Bank teller promptly prevented fraud, protecting the old lady's assets
With vigilance and dedication, staff of Transaction Office No. 5 - Agribank Ha Tay Branch (Hanoi) promptly prevented a fraud that appropriated 50 million VND from an elderly customer.
On June 26, Ms. PTĐ. (71 years old, residing in La Khe ward, Hanoi) went to transaction counter No. 2 of Transaction Office No. 5 of Agribank Ha Tay Branch (No. 3 Chu Van An, Quang Trung ward, Hanoi) to request to close a savings book worth 50 million VND even though the book had not yet reached the maturity date.
Transaction officer Ho Thi Dung (the person who received Ms. D's request) noticed that the customer was anxious, in a hurry, and continuously talking on the phone with a person claiming to be a police officer of La Khe ward. Suspecting that this was a scam, Ms. Dung patiently analyzed and explained to Ms. D about the common scam methods today. In addition, Ms. Dung also reported to the Director of Transaction Office No. 5 to ask for the opinion of the Board of Directors and coordinate with the police to verify the incident.
Through verification, the authorities have clarified that Ms. D. was scammed by a subject impersonating a police officer of La Khe ward, asking Ms. D. to transfer money with the reason: The police are investigating the case of forging charity appeal documents related to Ms. D. and asking her to transfer money to the police account provided to prove the matter.
After being analyzed by bank staff and Quang Trung Ward Police, Ms. D. understood the scams and canceled the request to close the savings book. She expressed her deep gratitude to the staff of Transaction Office No. 5, Agribank, Ha Tay Branch for helping her avoid being scammed and protect her personal assets.
This is not the first time that Agribank Ha Tay Branch staff promptly prevented a scam targeting the elderly. Previously, on June 23, 2023, staff at Cau Lao Transaction Office - Ung Hoa District Branch, Ha Tay also discovered and successfully prevented a similar incident, when an elderly customer was asked to withdraw the entire 120 million VND from his savings book to transfer money to a subject impersonating a police officer.
The above incidents are a warning to people, especially the elderly, to be careful and always alert when receiving requests to transfer money from strangers contacting via phone or social networking applications, regardless of who they claim to be.
