Using the guise of compassion and righteousness.

(Baonghean) - Vietnamese people have a spirit of mutual support and compassion, "the healthy leaf protects the withered leaf," so whenever a story of misfortune is published in the press or media, it receives help from philanthropists, social organizations, and charities. However, recently, in many provinces and cities across the country, including Nghe An, some unscrupulous individuals have been using the guise of kindness, impersonating various employees or journalists to deceive and profit illegally, and some have even... propositioned unfortunate people.

Still visibly shaken, Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh (born in 1986, residing in Quynh Trang commune, Hoang Mai town) recounted his story to us. His family has two children, Nguyen Van Vinh (3 years old) and Nguyen Van Cuong (1 year old), who suffer from a blood clotting disorder. Despite treatment in many places, their condition hasn't improved. As a poor household struggling to make ends meet, their situation has become even more dire. Fortunately, a journalist learned about their plight and wrote an article about it, leading to many people reaching out to help. “When people called to inquire and offer support, my wife and I were overjoyed. We received some extra funds for our children's medication and treatment. However, I never imagined that besides the kind people, there would also be heartless individuals exploiting our tragic circumstances to scam us.”

To earn money to buy medicine for his child, Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh had to go catching eels and frogs.

After Mr. Tinh's phone number was published in the newspaper, a strange number called, claiming to be an "employee of the Nghe An Red Cross," offering to help his family. This "employee," who introduced himself as Hoang, instructed Mr. Tinh on how to prepare a set of documents including: household registration book, identity card, and a confirmation of difficult circumstances. Hoang also told Mr. Tinh: "Currently, our agency has 150 million VND, prepared to support an unfortunate family in Yen Thanh, but the person passed away before we could hand over the money. After considering your family's unfortunate circumstances, we decided to give it to you, however, your family must pay a 10% 'fee,' which is 15 million VND. This is a general regulation. Your family needs to prepare the documents urgently to receive the money; otherwise, the Red Cross will transfer it to another needy family."

“Having spent our whole lives confined to the village, knowing little about social matters, now, in our desperate situation, with illness and hardship, someone wanted to help us with such a large sum of money. My wife and I were overjoyed, as if we had struck gold, without a moment's suspicion. The next day, I discussed with my wife selling our chickens and pigs, and borrowing money from relatives and friends to cover the fee.” One weekend, this person called Mr. Tinh and told him to bring the money to the gate of the Nghe An Red Cross Society (11 Duong Van Nga Street, Hung Phuc Ward, Vinh City) to pay the “fee.” However, when Mr. Tinh arrived by motorbike taxi, the person called and said: “I’m busy, so I’ll be out for a bit. Just leave the money near the base of a tree, cover it with a stone, then go to the security gate of the Nghe An Newspaper office to submit the documents for me. When I’m done, I’ll come back and take you to the bank to complete the procedures and give you the money.”

Mr. Tinh felt suspicious; why would someone leave money on the street instead of meeting in person? He called back. The "employee" insisted, "Just leave it there, someone will come and take it, don't worry. Leave the money there and then come over here to give me your documents so we can collect the money. Hurry up, there's still time." Mr. Tinh intended to do as instructed, but still felt something was strange and suspicious, so he went to ask the security guard. To his surprise, the security guard told him, "You've been scammed. We don't do that here. Several people have been scammed here before, crying and looking very pitiful!" Mr. Tinh was then given a thorough explanation by the Nghe An Red Cross officials, who explained that there was no such thing as a "fee" for charity work; it was a scam perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals. Seeing Mr. Tinh's pitiful situation, the officials and staff of the Nghe An Red Cross contributed some money and arranged for someone to safely take him home.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang H. and Ms. Mai Thi D. (from Do Luong district) were featured in a newspaper's "Unfortunate Lives" section in the South. Mr. H. has been bedridden for over 10 years due to an accident, and Ms. D. has lost sight in one eye, leaving their family in dire straits. After the article was published, many readers sent money to help the couple. However, around the end of December 2013, Mr. H. repeatedly received phone calls from someone claiming to be a "representative of the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank in Nghe An." This person said that the agency planned to provide the family with 65 million VND and asked him to come down to receive it. However, when Ms. D. packed her bags and asked a neighbor to drive her to Vinh to receive the money, the caller asked, "Did you bring money to pay the 'fee'? If not, go home and prepare it." Ms. D honestly said, "My family is very poor. This morning I only brought 500,000 VND as money for drinks and gas to thank you for your concern and help." The person on the other end snapped, using impolite language: "You received 65 million VND and only brought 500,000 VND. There are higher-ranking officials above me; you have to give gifts and 'fees' to get the money. It's not easy. If you don't want to accept it, we'll give it to someone else." Before finishing his sentence, the "bank employee" hung up abruptly. Ms. D, still naive, trusted him enough to call several more times, but the person didn't answer.

Ms. Dau Thi N. (residing in Quynh Phuong Ward, Hoang Mai Town) is a story of misfortune that was recently reported in a newspaper. On the afternoon of December 30, 2013, Ms. N. received a call from the number 01687151492, with the caller identifying himself as Nam, a "Viettel employee." Nam said the company had just read the newspaper and learned of her difficult circumstances, so they decided to award her 150 million VND and a motorbike worth 50 million VND, and asked Ms. N. to complete the necessary procedures to receive it. When Ms. N. rode her motorbike nearly 100 kilometers to Vinh City to collect the prize, Nam said that business hours had ended and told her to "pay a fee" by buying a 4 million VND phone card and then giving him the number. Waiting until evening without anyone coming to deliver the prize, Ms. N. tried to contact Nam, but his phone was unreachable, realizing she had been scammed. "Seeing how sincere they were and knowing my difficult circumstances, I didn't dare to doubt them. Besides, the prize money I received was so large, sharing a little with them wouldn't be a problem. Who would have thought there could be someone so heartless, defrauding an unfortunate person like me?" - Ms. N. confided sadly.

Not only do these perverted individuals scam money, but they also call, tease, and proposition unfortunate individuals. Ha Thi M., a student at a university in Vinh City, was unfortunately involved in a traffic accident on her way to school. After learning of her difficult circumstances, several charities and the media offered assistance. Following this, several phone numbers contacted M., inquiring about her well-being and offering support. One person claimed to be the head of a department at an import-export company, campaigning for donations from domestic and international charities to help M. with her treatment and complete her university education. “This person spoke very persuasively and convincingly. But after a few days, things started to go strange. They expressed longing and affection for me, then suggested going to a motel to ‘talk.’ I politely refused, but I was ‘tortured’ with phone calls every day,” M. recounted.

For several months now, Ms. Le Thi L. from Anh Son district has been unable to sleep or eat peacefully. Previously, a newspaper published a story about the difficult and lonely circumstances of her and her child. After the article was published, kind-hearted people from all over the country called to offer support and encouragement; some even sent money and gifts. In her time of extreme hardship, receiving the concern of so many people brought tears of joy to her eyes. However, besides these good people, there are also some perverted individuals who constantly call and flirt with Ms. L., making advances. Ms. L. expressed her frustration: “They said they saw how hard my child and I were struggling, how lonely we were, and that I was young and had been without a man's hand for a long time, so they wanted to ‘help’ us long-term. But when I refused, this man cursed and insulted me terribly. Our ancestors said, ‘Even torn paper must retain its edge,’ so no matter how poor, sick, or weak I am, I must maintain my dignity…”

In discussions with us, several agencies in the province expressed surprise and indignation at being impersonated and exploited by individuals who used their names to scam and profit illegally from unfortunate people. This behavior is immoral, contrary to the long-standing good customs of our people, and violates the law, requiring immediate condemnation, prevention, and handling by the community. Ms. Bui Thi Mai, President of the Provincial Red Cross Society, stated: “People only seek help from media outlets and charitable organizations when they are facing difficulties, unfortunate circumstances, or illness. However, recently, many unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of the lack of information and understanding of those in need to scam and profit illegally. When doing charity work, there is absolutely no question of collecting “fees,” “bribes,” or gifts. Those who work in charity do so with a pure heart and never demand anything in return from those they help.”

Ms. Mai added that recently, there have been 3-4 cases where people lost money before reporting it to the Provincial Red Cross Society. After receiving the reports, the agency provided thorough explanations, initial support to those who were scammed out of money for transportation home, and notified relevant authorities, the ward and city police, as well as posting the information on the society's website so that people are aware. Through this article, we hope that relevant agencies and departments will soon take action to address the illegal and inhumane actions of those who profit from "unfortunate lives," thereby encouraging people to be vigilant and not listen to the诱惑 (enticements) of fraudsters, avoiding financial loss and other misfortunes.

Text and photos:Triều Dương