Exposing the scam of borrowing money through finance companies.
Through Facebook and phone calls, the scammers impersonate employees of financial companies to "lure" and forge loan disbursement contracts in order to steal money from people in need of loans.
Recently, the Competition and Consumer Protection Department (CTTD) issued a warning about scams involving individuals impersonating employees of financial companies to defraud customers. Financial companies also reported receiving hundreds of complaints from customers regarding these scammers in Son La, Thai Nguyen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Tay Ninh, Vinh Long, Ho Chi Minh City, and other locations.
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According to the Competition and Consumer Protection Department, the scammers' tactic is to contact consumers via Facebook or phone, posing as employees of a finance company and advising them on loan application procedures. They offer various loan programs with attractive incentives for customers.
At the same time, they forged disbursement contracts and promissory notes with fake seals, and falsified monthly payment estimates to gain the trust of customers in order to carry out fraudulent activities. They even forged company employee ID cards to gain the trust of customers.
After consumers paid the processing fee as instructed, these scammers disappeared. They were unable to contact the scammers, and upon verifying the information with the company, discovered they had been defrauded.
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| According to the Competition and Consumer Protection Department, the perpetrators' tactic is to contact consumers via Facebook or phone, posing as employees of financial companies and advising them on loan application procedures. |
The Competition and Consumer Protection Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) stated that recently, the unit has received numerous complaints from consumers and financial companies regarding individuals impersonating financial companies to defraud and extort money from those in need of quick loans.
"In these cases, finance companies would have no basis to support consumers," the Competition Authority stated.
Therefore, this agency advises that if customers need consumer loans, they should not accept loan advice via social media or mobile phone numbers. Due to increasingly sophisticated fraud activities, people should not provide personal information when using social media because fraudsters can exploit this information to commit fraud.
"Consumers should carefully check whether the company requires original documents. If the company does not require them, but someone claiming to be an employee needs them for safekeeping, consumers should be highly vigilant and verify the information," the Competition Authority's announcement emphasized.
Be wary of money that seems to fall from the sky.
The Competition Authority also advises that if consumers need to borrow money, they should only conduct transactions at the company's service points and should not transact at home to avoid being scammed.
On the other hand, financial expert Huynh Trung Minh commented that criminals often employ tactics that exploit the greed of their victims. First, they will offer account holders a sum of money "falling from the sky" for charity or as a reward from a promotional program... then they will ask for the account number to transfer the money.
The second step involves the account holder receiving an email or text message containing a confirmation link from a certain entity to receive this large sum of money. After logging in via the link, all account information will be compromised, including the OTP (one-time password), which is considered the final security measure for the account.
Financial expert Lam Minh Chanh also shared that a scam as old as time is asking for bank account numbers to "give away" charitable funds, but people still fall for it when they let greed take over.
Mr. Ngo Tuan Anh, Vice President in charge of cybersecurity at Bkav, advises customers to be cautious when clicking on links received via email or chat; especially important websites that will have an "s" in the https prefix. If you have any doubts, verify the information through another secure channel such as meeting in person or calling before proceeding with any transaction.
"Customers need to install permanent security software to protect their accounts and passwords from being stolen by malware. They should immediately notify the bank to freeze their account if they notice any unusual activity or have any suspicions," said Mr. Ngo Tuan Anh.
