Lost half a billion dong after a phone call

Mr. Duc said he was not a money laundering criminal, but the "investigator" asked him to deposit money for verification and would return it if no violations were found.

Mr. Duc's landline (62 years old, living on Le Van Sy Street, Phu Nhuan District) rang many times on the morning of October 17 from the number 024.38489703.

On the other end of the line, the caller identified himself as a major from the Hanoi Police Investigation Department. He said he was investigating a money laundering ring run by a criminal gang, of which Mr. Duc was a member.

The homeowner denied it, explaining that it was irrelevant. The "police officer" immediately transferred the phone to "an investigative officer" of the lieutenant rank, to take Mr. Duc's statement.

This person threatened to "take Mr. Duc to Hanoi to serve the investigation", demanding that he declare where he deposited the money. The homeowner was scared, saying that he only had nearly 500 million VND in the bank and that this was his savings and not a crime.

He asked Mr. Duc to transfer all the money into a "safe" account for the police to verify. Absolutely do not let anyone know, if it is not illegal money, he will return it to him.

Believing the words, Mr. Duc went to the bank and transferred all the money to the account provided by the "investigator", named Nong Thi Nhung. Many days later, he did not receive a phone call or be able to contact the "Hanoi police".

Seeing that he was always restless and worried, his family asked and found out what happened. Phu Nhuan District Police are verifying the account and collecting evidence to investigate this suspected fraud.

Over the past two years, Ho Chi Minh City police have repeatedly warned people about phone scams, such as Mr. Duc’s case. Authorities have arrested many related gangs, but in reality, there are still networks that continue to “trap” victims.

According to VNE

* Victim's name has been changed.