Breaking up a loan sharking and 'terrorist' debt collection ring

On June 17, the Criminal Police Department (Da Nang City Police) announced that it had just broken up and arrested subjects involved in a loan sharking ring.

According to the police, this group was led by Vu Duc Chung (39 years old, residing in Nam Dinh city, Nam Dinh province), with two accomplices helping: Ngo Quang Au (24 years old, residing in Krong Pa district, Gia Lai province) and Nguyen Dac Cuong (24 years old, Tam Ky, Quang Nam province).

All three rented apartments in Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son districts to use as a front for loan sharking activities.

Although he was the leader, Chung was rarely present in Da Nang and often hired Au, Cuong and several other people to carry out loan sharking activities.

The trick of this group is to post on social media groups about needing loans or post loan advertisements in crowded public areas.

When someone asks for a loan, the group will verify their place of residence, ask the borrower to take a photo and provide some personal documents such as ID card, household registration book, driver's license, marriage certificate... for the subjects to keep.

As for interest, borrowers pay daily, the subject limits receiving cash but mainly transfers it through bank accounts. In particular, to legalize and conceal the act of lending at high interest rates, this group has borrowers write mortgage papers or buy assets such as motorbikes, mobile phones, etc. on installments.

In cases of late payment, the subjects call to threaten, cut and paste pictures and post them on social networks or can throw paint or throw dirty substances at the house to threaten and pressure to pay. The loan interest rate of the subjects is 30% for 25 days and more than 400%/year.

With this trick, from the beginning of 2024 until now, the group has lent 300 people in Da Nang a total amount of about 4 billion VND, illegally profiting more than 1.2 billion VND.

During an emergency search of the suspects' temporary residence in Da Nang, the police seized 230 sets of borrowers' documents, along with related exhibits to serve lending activities.