Provincial police warn against fraud via telecommunications networks

(Baonghean.vn) - The Department of Internal Political Security, Nghe An Provincial Police has issued Official Dispatch No. 272/PA83-TM on preventing crimes of fraud and property appropriation via telecommunications networks and the internet.

» Listening to the phone call, being scammed of 200 million VND

The content of the document clearly states: Recently, in many localities across the country in general and in Nghe An province in particular, there have been cases of subjects impersonating telecommunications employees and police officers to commit fraud and appropriation of property through telecommunications networks and the Internet.

The main modus operandi of the subjects is to impersonate telecommunications company employees and call the victim's landline phone number to inform them that the victim's phone number currently owes a very large amount of money due to calls to foreign countries such as Australia, Canada...

When the victim explained, the subject informed that he would connect to the Ministry of Public Security's hotline so that the victim could report to the police.

Then, the subject will transfer the phone to another subject, this subject impersonates an Investigator of the Ministry of Public Security, and informs that through investigation activities, the police agency has determined that drug criminals and money laundering may be using the victim's identity card to create a bank account and use that account for criminal purposes, therefore, the victim is the subject of investigation by the police agency.

Next, the subject asks the victim to declare information such as: Mobile phone number, personal information, bank account information, savings book... to serve the investigation. After having the victim's information, the subject will use the Internet connection protocol (VoIP) to fake telecommunications numbers similar to the police force's phone numbers, such as: +0001Ị3; +84000113... to call the victim's mobile phone number to strengthen trust.

When the victims were disheartened, the subjects asked them to transfer all the money to a bank account they provided with the reason being to conduct an investigation and verification; if the investigation results proved that the victims were not involved in criminal activities, the money would be returned.

After the victim transfers money to the bank account provided by the subjects, the subjects quickly withdraw all the money in the account to appropriate it (during the scam calls, the subjects always ask the victim not to turn off the phone to listen to the situation).

In Nghe An, from August 15, 2017 to August 25, 2017 alone, there were 07 cases of fraud and appropriation of property using the above mentioned methods, causing property damage of nearly 02 billion VND. It is forecasted that in the coming time, this type of crime will continue to increase and become more complicated, affecting the security and order situation in the area.

To proactively detect, prevent and combat the above crimes, the Department of Internal Political Security of Nghe An Provincial Police respectfully requests the Heads of agencies, units, schools and hospitals to direct the implementation of the following key tasks:

1. Disseminate and propagate the methods and tricks of criminal activities of property fraud through telecommunications networks and the Internet so that civil servants, public employees, students and pupils at their agencies and units can grasp them in order to raise their vigilance and responsibility in protecting their own property. At the same time, mobilize cadres, public employees, teachers, pupils and pupils to proactively prevent, detect and denounce this type of crime.

2. When detecting that cadres, civil servants, and public employees in your agency or unit have an anxious or panicked attitude, continuously holding their cell phones to listen and follow the instructions on the phone, you must immediately take measures to calm them down and prolong the call; at the same time, notify the officers of the Internal Political Security Department of the Provincial Police or the nearest Ward Police to handle the situation, in order to minimize possible property damage.

3. Nghe An Newspaper, Provincial Radio and Television Station coordinate with functional departments of Provincial Police to promptly inform about the situation of plots, methods and tricks of criminals who defraud and appropriate property through telecommunications networks and the Internet to widely propagate to the masses to understand, be vigilant, proactively prevent, fight and prevent, contributing to ensuring security and order.

So, I respectfully request that comrades pay attention and coordinate in directing serious implementation.

Nghe An Provincial Police