Impersonating officials and extorting money through job placement and overseas employment schemes.
Despite having an education and having previously established his own company, Nguyen Ky Linh later became deeply involved in fraud. Linh impersonated an official from the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, claiming he could secure jobs or school transfers for those in need. He also swindled money from others through a scheme involving sending people abroad for work.
From educated people to con artists
Nguyen Ky Linh (born in 1981), from Cam Binh commune, Cam Xuyen district (Ha Tinh province), is a highly educated individual. After graduating from university, Linh chose Vinh City (Nghe An province) to pursue a career, working in various jobs. Nguyen Ky Linh previously worked in the training department of a technical college. Later, Linh established his own company to work and seek opportunities for self-development.
However, Linh's business ventures didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped. As his debts piled up, instead of finding ways to overcome his difficulties, he chose to commit fraud.
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Despite not working at the Nghe An Provincial Department of Education and Training, not knowing any leaders or officials in various departments and agencies, and lacking the ability to secure jobs in state agencies, transfer schools, or get students into high schools, Nguyen Ky Linh lied, claiming she could handle these matters. Believing her, many victims gave Linh money to secure permanent positions or high school jobs.
In November 2022, after graduating from Vinh University of Education, Ms. Le Thi KL (residing in Nam Dan district) was unable to find a job. Through a friend's introduction, she contacted Nguyen Ky Linh to discuss her request for assistance in securing a permanent teaching position in Vinh City.
During a meeting on November 9, 2022, Linh introduced herself as an official at the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, claiming to have many connections that could help secure a permanent position for her. Trusting her, the woman gave Linh 150 million VND in advance along with her application documents for the recruitment exam.
About seven days later, Linh arranged to meet Ms. L. at the Vinh City People's Committee to submit her application for a civil service recruitment exam. However, upon arrival, Linh told Ms. L. to wait outside the building while he went inside alone. A short while later, Linh called Ms. L. and told her to leave so he could handle things for her. However, Linh did not meet with anyone to help Ms. L.; instead, he waited for her to leave before also leaving the Vinh City People's Committee premises.
On November 21, 2022, Linh called Ms. L., requesting additional money to cover the costs of completing the staffing procedures. The following morning, Ms. L. and her father met Linh at a coffee shop and gave her an additional 100 million VND. Linh accepted the money and promised Ms. L. that the staffing decision would be made after the Lunar New Year. However, after receiving the money, Nguyen Ky Linh did nothing to secure the teaching position for Ms. L., instead using the money to pay off debts and for personal expenses.
Previously, in March 2020, Nguyen Ky Linh also defrauded Ms. Thai Thi C. (born in 1989), residing in Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province. During their meeting, Linh introduced herself as working in the training department of a vocational school of economics and technology, claiming to have many social connections and that she could get Ms. C. a job as an accountant at the Nghe An Psychiatric Hospital for a fee of 380 million VND. Trusting her, Ms. C. gave Linh 300 million VND in advance. However, after receiving the money, Linh did not fulfill her promise but used it to pay off debts and for personal expenses.
Besides the job placement scam mentioned above, Nguyen Ky Linh also defrauded people who wanted to work abroad. In October 2020, through an intermediary, Mr. Dau Dinh H. (born in 1976), residing in Dien Chau district, Nghe An province, wanted his son to work abroad. At that time, Nguyen Ky Linh was the director of a company, now defunct, and arranged a meeting with Mr. H.
During their conversation, Linh promised Mr. H. that she would successfully arrange overseas employment for him, at a cost of 12,000 USD (equivalent to 279 million VND). On October 23, 2020, after completing all the paperwork, Mr. H. gave Linh 116 million VND to process the application.
However, after receiving the money, Linh did not fulfill the agreement but used it to pay off debts and personal expenses. Seeing that his son was not going to work abroad, Mr. H. repeatedly urged Linh to return the money, but Linh gave various excuses and never repaid the amount.
After giving Linh money but receiving no notification of job acceptance or overseas employment, the victims demanded a refund, but he evaded them. Subsequently, they filed a complaint accusing Nguyen Ky Linh of fraud.
Investigators determined that between March 2020 and July 2023, Nguyen Ky Linh used various fraudulent methods to swindle numerous victims in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces. The total amount of money Linh defrauded from eight victims was over 1.28 billion VND.
At the recent trial of Nguyen Ky Linh for "Fraudulent appropriation of property," the defendant admitted to his crime. He stated that due to business losses and mounting debts, he was unable to repay his debts. "The pressure of debt led me to commit the crime," he testified in court.
The defendant expressed remorse for his repeated wrongdoings. He repeatedly said, "If only I had known when to stop, things wouldn't have gone this far." Now, standing before the court, he could only offer his apologies to the victims and their families.
Tears of a parent
Sitting silently during the trial, the defendant's parents and younger brother repeatedly wiped away tears. They were saddened and regretful about Linh's downfall, as she had previously been the pride and hope of the family.
The defendant's mother choked back tears, explaining that despite their modest family circumstances, they had provided their son with an education, enabling him to attend university. However, after working tirelessly and chasing after real estate speculation, Linh fell into debt. Out of love for their son, they reluctantly lent him their family's land title to help him with his business. But afterward, they lost their most valuable asset, leaving them now living in rented accommodation.
Angry and resentful towards their child, they couldn't bring themselves to abandon her. After Linh was arrested, the family borrowed money to partially compensate the victims in the case.
Meeting her son in such a dire situation, the thin, haggard mother repeatedly covered her face with her hands and wept. She regretted the loss of her son, who had once been their pride, and worried about the future of her family. With a choked voice, she urged her son to try his best to reform so he could return home and rebuild his life.
With several mitigating circumstances such as honest confession, remorse, family efforts to partially compensate the victims, and the fact that his grandfather was a war hero and received numerous Resistance War Medals from the State, the court sentenced defendant Nguyen Ky Linh to 8 years and 6 months in prison for "Fraudulent appropriation of property". Regarding civil matters, the court ordered the defendant to compensate the victims.
The trial ended. As they watched their son being escorted to the vehicle, the couple quietly followed, uttering a few brief words of advice. They said they would soon arrange to visit him in prison after the trial. Then, silently, they left the courthouse, blending into the crowd on their old motorbike – carrying with them a quiet sadness and a fragile hope for their wayward son.
