I lost a gold coin because of a bunch of bananas made of copper.

Recently, in Bau Nang commune, Duong Minh Chau district, an individual riding a motorbike, claiming to be a construction worker, approached residents carrying metal items and used sweet words to entice them into buying goods for a price higher than their actual value.

The vacant plot of land where the perpetrator defrauded Mrs. P.

Ms. LKP, residing in Ninh Hiep hamlet, Bau Nang commune, stated that on the morning of April 10th, while she was sweeping in front of her son's house in Ninh Thuan hamlet, a young man on a motorbike approached her, introduced himself as Trung, and said he was a construction worker building a house nearby.

This person told her that while digging the foundation for the house, they discovered several artifacts including a soldier's uniform, a bunch of bananas made of bronze, and a valuable dog tag, which they wanted to sell to her at a cheap price to get money for their expenses.

Fearing exposure, the suspect led Ms. P. to an empty plot of land next to his house to show her the "antiques" he possessed. After some persuasion, Ms. P. believed him and gave him two rings worth one tael of gold (approximately 10 million VND) in exchange for a bunch of bananas made of bronze.

Ms. P. pointed to the construction site where the man named Trung claimed to have unearthed an antique.

“When this person opened the trunk of the car and took out the bunch of bananas, I felt different about myself, and I felt very happy. This person kept pointing at my hand, telling me to give them the gold rings I was wearing instead of cash to get it over with quickly. I hesitated several times, but for some reason, I took off my two rings and gave them to them,” Mrs. P. recalled the moment she was tricked out of one gold ring in exchange for a bunch of bananas made of copper.

After bringing the items home, Mrs. P.'s husband had them inspected and discovered his wife had been scammed. He then went to the house under construction (where the suspect named Trung had introduced himself when he first approached Mrs. P.) to inquire about the suspect.

However, many people working there confirmed to the couple that there was no one named Trung, and no one had unearthed any artifacts. Realizing she had been deceived, Mrs. P. went to the Bau Nang Commune Police Station to report the incident.

The copper bunch of bananas that Mrs. P. was tricked into exchanging for one gold coin.

Mr. Huynh Hung Thoi, acting Chairman of the Bau Nang Commune People's Committee, said that after receiving the report from Ms. LKP, the commune leaders requested the commune police to verify the information and extract images from cameras of surrounding households. Initial verification showed that the suspect was not a local resident.

According to Mr. Thoi, there are currently many scammers using various methods and tactics. Regarding Ms. P.'s case, after working with the commune police, it was determined that during the transaction, the scammer clearly stated that they were buying a bunch of bananas made of copper, not of any valuable value like gold or silver. Therefore, there is no basis for Ms. P.'s claim of being scammed.

Following this incident, the leaders of Bau Nang commune also advised residents to be extremely vigilant with strangers when they introduce or sell antiques, and to avoid trading in goods advertised as antiques from strangers without verifying their identity, origin, and provenance.

When discovering incidents with suspicious signs of fraud or misappropriation of property, people should promptly report them to the nearest police station for guidance on how to handle the situation.

Minh Duong

Source: https://baotayninh.vn/mat-mot-chi-vang-vi-nai-chuoi-bang-dong-a188927.html