Absolutely do not answer the phone, do not add Zalo friends with this series of numbers.

1. Sophisticated tricks

Da Nang City Police have just warned about the trick of impersonating bank switchboard employees to call and invite people to issue credit cards.

Specifically, subjects claiming to be bank employees call and send messages (SMS, Zalo, messenger...) to persuade customers to proactively open a non-physical debit card or apply for a credit card at the bank. Some reported fraudulent phone numbers: 02366888766, 02488860469, 02888865154, 02455557665...

They then ask customers to provide some card information to link the customer's card to the subject's e-wallet, thereby appropriating the money in the card. The information they request to provide usually includes:

- Card information: Card image; number printed on card; name on card; screen displaying full card number in digital banking service;

- OTP code is sent to customer's phone number.

During the scam, the scammer may ask the customer to transfer money to pay for application fees, card issuance fees, etc.

Illustration

Recently, on July 11, Mr. NVPĐ (born in 1982; residing in Thanh Khe ward - Da Nang city) received a call from the phone number 02455557665 informing him to open a Vietcombank credit card. Mr. Đ followed the instructions and when checking his Vietcombank account, he discovered that 30 million VND had been deducted.

2. Recommendations from authorities

Da Nang City Police Department recommends people:

- Absolutely do not provide confidential information (card information, VCBDigibank application password, OTP code) to anyone.

- Do not access strange links or scan QR codes of unknown origin sent via email, text messages (SMS) or social networks.

- Regularly update the content of Safe Transaction Instructions on the websites of Banks.

- Immediately report to the nearest police agency when detecting signs of fraud for timely handling.

The Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, Ministry of Public Security, emphasized that phone scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, including the spoofing of trusted numbers. "People need to verify information through official channels before making any transactions," the Department's representative said. The Department also recommended increasing the use of security software and regularly checking bank accounts to detect unusual transactions early.

The National Cyber Security Association recommends using security software such as nTrust to detect malware and prevent phishing attacks. It also recommends never clicking on links sent via text messages or emails. The association also said it is working with authorities to raise public awareness of cyber security threats.

People can download the nTrust software for free to their phones. (Photo: People's Police Newspaper).

Recently, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has deployed a call identification service (Voice Brandname) for 732 phone numbers belonging to state agencies. When receiving calls from identified numbers, people will see the agency name displayed directly, helping to reduce the risk of being scammed. The Ministry also warns that if people receive calls from numbers such as +03, +05, +07, +08, +09 but the identification name is not displayed, they should be cautious and not follow the requests from these calls.

Voice Brandname calls will display the brand name or trademark on the receiving device. Calls to the customer's device will display the brand name instead of the usual phone number. (Photo: Cong An Nhan Dan Newspaper)

Speaking with reporters from Knowledge and Life Newspaper , lawyer Nguyen Ngoc Hung - Head of Ket Noi Law Office (Hanoi Bar Association) said that the above behavior used technological and technical tricks to defraud, steal, and appropriate other people's information and assets.

According to Clause 1, Article 3 of Decree 25/2014/ND-CP, high-tech crimes are socially dangerous acts prescribed in the Penal Code using high technology. High-tech crimes are currently classified into the group of crimes in the field of information technology and telecommunications networks from Articles 285 to 294 of the Penal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented in 2017). Specifically, Article 290 of the Penal Code 2015 (amended and supplemented in 2017) stipulates that the crime of using computer networks, telecommunications networks, and electronic means to commit acts of property appropriation can be punished with non-custodial reform for up to 03 years or imprisonment from 06 months to 20 years. At the same time, the offender may also be fined from VND 20,000,000 to VND 100,000,000, banned from holding positions, practicing a profession or doing certain jobs from 01 to 05 years or have part or all of his/her assets confiscated.

Lawyer Nguyen Ngoc Hung - Head of Ket Noi Law Office (Hanoi Bar Association).

In addition, Decree 25/2014/ND-CP also defines other violations of the law using high technology as violations of the law using high technology but not to the extent of criminal prosecution. Violators of regulations on using the network to appropriate property may be subject to administrative penalties according to Article 81 of Decree 15/2020/ND-CP from VND 30,000,000 to VND 100,000,000. In addition to fines, violators may also be subject to additional penalties such as confiscation of exhibits and means of administrative violation for violations specified in Clause 2, Article 81 of Decree 15/2020/ND-CP.

The crime situation related to fraudulent appropriation of property is becoming more and more complex and sophisticated. The subjects often use many different methods to deceive people, causing great financial losses. To prevent these forms of fraud, people need to take precautions and be vigilant during transactions, especially when receiving information from unknown sources or from strangers.

How to look up strange phone numbers calling to avoid being scammed

Call customer service

Mobifone network

Call center 900 press 4 to check your phone number (free).

MobiPhone Customer Service Center: 9090 (call fee is 200 VND/minute for prepaid subscribers, postpaid subscribers are free of charge).

VinaPhone network

Call 900, press 4 (applicable to prepaid subscribers).

Hotline number 9191 or 18001091 (applicable to all subscribers).

Vietnamobile network

Call 123 which is the number of Vietnamobile customer care center.

Call 789 which is the Vietnamobile service center number.

Viettel network