital does not send private messages requesting money transfers or personal information outside of the official channel.

Not only the Central Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, many other medical facilities are also becoming victims of fake fanpage tricks to call for charity. Fraudsters often copy content and images from official fanpages, create heartbreaking stories, and then call on the community to transfer money to personal accounts of unknown identities.

Kindness needs to be protected, vigilance is the key

Cybersecurity expert Le Phuoc Hoa, co-founder of the Anti-Fraud Project (chongluadao.vn) recommends that people be cautious when receiving information calling for charity on social networks: These scammers often use images and content of real heartbreaking cases to create sympathy and call for donations, but use their own personal accounts to collect money. Although social networking sites such as Facebook have managed and removed some violations, many other fake pages are still being created continuously.

Regarding prevention, Mr. Hoa recommends that people should be alert and not blindly trust information on social networks, but verify information with the hospital's official channels, such as contacting directly or via hotline. For authorities, hospitals and cybersecurity organizations, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation to promptly detect and handle these fraudulent behaviors.

Mr. Hoa also suggested that competent authorities should issue specific principles and regulations for social networking platforms in managing and handling fake pages. At the same time, localities and organizations also need to increase propaganda and instruct people on how to identify and respond to forms of fraud on social networks.

(Photo: Department of Information Security)

The situation of property fraud on the Internet is increasingly complex and unpredictable with many new and extremely sophisticated tricks. To combat these types of fraud, the Information Security Department recommends that people should learn carefully about charity and support activities on social networks. This is a condemnable situation when taking advantage of the kindness of philanthropists for personal gain, causing people to lose confidence in genuine charity activities.

“Therefore, to ensure that kindness is properly directed, people with a good heart should choose funds and charity programs organized by the State, organizations, social funds, and charity funds licensed by competent authorities. In case of suspicion of fraud or property appropriation, it is necessary to report to the nearest police agency for timely handling,” the Information Security Department recommends.

In the digital age, the kindness of the community can easily be exploited if we are not vigilant. Fraudulent impersonations of hospitals not only cause financial losses but also undermine trust in genuine volunteer activities. It is time for authorities, social media platforms and the public to join hands to protect trust and kindness.

If you ever see a fanpage that you suspect is impersonating a hospital, please report it immediately to prevent profiteering. Don't let our kindness become prey for bad guys.

Signs of fake accounts include:

- The account name or fanpage is similar to the real program name, but some characters are wrong.

- The page has no official verification information, no link to the website or fanpage of the real organizing units.

- Page has a blue tick but the history shows a name change from the original name.

- The content of the article often includes discount programs, urges, requests for quick transfers with the reasons of "reserving a place", "priority" or "urgent".

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/fanpage-gia-mao-loi-dung-giai-chay-thien-nguyen-de-lua-dao-post2149046301.html