Director and deputy director of media company arrested for extortion.
Taking advantage of their media company's name, Lam and Tai posted negative articles about restaurants, then contacted people requesting "media support" to have those articles removed, which constitutes extortion.
On April 7th, the Criminal Police Department of Hai Phong City Police announced the arrest of Vu Tung Lam (born in 1990, residing in Cat Hai Special Zone) and Nguyen Van Tai (born in 1992, residing in Thien Huong Ward) for investigation into the crime of extortion.
According to the police, recently, a number of businesses and service establishments in the area have been pressured by a group of individuals posing as media companies to sign contracts for "media sponsorship" and "crisis management," causing frustration and affecting business operations.
The leaders of the Hai Phong City Police Department have issued directives.Establish a special investigation case.On April 7th, the Special Criminal Investigation Team (Team 5) dismantled this group.
Initial investigations revealed that in 2024, Lam and Tai established Vietcomms Media and Events Company Limited, holding the positions of director and deputy director respectively. The group rented office space in the Waterfront urban area, Hai Phong City, and recruited staff to work in advertising and media consulting for businesses.
This group created and managed numerous Facebook fanpages and groups with large memberships, such as "Eating and Having Fun in Hai Phong," "Hai Phong - What to Eat Today," "Authentic Hai Phong," "My Authentic Hai Phong," "Beat Hai Phong," "Beat Thuy Nguyen," etc.
From these platforms, Lam, Tai, and their staff regularly post and approve articles related to the activities of food and beverage, entertainment, and tourism establishments.
Recently, the group used fake accounts to post or view negative reviews and videos about several establishments, mainly restaurants. After the posts appeared, Lam and Tai contacted the owners of the establishments to "deal with" them.
When businesses and establishment owners suggested contacting the posters to discuss and remove the posts, Lam and Tai refused, instead demanding that they sign a "media advertising" or "crisis management" contract worth 30-60 million VND per year in order to receive "assistance" in removing the posts.
Fearing damage to their reputation, many business owners were forced to sign the contracts. After receiving the money, the group would then delete the posts on the fan pages and groups they managed.
The case is currently being investigated by the Criminal Police Department of Hai Phong City Police.
