A daring female con artist impersonates an official to scam money by promising jobs.

Impersonating a police officer

In 2018, noticing the high demand for jobs and her own need for money, Cao Thi Thanh Vinh devised a plan to swindle money from gullible people.

Around November 2018, through friends' introductions, Vinh learned that Ms. LTG (born in 1993), residing in Thanh Chuong district, Nghe An province, was having an affair.job search needsVinh then devised a perfect plan, changing the name and workplace to increase trust. Vinh used the fake name Cao Thi Dieu Linh and impersonated a police officer currently working at the Economic Police Department, Ministry of Public Security, to deceive Ms. LTG.

Hearing Vinh's words, Ms. LTG thought that Vinh had many connections that could help her get a job, so she asked Vinh to help her get a job at the Nghe An Provincial Police Guesthouse. Vinh quoted a price of 180 million VND for his first business deal.

Completely trusting Vinh, Ms. LTG's family gathered the money. On December 6, 2018, Ms. G. and her father met with Vinh and handed over 100 million VND along with her job application documents, with the promise that she would receive a job offer the following year.

On subsequent occasions, citing missing documents and complications during the application process, the "officer" requested Ms. LTG to continue sending money via bank account as well as directly in cash. Sometimes Vinh requested an additional 10 million VND, other times an additional 15 million VND.

Having committed to the scheme, and trusting Vinh's claim of being a "Ministry of Public Security officer," LTG's family borrowed money to help their daughter secure a job. Vinh received a total of 235 million VND, which she spent entirely on personal expenses and never contacted or processed any documents to help LTG get a job. Only when summoned by the police did LTG's family realize they had been deceived and that the "female police officer" was actually Cao Thi Thanh Vinh, a former official of the North Central Geological Survey Federation.

Previously, using the same familiar tactic, in February 2018, Cao Thi Thanh Vinh approached Ms. Nguyen Thi Ng. (residing in Nam Dan district) suggesting that there was a "job opening" at the North Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station, and that Vinh would help Ms. Ng. if she needed it.

Without a second thought, believing everything Vinh said was true, Ms. Ng. rushed home to gather money and gave Vinh 20 million VND as a "deposit." They promised that if a recruitment decision was made by May 2018, Ms. Ng. would give Vinh the full 50 million VND.

However, by May 2018, Ms. Ng. still hadn't received the decision, so she contacted Vinh to request the return of the 20 million VND. Vinh refused and asked Ms. Ng. to wait due to paperwork issues. Ms. Ng. then filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Vinh City Police to reclaim her money.

Using the same tactic, Vinh also deceived Ms. NTA, residing in Hung Chinh commune, Vinh City, Nghe An province, promising to secure a job for her in the medical department of the North Central Geological Federation for 150 million VND. Ms. A. paid a deposit of 50 million VND upfront. The remaining amount would be paid to Vinh upon receiving the job offer. When the deadline arrived, Ms. A. had not received the job offer and demanded her money back, but to no avail. Ms. A. then filed a complaint with the authorities.

Thus, between February 2018 and May 2019, Cao Thi Thanh Vinh committed three acts of fraud, appropriating 310 million VND.

In May 2019, the Nghe An Provincial Police issued a decision to initiate a criminal case and prosecute Cao Thi Thanh Vinh for the crime of "Fraudulent appropriation of property." Because she was raising a child under 36 months old, Vinh was released on bail. However, taking advantage of this leniency policy, Vinh absconded. After two months on the run, Vinh was arrested by the police at a hotel in Vinh City.

It's heartbreaking for the old father.

Cao Thi Thanh Vinh (born in 1983), residing in Le Mao Ward, Vinh City, was born into a well-educated family with two sisters. Wanting their daughters to have a stable life, Mr. and Mrs. T. (Vinh's parents), despite their small business, made every effort to save and provide for Vinh and her sister's education. After graduating, Vinh secured a stable job at the North Central Geological Survey.

However, Vinh preferred a life of luxury, so she devised a "job application" scheme to earn money for her expenses. Vinh changed her name and claimed to be an official at reputable institutions to gain the victims' trust. Despite having no recruitment capabilities, Cao Thi Thanh Vinh offered job positions with a firm guarantee of securing employment, making it impossible for the victims to escape the trap she set.

On August 12th, the People's Court of Nghe An province held an appeal hearing for Cao Thi Thanh Vinh on the charge of "Fraudulent appropriation of property." Previously, Vinh had been sentenced to 9 years in prison by the People's Court of Vinh City. Considering the sentence too harsh, Vinh filed an appeal requesting a reduction in her sentence.

Attending the trial, in addition to the victim who was invited, were Mr. and Mrs. T. (Vinh's parents), who brought their grandchild along. Vinh and his wife were divorced, so since the incident, Vinh's young child had been raised by his maternal grandparents. On the day of the trial, Mr. T. hoped that seeing his child would motivate Vinh to reform and receive leniency from the law.

At the appeal hearing, the defendant presented several new mitigating circumstances, such as: his father being a war invalid who was awarded the Glorious Soldier Medal and the Liberation Resistance Medal by the State; and his family's compensation to the victims amounting to 60 million VND... The defendant requested the Judicial Council to reduce his sentence so that he could return home to raise his children and care for his elderly parents.

Mr. B. - the father of the victim LTG (residing in Thanh Chuong district) - stated that Vinh had defrauded his family of 235 million VND. Before the trial, Mr. B. told Vinh's family that if they could compensate 150 million VND, he would forgive the remaining amount. However, due to his extremely difficult circumstances, Mr. B. could only pay 40 million VND.

During the brief recess, Mr. T. - Vinh's father - was able to sit closer to his daughter. Although the elderly father couldn't get close, his words of encouragement and comfort were enough to bring Vinh to tears, causing her to bow her head and weep. After reviewing all the details of the case, the appellate court found that these were mitigating circumstances not considered by the lower court, and therefore accepted the defendant's appeal, amended the sentence, and sentenced Cao Thi Thanh Vinh to 7 years in prison for "Fraudulent appropriation of property" and ordered her to compensate the victims for the remaining amount.

Cao Thi Thanh Vinh's sentence was reduced to two years, shortening her path home. Surely, at her age, seeing her parents struggling to pay off her debts, and seeing them and their grandchild riding home from the courthouse on an old motorbike, anyone would feel heartbroken. Vinh must also feel remorse and guilt. If only Vinh had worked hard and earned a living through her own abilities, she wouldn't be in this humiliating situation today...