Impersonating military officers to commit fraud.

(Baonghean.vn) -The police in Tan Ky district, Nghe An province, in coordination with the Traffic Police Department of Nghe An province and the police in Nghia Dan district, recently apprehended three individuals who were impersonating armed forces officers to defraud people of their property. This case highlights the sophisticated tactics of these individuals and serves as a cautionary tale for citizens against such scams.

Case file

Since the beginning of 2013, the Tan Ky District Police have received numerous reports from the public regarding fraudulent activities involving individuals who falsely claimed to be military officers. Using the prestige of the armed forces, these individuals devised sophisticated scams, and only after handing over the money and fleeing did the victims realize they had been deceived.

The family of Ms. Le Thi Lien, residing in Hamlet 4, Tan Tho Commune, Tan Ky District, is one example. She recounted: In early 2013, three "military officers" with the ranks of lieutenant colonel and captain came to her house, inviting her family to buy surplus rice from their warehouse at only one-third of the market price. Believing them, she and her husband managed to borrow 15 million dong. As agreed, at the time of handing over the money to the "officers," thinking her husband had received the goods, she gave them the money. When the individuals disappeared, she and her husband realized the deception was a trick.

After gathering information from local sources, the Tan Ky District Police Investigation Agency promptly launched an investigation, establishing Special Case 813L and quickly uncovering the true identities, actions, and tactics of these individuals.

Wang Hongqing, Wang Wencheng, and Wu Wen Chung were arrested.

Uninvited Guests

On August 17, 2013, the home of Mr. Le Van Chung and Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh, residing in Hamlet 1, Nghia Binh Commune, Tan Ky District, was suddenly visited by three distinguished guests: "military officers" with impressive rank insignia. Introducing themselves as "Lieutenant Colonel" Nguyen Van Hoa - Deputy Commander of Brigade 206, "Lieutenant Colonel" Dao Thanh Hai, and "Captain" Ngo Viet Anh, who were tasked with installing telecommunication poles, these three officers requested permission to install the poles and offered to pay approximately 4.5 million VND per month for site rental.

Realizing it was a large sum of money, Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh happily agreed. After measuring, photocopying documents, drafting a contract, and encouraging the homeowner to "advance" the rent for two years with a sum of 180 million VND, they also suggested selling 12 tons of surplus food, including corn and rice, from the armed forces at 5,000 VND/kg, cheaper than the market price, totaling 40 million VND to Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh's family. They requested the family to pay this amount upfront and promised to take them to a nearby military unit to receive the food. To further gain Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh's absolute trust, the three officers gave them 100 kg of rice and corn (free of charge) at the gate of a nearby military unit. Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh went to receive the "gift" rice and corn and agreed to pay the money.

However, the actions of these three "officers" could not escape the notice of the authorities.

As arranged, at approximately 9:30 AM on August 23, 2013, "Captain" Ngo Viet Anh arrived at the home of Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh to receive 40 million VND. After putting the money in his pocket, the officer named Anh promised to return and take the homeowners to pick up the goods within a few minutes. However, as soon as he left Mr. Chung's house, he was apprehended by law enforcement officers lying in ambush. At the same time, 500 meters away and 20 kilometers from the gate of a military unit, the Tan Ky District Police simultaneously launched an operation, arresting two suspects who were waiting to escape.

The items seized were used by the suspects in their fraudulent activities.

The "master scammers" have been exposed.

At the police station, the three suspects confessed: To gain the trust of the people, Vuong Hong Thanh (born in 1957), Ngo Van Chung (born in 1965), and Vuong Van Thanh (born in 1974), all residing in Trang Viet, Me Linh, Hanoi, bought clothes, military ranks, insignia, name tags, etc., to impersonate military officers with the ranks of lieutenant colonel and captain in Tan Ky (Nghe An) to use their "trick." Vuong Hong Thanh wore the rank of lieutenant colonel and "played the role" of deputy commander of Brigade 206; Ngo Van Chung wore the rank of lieutenant colonel; and Vuong Van Thanh wore the rank of captain. To prepare for the "trip," all three agreed on a very meticulous plan. The list of addresses to visit was arranged in order, with the family of Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh being the first destination.

According to their pre-planned scheme, after gaining the trust of their "partners" through a series of sophisticated actions, at the time of receiving the money, Thanh, Chung, and Thanh would be in three different locations and lure Chung and Oanh, the married couple, to receive rice at the gate of a nearby military unit and the person delivering the money. Once they received the money, all three would escape. However, after receiving the money, the three suspects were apprehended by law enforcement officers who had been lying in ambush.

During the search of the suspects, in addition to the money defrauded from Mr. Chung and Ms. Oanh's family, authorities seized 3 complete military uniforms with fake ranks, insignia, and name tags, military officer's belongings, 20 million VND in cash, 3 mobile phones, and numerous related documents. The suspects' notebooks revealed a sophisticated plan, meticulously detailed from maps to the characteristics of each family...

It is known that the perpetrators had previous convictions for fraud and embezzlement, with each serving a decade in prison. Specifically, Vuong Hong Thanh had a 10-year prior conviction for abuse of trust and embezzlement, released in 2000. Vuong Van Thanh had one prior conviction for fraud and embezzlement, released in 2010. After their release, they continued to collude and travel to various locations to defraud and embezzle people's property. Determining the time and location of the crimes always proved difficult for investigators. Therefore, the Tan Ky District Police made every effort to crack this case.

The police are currently continuing to investigate and expand the case.

Huong Giang