Law

High-tech scams are increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect.

Gia Huy • February 4, 2025 09:28

Currently, high-tech crime activities are no longer limited to a certain geographical area but are mobile, inter-provincial, and transnational; with sophisticated, diverse, and difficult-to-identify methods, greatly affecting security and order.

Deceiveinter-provincial and transnational islands

In Nghe An, realizing the complicated developments of high-tech crimes, the police force has focused on fighting, eliminating, and strictly handling criminal gangs and networks not only in the province but also expanding to other provinces and cities across the country, even abroad, for general deterrence and prevention.

Typically, on the first day of implementing the Plan to launch a peak period of crime suppression, ensuring security and order before, during and after the Lunar New Year 2025, Nghe An Provincial Police presided over and coordinated with the Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security, the Department of Professional Affairs of the Ministry of Public Security, Hanoi City Police, Police of Thai Nguyen, Ninh Binh, Bac Giang provinces... to successfully break up a case, eradicate a group of criminals "Illegally collecting, storing, exchanging, buying, selling, publicizing information about bank accounts; Fraudulent appropriation of property and Money laundering" occurring in Nghe An province and other provinces and cities across the country. Initially, the police agency summoned and arrested 41 subjects.

This is a criminal gang with a completely new nature and method, organized, with specific division of tasks among members, led by Vu Trung Kien, residing in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province; Pham Hoang Hiep residing in Thai Hoa town, Nghe An province; Vu Hoang Nha and Hoang Xuan Truong, both residing in Yen Khanh district, Ninh Binh province.

To serve the fraudulent activities of appropriating assets on the internet, the subjects have approached many different components, occupations, and ages in society, especially the elderly, low-income workers, people with little knowledge of the law or students... to hire them to open bank accounts to receive wages at prices ranging from 500,000 - 4,000,000 VND/account.

After successfully opening a bank account, the account owner must hand over account information, phone SIM, email, record a video of his face and follow other requests of the subjects.

Personal information and videos of account owners will be used by the subjects to hack biometric bank accounts and then transfer them to subjects in Cambodia, in order to receive fraudulent money and launder money from criminal activities.

The purchase of bank accounts to provide to subjects across the border was assigned by Kien, Hiep, Nha, and Truong to subjects as level 1 agents and to create a system of lower level agents in many provinces and cities across the country.

The police agency clarified that in a short period of time, the criminals rented and bought more than 500 accounts at many different banks (including personal and business accounts) for the purpose of fraud and money laundering.

Initially, the authorities clarified that the group had laundered money and defrauded many victims nationwide of more than VND50 billion. In Nghe An alone, some victims were defrauded of up to VND700 million.

Similarly, in October 2024, the Criminal Police Department of the Provincial Police and Con Cuong District Police jointly presided over and coordinated with relevant units and localities to eradicate a transnational property fraud ring masterminded by foreigners under the guise of love fraud and enticing investors to invest in virtual currency.

The police agency determined that in the "Golden Triangle" economic zone in Bokeo province (Laos), there is a criminal group led by foreigners, established and operating in the form of a company, specializing in attracting and recruiting Lao and Vietnamese people (including some residing in Con Cuong and Tuong Duong districts) to commit fraud and appropriation of property of Vietnamese people in the country.

Accordingly, the subjects in this group were trained and coached to use "fraudulent scripts" with Vietnamese victims. During the investigation, the authorities clarified that Vi Van Linh, Kha Van Uc, Vi Thi Le, all residing in Con Cuong district; Loc Van Tao, Luong Van Hien, all residing in Tuong Duong district, were the subjects participating in the above-mentioned fraud ring.

Previously, the Criminal Police Department (Provincial Police) also presided over and coordinated with relevant units to arrest a Vietnamese citizen residing abroad who used high technology, impersonating judicial officials to defraud and appropriate property of Vietnamese people in many localities across the country, with a sum of more than 500 billion VND. Those were 2 subjects Phan Van Phuong (born in 1991), residing in Kim Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district and Tang Quang Vinh (born in 1989), residing in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City, working in Cambodia.

Improve the effectiveness of prevention and controln

In the context of increasingly sophisticated acts of fraud and property appropriation on the internet, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has directed the drastic implementation of measures to prevent and combat this type of crime.

Along with the issuance of Directive No. 17/CT-UBND dated May 19, 2021; Document No. 7120/UBND-NC dated August 24, 2023 of the People's Committee of Nghe An province... on strengthening solutions to prevent and combat high-tech crimes; deploying the campaign "propaganda actions on identifying and preventing and combating online fraud", on October 31, 2024, the People's Committee of Nghe An province continued to issue Document No. 9621/UBND-NC on strengthening solutions to prevent, stop and handle "fraudulent appropriation of property" activities.

In particular, the Provincial People's Committee requested the Provincial Police to strengthen the management of mobile criminals, those with criminal records, drug addicts, and delinquent teenagers... to limit their participation or assistance in fraud and property appropriation.(Open bank accounts to collect and resell to fraudsters to appropriate assets, or go abroad to operate in criminal fraud rings in special zones in Cambodia, Laos...). Manage, prevent, and strictly handle activities of illegally collecting, using, disseminating, and trading other people's personal information.

Nghe An Provincial People's Committee also requested the Department of Information and Communications to strengthen state management in the field of telecommunications and information security, promptly detect, prevent, and delete articles, content, images... of illegal advertisements, websites, links, and applications related to "Fraudulent appropriation of property" activities.

The State Bank of Vietnam, Nghe An Province Branch, directed to address loopholes and shortcomings in lending, payment, money transfer and receiving activities, and to prevent the existence of accounts without the owner's name or accounts with false information. Strengthen control of transactions related to virtual currencies that violate the law.

On December 26, 2024, the People's Committee of Nghe An province continued to issue urgent Document No. 11614/UBND-NC dated December 26, 2024 requesting provincial departments, branches, and People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to thoroughly grasp and seriously implement Official Dispatch No. 139/CD-TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening the prevention and handling of fraudulent activities of appropriating assets using high technology in cyberspace.

In 2024, the Provincial People's Council also deployed a thematic monitoring program "Prevention and control of crimes related to "black credit" activities and crimes using high technology to defraud and appropriate property".

Thereby, it is recommended that the Provincial People's Committee, relevant departments and branches continue to direct functional forces to strengthen propaganda work, raise awareness and vigilance about the activities of cyber fraud criminals for officials and people; especially focusing on high-risk groups.

In addition, the Provincial People's Council also requested the sectors to review and make necessary recommendations to perfect legal regulations to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of state management related to the prevention and handling of fraud and property appropriation.

However, in reality, some people still have greedy mindsets and weak information security skills, while the tricks of scammers on the internet are increasingly sophisticated, so many people still "fall into the trap".

Authorities recommend that people limit sharing personal information and data online to avoid being exploited by subjects to commit illegal acts; absolutely do not buy, sell, exchange, give away, lend, or rent payment accounts, bank cards, or personal identification documents; do not provide personal information, phone numbers, home addresses, bank accounts, OTP codes on personal phones, ID card images, etc. to anyone they do not know or whose identity and background is unknown.

In addition, people also need to be aware that the police, the Procuracy, the Court... do not work via phone or social networking applications. When receiving contacts with the above signs, people need to calmly contact relatives and friends to discuss, consult and contact the authorities for verification.