In response to emerging scam tactics, banks have issued warnings and advised customers to be wary of calls from unfamiliar numbers.
Recently, Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade ( VietinBank ) issued a warning about a scam. Cheat A new trend emerges, with the amount of money being embezzled increasing. According to VietinBank, recently, there has been a growing number of cases of individuals impersonating bank recruitment officers to invite candidates for interviews or join online groups in order to scam and embezzle money.
Scammers are impersonating VietinBank's website/fanpage/VietinBank recruitment team to post job advertisements, using brand images, employee ID photos, or forged documents to gain the trust of applicants. From there, they trick applicants into joining online chat groups to access malicious links, transfer money to participate in training groups for bank entrance exams, or request applicants to provide confidential information in order to steal money from the applicants' accounts.
Similarly, the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank ( Agribank ) has warned about numerous individuals exploiting its brand image for recruitment purposes and engaging in fraudulent activities. Specifically, Agribank stated that many individuals are using fake fan pages, websites, and emails impersonating Agribank to scam job seekers, stealing their information and documents, and even extorting fees.
According to the bank, the scam group's tactics were very sophisticated, using the name, images, and brand of Agribank, and directly copying Agribank's articles to post in order to gain the trust of customers, attract many followers, and deceive participants. After someone contacted them to apply or sent an email response, they would be connected directly via Facebook messages, Zalo, or a fake Google Sheets page (a spreadsheet on Google), using a fake link to collect the applicant's information.
Furthermore, these individuals impersonate "Agribank recruitment" and instruct candidates to join various chat groups on the Telegram platform for online interviews. From there, the scammers prepare scenarios to pressure them into paying fees in order to get a job as quickly as possible.
Besides recruitment scams, malicious actors still use tactics to trick people into installing fake apps containing malware on their phones.
Vietcombank (Vietnam Foreign Trade Commercial Bank) has also issued a warning to its customers about fraudulent schemes by malicious individuals. According to Vietcombank, authorities have recently been continuously reporting on scams targeting people into installing fake applications containing malware (fake apps) on their phones. Some of the fake apps identified include those for public services, VneID, tax authorities, and police agencies.
Common tactics involve contacting and luring customers with several common scenarios such as inconsistent identification information on the system; overdue electronic household registration; assistance with level 2 VNeID identification, etc.
These scams aren't new, but many people still fall for them and click on fake links as instructed by fraudsters. As a result, malware in these links steals information and money from users' bank accounts.
Another issue that banks have recently warned about is: From July 1st onwards, people transferring more than 10 million VND via online accounts or depositing into e-wallets must have their transactions verified. Biometrics. Many people encounter difficulties when entering biometric information. Criminals have exploited this to scam and steal money. Specifically, these individuals impersonate bank employees, calling and messaging people on social media (Zalo, Facebook, etc.) to "guide them in collecting biometric information." They request personal information, bank account details, photos of their Citizen Identity Cards, facial images, etc., in order to receive assistance. They may even request video calls to collect additional voice and gesture data.
Subsequently, the perpetrators requested customers to provide personal information, bank account details, images of their national identity cards, and facial images. They also instructed people to access suspicious links to download and install applications that facilitate biometric data collection on their phones. After obtaining the victims' information, the perpetrators stole money from their bank accounts and used the customers' information for malicious purposes.
Several commercial banks, such as Vietcombank and Agribank, affirm that they do not request customers to provide personal information through channels such as phone calls, SMS messages, emails, or chat software (Zalo, Viber, Facebook Messenger, etc.), and do not contact customers directly to guide them in collecting biometric data.
This is a very new tactic used by criminals. Banks advise people not to provide OTPs, digital banking passwords, etc., to anyone, including bank employees. This is because banks do not contact customers directly to instruct them on collecting biometric data. People should be vigilant and avoid accessing strange links sent via chat, SMS, or email to their phones to avoid the risk of being scammed or having their information stolen. People need to raise their awareness, regularly update information about high-tech scams to have complete information about the methods and tactics of criminals; proactively protect their personal information and that of their loved ones; and practice safe internet usage habits.
As soon as any unusual signs are detected, people need to take precautions such as: changing account passwords, informing friends and relatives that their private accounts may be illegally accessed to avoid being scammed; and promptly reporting to the nearest police station for guidance and timely handling.
Not only banks, but the securities market is also a target for malicious groups. MB Securities Company (MBS) has just issued a warning to investors about a group of individuals using sophisticated methods to impersonate the MBS brand, and falsely represent MBS's leadership and staff to defraud and steal assets.
The scam involves impersonating the MBS brand, luring victims into investing through a fake app, and then having their assets stolen. To increase credibility and gain the victims' trust, the impersonators often illegally use various MBS information for fraudulent purposes, such as: impersonating MBS customer service/securities advisors to call and introduce themselves, inviting customers to join Zalo/Telegram groups and seek "advice" from leading MBS experts.
“The imposters create multiple fake accounts and use images, names, work experience, and biographies of MBS’s leadership and senior management to portray themselves as ‘teachers’ or ‘expert consultants’ and offer recommendations to victims. This information is easily collected by fraudsters from interviews, events of MBS, or MBS’ official websites/fan pages and used illegally to deceive victims,” MSB stated, advising investors to exercise caution.
These fake "teachers" or "experts" readily send private messages to victims to persuade them to invest in stocks or other investments. When asked about their expertise/job position, the imposters often don't answer, give vague answers, evade the question, or deny working for MBS, claiming instead that they are just consultants affiliated with various companies to provide stock market advice, etc.
This securities company also advises investors to be wary of calls from unfamiliar numbers such as 028888xxxxx/029999xxxxx/028899xxxxx/029988xxxxx/… and anonymous mobile numbers.
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