Dealing with veteran scammers using handheld massagers
To receive a gift of a handheld massage machine worth 20,000 VND, many veterans had to pay nearly 1 million VND to take a portrait photo.
On December 23, Mo Duc District Police (Quang Ngai) said they had verified and discovered a group of 5 people who had fraudulently appropriated money from veterans in the area.
The subjects include Do Van Phong (27 years old, residing in Thai Thuy district, Thai Binh), Ta Quang Tri (24 years old, residing in Phu Vang district, Thua Thien-Hue province), Tran Thi Thoa (47 years old), Pham Thi Xuan (43 years old) and Nguyen Thi Hoa (36 years old, all residing in Duong Kinh district, Hai Phong city).
According to the police, this group of subjects came to Quang Ngai, introduced themselves as employees of "Anh Viet Company Limited" in Dong Phuong, Kien Thuy, Hai Phong City, and discussed with the District and Commune Veterans Association to give gifts to veterans in the area.
Under the guise of giving massage machines, this group suggested that veterans take photos for yearbooks, portraits, wedding anniversary photos of couples who are all veterans, and certificates of merit at prices higher than the market.
Before being discovered by Mo Duc District Police, the subjects had committed the act in 5 communes with dozens of registered veterans.
Upon inspection, the subjects were unable to present identification documents, letters of introduction, and authorization from Anh Viet Company Limited and admitted to the violations. The district police imposed administrative penalties on the subjects, confiscated and destroyed all massage machines of unknown origin.
Mr. Huynh Van Tinh - Head of the Veterans Association of Van An 1 village, Nghia Thuong commune said that he and many veterans were scammed from 500 to 1 million VND when participating in "taking photos with gifts" by this group of people.
Specifically, after taking composite photos of veterans’ uniforms, the group collected each photo for 500,000 to 1 million VND and gave away a handheld massage machine. According to market price, this massage machine is only about 20,000 VND.
“My fellow veterans and I thought these were commemorative picture frames donated by the Veterans Association, so we participated with the hope of having something as a souvenir in our homes. Who would have thought we would be fooled,” said Mr. Tinh.