In the information about the prominent online fraud situation in the week from December 30, 2024 to January 5, 2025, the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) warned people about 3 forms of fraud that are being widely used by subjects in Vietnam's cyberspace.

Risk of being scammed when exchanging money on social networks near Tet

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the demand for exchanging small change and new money for lucky money or preparing for consumer activities during the holiday increases. This creates opportunities for criminals to use sophisticated tricks to appropriate property.

In fact, there have been many people who have exchanged new money but received less money than promised, or even received counterfeit money. In many cases, after people transferred money, the social media account owner blocked contact and "broke" the deposit.

Usually, people who fall into the trap of fraud and have their money exchanged for counterfeit money do not report it to the authorities, for fear of being prosecuted for buying and selling counterfeit money.

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The Information Security Department recommends that people be vigilant against strangers and not exchange money via social networks to avoid becoming victims or "assisting" in fraudulent behavior.

With social networking services, people need to check carefully before making transactions; be wary of services that require money transfer before receiving goods.

When detecting subjects with acts of storing, circulating counterfeit money or other fraudulent and profiteering acts, it is necessary to promptly report to the police for measures to prevent and handle.

Beware of fraudulent contacts via Signal app

The Department of Information Security said that cybersecurity experts have just warned about a scam campaign on the free and two-way encrypted messaging and calling platform - Signal.

Accordingly, a clear trend is that many scammers operating in ASEAN region 'scam farms' are switching from Telegram to Signal as their main scam communication platform.

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Common scams include fake financial investment platforms, romance scams, and impersonation; sending links containing malicious code to scam…

The subjects even impersonate state agencies to gain the victims' trust or pretend to be bank employees or financial companies to ask users to provide personal information or transfer money.

The Information Security Department recommends that people be vigilant when using Signal as well as other social networking platforms, free messaging and calling applications.

People should also slow down, double-check their identities and never share sensitive information online; always verify any unfamiliar links, accounts or organizations.

Impersonating bank employees to defraud loans and due dates

A common form of fraud recently is impersonating bank employees to fraudulently borrow money or repay debts. This trick has caused many people, especially those without much financial experience, to fall into the trap of scammers.

In terms of tricks, the subjects often claim to be employees of a large bank, calling or texting customers with the excuse of 'informing about preferential loan packages' or 'updating credit information'.

Then, the subject asks the borrower to provide personal information such as ID card number, bank account number, income level, loan purpose...

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In case people have a loan at the bank, the scammer will notify 'payment due' or 'loan extension needed'; and ask the victim to transfer money or provide personal financial information to ensure the transaction.

After the victim follows the instructions, the subject will block communication and appropriate money.

The Information Security Department advises people to proactively call the bank's official phone number to verify the identity of the subject; not to provide personal information; not to follow the instructions of strangers, especially related to money transfers; not to access strange links or download applications of unknown origin.

Phishing campaign steals sensitive data from Telegram users If users follow the instructions from strange messages, they will have their personal information and sensitive data stolen along with their Telegram accounts.