Authorities launch criminal proceedings in large-scale cyber fraud case.
Van Tuan rented an apartment, bought four computers and a Dcom-3G internet connection device. Afterward, Van Tuan discussed with the four suspects about organizing a scam to steal property online.
On the afternoon of November 14th, the Ha Dong District Police (Hanoi) announced that they hadinitiate legal proceedings.Nguyen Van Tuan (born 2004), Le Van Tien (born 2004), Nguyen Tien Dung (born 2005), Nguyen Huu Huy (born 2001), and Truong Trong Tuan (born 2003), all from Ung Hoa district (Hanoi), were temporarily detained on criminal charges for the act of "Fraudulent appropriation of property"
According to the Ha Dong District Police Chief, through their work in managing and ensuring security and order in apartment buildings and preventing various types of hidden crimes, the police discovered a group of young people renting an apartment on the 5th floor of an apartment building in the Xa La urban area, Phuc La ward, Ha Dong district, who showed suspicious behavior.
Because this group of young people used multiple desktop computers equipped with Dcom-3G devices to connect to the internet using phone SIM cards, instead of using regular internet access.
Therefore, the police applied investigative measures and learned that the entire group was from Ung Hoa district, unemployed, aged 18-20, and spent their days indoors using computers.
On November 10th, police unexpectedly raided the apartment. During the raid, they discovered five suspects using four computers connected to the internet to carry out online fraud. The identities of the five suspects have been confirmed as mentioned above.
The victims transferred money into the "Tai-Xiu" game account.
Upon arrest, the suspects confessed that in early October 2023, Nguyen Van Tuan rented an apartment and purchased four computers along with Dcom-3G internet connection devices, which he then installed. Afterward, Van Tuan discussed with the other four suspects the plan to organize a scam to steal property online.
To carry out the fraud, Van Tuan bought thousands of fake Zalo and Facebook accounts online and gave them to Dung, Tien, Huy, and Trong Tuan to post in loan groups on Facebook, impersonating bank employees to assist people in need of loans.
Here, the suspects promoted quick and easy loan procedures with low interest rates... The suspects even pretended to have already secured loans to act as "middlemen" to attract borrowers. To gain the trust of the victims, the suspects forged loan contracts, used fake Zalo accounts to send messages, and if the victims agreed, demanded various fees to complete the procedures.
The fees included processing fees, expedited stamping, insurance, etc., with each fee ranging from several hundred thousand to several tens of millions of dong. Borrowers had to transfer the money to Nguyen Van Tuan's "Tai-Xiu" (dice game) account. When the victims transferred the money, Van Tuan withdrew it and shared the profits with them.
When the victims become suspicious, the suspects will erase all traces of their involvement and cut off all contact. Because the stolen money is erased by transferring it through game portal accounts opened abroad, it makes it difficult to investigate and verify the victims.
Furthermore, to carry out their fraudulent activities, the suspects chose gated apartment buildings with strict security and control.
Furthermore, the suspects only rented and operated at each location for no more than three months to avoid detection by the police. Using this method, the suspects claimed to have defrauded many people out of billions of dong.
