Rescuing architecture students who fell into the 'Australian study abroad scholarship' scam

Believing in the letter announcing that he had won an Australian scholarship, a male student was lured to a hotel by a scammer, who then called his family to ask for money to 'pay a deposit to hold the scholarship'. The police promptly rescued him and prevented the money from being transferred to the scammer group.

On December 2, Thanh My Tay Ward Police (formerly Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) rescued a male student of Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture, NHMT (19 years old), after 2 days of being "kidnapped online" and mentally controlled by scammers over the phone to extort money.

Thanh My Tay Ward Police rescued a student from the University of Architecture who was scammed.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY POLICE

The scam began on November 29, when T. received a notice that she had won an "international study experience scholarship" at a university in Australia.

To create trust, the scammers used an email address bgddt@icd-edu.vn with a profile picture of the logo of the Ministry of Education and Training . The letter clearly listed the list of 15 admitted students, with full personal information and major of T.

Believing in a "golden opportunity", T. contacted his family in Phu Yen (old) to ask for 100 million VND to deposit to reserve a place, with the promise that this amount would be refunded after the course. When his parents were suspicious and advised him to call the school's training department to verify the information about the scholarship to study abroad in Australia, T. fell into the scammer's psychological trap when he called the phone number listed in the scam letter. The subjects impersonated education officials and confirmed that the information was true, while constantly urging and pressuring the victim about time, causing panic, fear of losing the opportunity, and forcing him to follow the instructions.

T. continuously called and texted his family in Phu Yen asking for 100 million VND to deposit for a "scholarship in Australia".

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Rescuing a male student from an "online kidnapping" for ransom

According to Thanh My Tay Ward Police, the scammers' methods were extremely sophisticated, manipulating psychology. T. was asked to leave her residence, rent a room at a hotel on Tran Nao Street (An Khanh Ward) and absolutely not be allowed to video call or talk to anyone.

On the family side, because they could not contact their son, relatives in Ho Chi Minh City went to the rented room to look for him but could not find him. At this time, T. only texted home saying that he was in a dark room, "if he did not have money, he would not be able to get out".

Noticing unusual signs, the family reported to Thanh My Tay Ward Police. Immediately upon receiving the report, the Crime Prevention Team - Thanh My Tay Ward Police mobilized all forces, coordinating with professional units of Ho Chi Minh City Police.

The police have reviewed all of T.'s relationships and information, worked with T.'s family, reviewed cameras, and patrol teams have increased patrols on the roads to find T.

On the night of December 1, Thanh My Tay Ward Police found T. at the hotel, still on the phone, being continuously manipulated by the scammers.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tran Trung Hieu, Chief of Thanh My Tay Ward Police, this is the fourth student to be scammed in the form of "online kidnapping" that the ward has rescued recently. Common scam scenarios include: winning a scholarship to study abroad; threatening to be involved in a drug ring; or a relative having an accident and being rushed to the emergency room... The scammers force the victim to go to a deserted place or hotel, cutting off contact with the family so that they can easily manipulate the victim to extort money.

T. continuously persuaded his parents to transfer money to him.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Faced with the above situation, Thanh My Tay Ward Police warned students to absolutely not believe in emails, text messages about winning prizes, or scholarships that require deposit money. They should contact the school to verify.

When receiving urgent money transfer requests or threats, stay calm and do not arbitrarily follow the requests of strangers. If suspicious, students and parents should immediately report to the nearest police station.

According to Thanh My Tay Ward Police, the clip recording the scene of the rescue of student T. is currently being used by Thanh My Tay Ward Police in coordination with local universities as practical propaganda material, helping students improve their resilience against traps in cyberspace.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-cuu-sinh-vien-kien-truc-sap-bay-lua-dao-hoc-bong-du-hoc-uc-185251202150653969.htm