Arrested the leader of a group that specializes in tricking the elderly into buying high-priced goods under the guise of gratitude in Nghe An

On October 26, a source from Tan Ky District Police said that this unit had initiated a case of "Customer Fraud".happened at Dai Phu Gia Hotel(Tan Ky town), in mid-September. "Initially, the police arrested the ringleader. In addition, there are a number of other suspects on the run," the source said.

The police investigation agency, Tan Ky District Police also issued a notice to search for victims related to this case. According to the initial investigation, it is estimated that there are more than 100 victims who were tricked by this group of people into buying goods at high prices.

Tan Ky District Police request that any victims, people with rights and obligations related to the above case contact the Investigation Police Agency, Tan Ky District Police, located at Block 3, Tan Ky Town. When coming to the agency, bring the products and goods purchased on September 15, 2023; the "gift cards" that were issued are evidence of the case. In addition, the police agency requests the People's Committees of communes in Tan Ky district and some communes in Do Luong district to notify the people to provide audio and video recordings related to the case to the Investigation Police Agency to serve the investigation.

Previously, from September 14 to 16, at Dai Phu Gia Hotel (Block 4, Tan Ky Town), Viet Anh Trade and Investment Development Company Limited (headquartered in Hanoi) organized a "seminars" in the form of "customer appreciation", displaying, introducing and selling household products. A group of people from the company distributed invitations, targeting the elderly. These people promised that whoever invited a customer to attend the seminar would be given a package of seasoning. Therefore, hundreds of elderly people were present at the seminar.

According to the people, at first, this group gave away MSG, seasoning powder, electric kettle, fish sauce, seasoning powder... to the attendees. After that, the group started selling 20 pairs of chopsticks, 10 spoons, and an electric kettle for 200,000 VND. However, later, this group returned the money to the people and said it was a gift of gratitude. To make people trust more, this group continued to use the trick of adding 2 million VND to receive a rice cooker and would return the same amount.

“By the morning of September 15, they said that whoever paid 2 million VND would receive a rice cooker and a frying pan. Those who paid were given a rice cooker and the money was returned. Up to 15 people received the gifts,” the witness added.

By the afternoon of the same day, this group again quoted prices for the items many times higher than the market price, specifically 1 pressure cooker for 5.1 million VND; 1 hot pot for 2.1 million VND; 1 grill for 11 million VND; 1 pan for 1.1 million VND.... Thinking that this time they would also get their money back, many elderly people did not hesitate to spend 5-10 million VND to receive the above products. However, after receiving a large sum of money, this group did not return it and quickly got in their car and left, surprising hundreds of people.

There was even a person who paid 5.1 million VND to buy a pressure cooker, but before he could receive the pot, the sales team ran away, causing him to faint on the spot. A local resident who attended the seminar said that at that time, there were more than 300 people attending. The total amount of money the elders spent was estimated to be up to billions of VND.

According to the reporter's investigation, this company sells high-priced products in many provinces and cities under the guise of seminars and gifts. This group of people often targets rural areas and the elderly. A few months ago, hundreds of people in Lao Cai province also denounced this company with similar tricks.