Couple runs fake document production line, earning billions every month

On April 6, the Department of Internal Political Security, Ministry of Public Security provided initial information about the case of a ring buying and selling and transporting fake documents via postal services. Regarding the above case, after completing initial procedures, the Department of Internal Political Security handed over the case file to the Office of the Hanoi City Police Department of Investigation for handling according to its authority.

Based on the collected documents, on March 10, the Hanoi City Police Department issued a decision to prosecute the criminal case of "Forgery of seals and documents of agencies and organizations"; issued a decision to prosecute 5 subjects for the above crime. The subjects include: Nguyen Anh Tiep (born in 1983); Le Thu Minh (born in 1988, both residing in Kien Hung ward, Ha Dong district); Nguyen Van Thanh (born in 1998, residing in Nhan Chinh); Chung Thi Linh (born in 2001) and Nguyen Duc Trung (born in 1994, both residing in Khuong Mai, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi).

Subject Nguyen Anh Tiep carries out operations to produce fake documents at the investigation agency.

Previously, in November 2022, the Internal Political Security Department received information about a fake document production line, taking advantage of postal services to buy, sell, and transport fake documents. The subjects' methods of operation were very sophisticated, the subjects thoroughly took advantage of loopholes in postal, telecommunications, and banking services to commit crimes and make illegal profits.

To avoid detection by the police, the subject sent the goods through many intermediaries; frequently changed the sending location, used many people to transact at many post offices of postal enterprises. The subject also created many accounts of many technology postal enterprises by activating many "junk" SIM cards of many telecommunications service providers to register for accounts, then immediately canceled the SIM cards to erase traces.

Notably, and especially dangerously, the subjects used fake citizen identification cards to register for bank accounts (using other people's citizen identification cards or replacing photos with other people's citizen identification cards), taking advantage of the permission to open accounts electronically, without having to go to the transaction office to check citizen identification cards, compare identities... to open bank accounts to illegally profit from the production and sale of fake documents.

According to the information obtained by the detectives, this ring produced and transported fake documents on a large scale. The criminal acts of the subjects caused serious consequences, greatly affecting the security and order. From the above situation, the Internal Political Security Department reported to the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security to develop a plan to fight. Through professional measures and through screening, the detectives of the Internal Political Security Department have built portraits of 5 suspects including the couple Tiep, Minh; Thanh and the couple Linh, Trung. Among them, Tiep has 2 criminal records, including 1 for the crime of producing fake documents.

Subject Nguyen Van Thanh.

After a period of reconnaissance, officers of the Internal Political Security Department identified the location where Minh and Tiep produced fake documents at an apartment in CT 6B building, Xa La apartment building, Kien Hung, Ha Dong.

Evidence seized by police.

At 7:00 p.m. on March 1, the Special Task Force coordinated with the Office of the Hanoi City Police Department of Investigation to catch Nguyen Anh Tiep red-handed while carrying 53 types of fake documents including a driver's license, citizen identification card, identity card, 6 minutes summarizing driving test results...

During an emergency search of Tiep's apartment, the authorities seized 19 devices and machines used to produce fake documents; 3 seal engraving machines and nearly 500 seals of agencies and organizations; 42 finished fake documents and more than 7,000 blanks used to produce fake documents.

Expanding the fight, the Internal Political Security Department searched the house in Kien Hung Luxury urban area, Kien Hung ward. At the house of Tiep and his wife, Minh seized 300 blanks, plastic cards...

At the same time, the Internal Political Security Department coordinated with the Hanoi City Police to organize 7 working groups, simultaneously summoning related subjects including: Minh, Thanh, Linh and Trung... As a result of the search, the Internal Political Security Department discovered an additional document production facility at Thanh's rented room in Nhan Chinh Ward, Thanh Xuan District; confiscated 5 devices and machines; 11 seals of agencies and organizations; 117 finished fake documents and more than 1,000 blanks used to produce fake documents.

The search results seized 24 devices for producing fake documents (computers, color printers, card printers, scanners, color laminating machines, blank cutting machines, plastics laminating machines, card laminating machines, manual laminating machines, mobile phones, tablets...), 3 seal engraving machines and nearly 500 seals of agencies and organizations; 768 finished fake documents (Citizen ID cards with chips, police summonses, car registration stamps, land use certificates, police certificates...); 8,978 blanks used to produce fake documents (University diplomas, citizen ID cards, driver's licenses, land use certificates...).

At the police station, the subjects initially confessed: Because of greed and understanding the needs of subjects in cyberspace, since 2018, Tiep began to learn, research, and buy equipment to produce fake documents. Then, since 2019, Tiep and his wife Minh began to produce fake documents at their house in Kien Hung ward. The subjects used modern machinery such as laser seal engraving machines, color laminating machines, color printers, card laminating machines, etc.

The goods were produced according to online orders; earning a monthly profit of 800,000 to 1 billion VND. In this crime ring, Thanh was the direct producer of fake documents under the direction of Tiep and Minh; and was also the one who delivered and received fake documents for other links in the ring, including Linh and Trung; earning a profit of 30 million VND/month. As for Linh and Trung, after receiving the goods, the two subjects would stamp fake documents, mix them into regular goods to send to buyers, through the services of postal service providers...

Currently, the case is still under investigation.