Drug addict impersonates police officer to defraud money to run a case

Accordingly, on August 5, 2024, the Investigation Police Agency of Sin Ho District Police received a complaint from Ms. Lo Thi Po (born in 1980), residing in Noong Heo Commune, Sin Ho District, about being scammed by an unknown person claiming to be a police officer and having 6 million VND appropriated.

Specifically, Ms. Po's husband, Lo Van Chua (born in 1976), was prosecuted and detained by the Investigation Police Department of Sin Ho District Police for illegal possession of narcotics. On June 20, Ms. Po received a phone call from a stranger who called himself Truong - an officer of Sin Ho District Police, saying that Mr. Chua's sentence was very severe and if she wanted to reduce her husband's sentence, she had to deposit 10 million VND into an account provided by them.

The subject constantly pressured and even threatened Ms. Po, demanding that she transfer the money immediately and forbidding her from disclosing this information to anyone. Hoping to reduce her husband's sentence, Ms. Po transferred 6 million VND to the account provided by the person claiming to be "Truong". However, after many days of waiting without receiving any response, Ms. Po tried to contact him again, but this person only answered vaguely and asked her to continue waiting. Suspecting that she had been scammed, Ms. Po went to the district police to report the incident and denounce the crime.

Through professional measures, the Investigation Agency quickly identified the fraudster as Ly Thi Danh (born 2000), residing in Ban Lang commune, Phong Tho district. This is a drug addict who was prosecuted and detained by the Investigation Police Agency of Sin Ho district on July 3 for illegal possession of drugs.

Danh confessed that because he knew that Ms. Po's husband had been arrested by the Sin Ho District Police for illegal possession of drugs, he called her impersonating a District Police officer to threaten Ms. Po that if she wanted to reduce her husband's sentence, she would have to transfer money to the account number that Danh was using. All the money that Danh had appropriated was spent and used to buy drugs. Ly Thi Danh was detained to continue investigating and handling the act of fraud and appropriation of property according to the provisions of the law.