Open fake 'banks' to trick savers

Ha used a rented house to set up a "ghost" transaction office of a foreign bank and received savings deposits from people.

On October 17, Quang Ninh Provincial Police announced that they had initiated a case of fraud and property appropriation, temporarily detaining Nguyen Manh Ha (33 years old, residing in Cao Thang ward, Ha Long city).

According to the investigation, Ha used a rented house in Cao Thang ward to set up a transaction office impersonating a foreign bank. From October 1 to the afternoon of October 12, Ha received nearly 160 million VND in deposits from 4 people.

The house in the middle was rented by Ha to open a fake bank branch. Photo: Minh Cuong

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh said that because she lived nearby, on October 3, she deposited 100 million VND for a term of 3 months, with an interest rate of 6%/year. Another person also deposited 10 million VND for a term of 1 month, with an interest rate of 5.3%/year. All 4 victims were related to each other.

“There are two gold rings in the glass cabinet here. Ha said that if anyone deposits one billion VND, they will receive a ring,” Ms. Thanh said, adding that Ha is the only one doing all the work in the office. When someone asked about this, he said that he had just been established and was recruiting more staff.

Those who deposit money are given a blue hard plastic card by Ha, with erasable writing. Photo: Minh Cuong

The landlord said that Ha’s relatives rented the house to run a spa and sell votive paper at a price of 2.5 million VND per month. Before opening, Ha installed a bank advertising sign./.

According to VNE