When intelligence is misplaced

These past few days, the name of the handsome Mr. Pips Pho Duc Nam, who was once incredibly famous, has been exposed by the police, suddenly reminding people of a different "Nam."

Everyone probably still remembers that guy who's a few years older than Phó Đức Nam; he's Phan Sào Nam, who was once the kingpin of a multi-billion dollar gambling ring before being caught by the law.

Born in 1979, Phan Sào Nam, before his arrest, was a well-known figure in the information technology industry and owned a technology company with a brand value of billions of VND. Phan Sào Nam himself held many high-ranking positions in Vietnamese IT companies and was a coveted figure for many CEOs.

Instead of using his intellect to advance information technology and promote digital transformation for the community, Phan Sao Nam's possessions gradually shifted him towards satisfying the fleeting desire for "wealth" among gambling addicts by exploiting their psychology of "winning big and losing big." Ultimately, he faced legal consequences.

Regarding Mr. Pips Pho Duc Nam (born in 1990), surprising information was revealed at a late afternoon press conference a few days ago at the Hanoi Police headquarters. Besides the enormous amount of cash, gold, and cars involved in the notorious financial fraud ring, in which Pho Duc Nam was a ringleader, Mr. Pips also demonstrated a high level of professional expertise.

This young man was one of only three high school students in the world to receive a full scholarship to a prestigious university in Singapore, majoring in information technology. Furthermore, Mr. Pips is fluent in English with an IELTS score of 8.5 – a very high score – and possesses impeccable knowledge of finance and economics .

And just like Phan Sao Nam, Pho Duc Nam's impressive and enviable knowledge base, along with that of many others, led him to lure thousands of people into one of the largest financial fraud rings in Vietnam ever uncovered by the police.

Highly qualified individuals like Phan Sào Nam and Phó Đức Nam can absolutely secure a well-deserved place in the overall progress of the community, even becoming "role models" to spread intelligence, technological knowledge, and financial expertise. This would enable Vietnam to become a nation with a strong digital technology and digital economy, and individuals who achieve wealth in accordance with the rule of law. This is also the goal of successful development pursued by individuals around the world.

"Kingpin" of fraud, Mr. Pips Pho Duc Nam, at the police station. Photo: CACC.

Sadly, in the case of these two "Men," intelligence and expertise were misplaced, leaving behind painful lessons to ponder. This includes both their proactive role in becoming masterminds of community scams and their gradual transformation into tools of deception in the hands of other scammers.

I will always remember the words of Colonel Thanh Kien Trung - Head of the Cau Giay District Police, Hanoi, and Head of the special investigation team for Pho Duc Nam, at the press conference providing information about the case's resolution. " We have a generation of students and engineers who are very talented in technology. We hope they will use this knowledge for healthy purposes, production, and business to bring about social development, preventing them from being exploited by criminals for fraudulent activities, property theft, and infringement of the legitimate rights and interests of others ," Colonel Trung said.

Perhaps in our education system, the time spent on learning and training is too short, too rushed, leaving no time or even the need for warnings or essential knowledge about civic ethics and intellectual ethics. General knowledge is so difficult to internalize that it becomes personal knowledge, like an arrow shot from a bow, flying towards targets that harm the community instead of hitting its intended goal.

The lessons from Phan Sao Nam to Mr. Pips Pho Duc Nam raise the question of whether there will be other "Nams" who, instead of promoting the overall development of the community and the economy, become masterminds of scams and illegal activities.

The poet Nguyen Du once warned: " Talent is not worth relying on; a good heart is worth more than three talents ." Talented and skilled people are precious and rare, not always available. Therefore, let's act to ensure that talent and skill are properly utilized and showcased to the highest degree for the benefit of the community. Only then will the intellect and abilities of the majority be empowered, soaring to truly greater horizons.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/tu-phan-sao-nam-den-pho-duc-nam-khi-tri-tue-bi-dat-nham-cho-364086.html