Family - a stronghold against fraud "traps"

The elderly and children are vulnerable, easily exploited, and their health is directly affected by the increasing number of fraudulent acts today. In order to promptly detect and help vulnerable people escape the "matrix" of counterfeit goods, we need the cooperation of specialized authorities, along with the efforts of families.

Consumers choose to buy various foods at the MM Mega Market supermarket system in Ho Chi Minh City.

Lose money, get sick long term

Ms. Ngoc Lan, residing in Cho Lon Ward (HCMC), said that a colleague's mother-in-law had just been called by a "fake police officer" to inform her that she was involved in a money laundering and drug trafficking ring. This person asked her not to tell her children and grandchildren and to transfer hundreds of millions of dong from her savings account (which she had told the scammer) for them to check. If the money was clean and not related to the crime ring, it would be returned. She was so scared that she couldn't eat or sleep, so the next day she secretly went to the bank to withdraw money from her children and grandchildren. Luckily, the bank staff discovered it and promptly reported it to the police, so she escaped the scam.

However, not everyone is so lucky. A young female worker, working in Dong Nai , reported to the authorities about depositing money to get a part-time job online from a (non-existent) travel agency in Ho Chi Minh City. They lured her to deposit money many times, a total of nearly 250 million VND, while the nominal profit of more than 50 million VND could not be withdrawn. After that, the scammer deleted the account and disappeared. The profit disappeared, but the debt she had to bear was real.

A nutritionist in Ho Chi Minh City indignantly shared on social media the story of her aunt being harmed. She has been retired for decades, lives in the countryside, and has good economic conditions, so her house is always full of dairy products and functional foods. Her house is always full of all kinds, including calcium-supplemented milk, milk for diabetics, etc. Ironically, the more milk she drinks, the more signs of Alzheimer's (dementia) she shows. After checking some milk boxes, this doctor discovered that the nutritional content was lacking, not as advertised, and there were signs of counterfeiting. Obviously, not only did the doctor's relatives lose money buying fake milk, they also spent a lot of money on treatment because they had relied on milk of unknown origin for many years. "Old people are naturally vulnerable, and functional food sellers often take advantage of this to entice them. They come to confide in each other, and the elderly are not on guard, ready to buy and support right away...", this doctor shared.

Accompanying loved ones

According to many experts, the role of relatives in the family is very important, it is the glue that connects the family, detects the abnormalities of parents, children, and each member. Today's life is too busy with many worries, so family ties are more fragile, making it easier for bad guys to take advantage of them to commit fraud. As in the case of the doctor's aunt mentioned above, her children are all successful people, working far away, leaving everything to the maid. Because of loneliness, she sought out people selling functional foods and fake milk because they spoke very well and knew how to care for the elderly. By the time she discovered she was being scammed, it was too late. Or the case of the female worker in Dong Nai is the same. This young mother is raising a small child, has financial difficulties, and needs to work extra, so she fell into the "trap" of fraud.

In addition, the situation of celebrities participating in advertising fake products (such as milk to help children gain weight, increase height, increase appetite...) is also widespread on social networks. Trusting these individuals, many parents enthusiastically support. When the authorities expose the truth, many young mothers can only feel sorry "I have harmed my child".

Mr. Nguyen Viet Hong, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Consumer Protection Association, General Director of Vina CHG Company, said that the current fraud situation is multifaceted, including transnational "corporations", defrauding from East to West. If not careful, anyone can become "prey". In that context, families and relatives should connect and share information to be vigilant and prevent deceitful and fraudulent acts. Because besides the efforts of the authorities, the family is also the most important stronghold to protect loved ones from external threats.

According to information from the Ministry of Public Security , online fraud is on the rise again. Some common fraud methods include: impersonating educational institutions; recovering “suspended” capital; paying for services; buying and selling online; impersonating police officers, prosecutors, and courts; emotional fraud for financial gain... The victims are mainly individuals, lacking defenses, and rarely updating social information.

GIA HAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/gia-dinh-thanh-tri-truoc-bay-lua-dao-post807646.html