Woman scammed out of over 9 billion VND after investing in cryptocurrency.
Believing the enticing advertisements about cryptocurrency investment, Ms. T. created an account and transferred a total of over 9 billion VND, but was unable to withdraw the money. Only then did the victim realize she had been scammed.
In early December 2024, the Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of the Hanoi City Police received a report from a victim who had been defrauded of over 9 billion VND while participating in a scam.cryptocurrency investment.
Through the social network Facebook, Ms. T. (residing in Hanoi) befriended and chatted with the account "Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung". After some time, this individual invited Ms. T. to invest in cryptocurrency through the website: https://www.mcprimetrusted.com...
Ms. T followed the instructions, created an account, and transferred money to invest. Enticed by the attractive advertisement, Ms. T deposited 5 billion VND to receive 350,000 USDT (equivalent to 9 billion VND). When Ms. T wanted to withdraw the interest, the scammers demanded she pay an additional 20% of the total account balance, equivalent to 1.8 billion VND (within 5 hours); 15% for deposit insurance, equivalent to 1.6 billion VND; and another 3%, equivalent to 360 million VND, as a fee for expedited transfer to her personal account.
Ms. T. continued to deposit 1.2 billion VND but still couldn't withdraw it. Realizing she had been scammed, Ms. T. reported the incident to the police.
Recently, the Hanoi City Police have dismantled numerous fraudulent trading platforms that defrauded citizens of their assets, notably those led by TikToker Mr. Pips (Phó Đức Nam), seizing and freezing assets estimated at over 5,200 billion VND.
However, many trading platforms are still advertised with high interest rates and promises of large returns, luring many investors in order to defraud them of their money.
To prevent fraud, the Hanoi City Police advise people to be vigilant and not participate in investing or trading on cryptocurrency exchanges, websites, or applications. In particular, they warn against platforms that advertise and promise high profits or attractive investment opportunities in order to steal victims' assets.
Investing in cryptocurrency websites, applications, and exchanges carries many risks for investors because cryptocurrencies are not yet recognized by Vietnamese law.
If citizens discover any cases of fraud, they should immediately report them to the police so that they can be quickly verified, prevented, and dealt with.
