'Master scammer' sets trap, causing 5,000 people to lose money.

Le Ba Hai, 32 years old, from Ngoc Lac district, Thanh Hoa province, graduated from university with a degree in Architecture but did not pursue a career in the field, instead engaging in online trading of various goods. The process...online businessRealizing that many people needed remote work, Hai planned to embezzle money by fraudulently selling design blueprints.

He bought up Facebook Fanpages with large followings, then renamed and redesigned them to suit the products he would be selling—construction design blueprints—and ran advertisements to increase their popularity and attract collaborators. Under the guise of an architect, Hai recruited over 50 employees working at 11 locations in Hanoi and Thanh Hoa. Each office had a team leader in charge, whose income was paid 1% of the total amount of money obtained through fraud each month. Employees received a fixed salary of 3-5 million VND per week, plus an additional 8% commission if they sold any blueprints.

Suspect Hai at the time of his arrest at the police station. Photo:Police provided the information.

This group posted on their Fanpage recruiting part-time online collaborators, offering a salary of 2-3 million VND per week. Their daily tasks included promoting the business on social media. Anyone who sold a design would receive a 30% commission, depending on the price. The company received a 20-30% discount on the design's value, with the remaining amount payable to the collaborator. A design was priced between 10-70 million VND; a few were drawn by Hai himself, while the rest were downloaded from the internet for "sales."

When collaborators join the scheme, members of Hai's group will create fake Facebook accounts to approach them, claiming to be looking to buy construction design plans. When the collaborator sends several available drawings to choose from, the "client" selects one and signs a receipt stating that 10% of the contract value has been paid into the company's account.

The collaborator then reports back to Hai's group and is asked to transfer 70% of the contract value so the company can send the official design. This amount, along with a "commission," will be transferred back when the client finalizes the deal. Typically, the victim is scammed at this stage. Next, Hai's group will "research the collaborator's Facebook profile." When they assess that the "prey" is wealthy or gullible, they will bring in new members, using the same old tricks to scam them, or apply new tactics.

If the "target" is deemed to have money, after transferring 70% of the contract value, the "original client" will complain that the design is bad or unsatisfactory, requesting the seller to make revisions, otherwise they will cancel the contract or withdraw their deposit. When the collaborator reports back, the team leader will demand additional costs for revising the design, or if they want to cancel the transaction, they must pay a fee to "remove copyright" on behalf of the client.

Some of Hai's accomplices in the network were arrested. (Photo:)Police provided the information.

Many collaborators who had mistakenly transferred money in advance, eager to get a refund from the company, followed the instructions, only to be further deceived. After each "act," Hai's accomplices cut off contact with the collaborators, blocked them on Facebook, and deactivated the disposable SIM cards used for previous transactions.

Clues to the scam were revealed in October 2021 when a local resident reported to the Ha Tinh Provincial Police that he had been defrauded of over 700 million VND while working as a collaborator selling house design plans online for a company.

Captain Nguyen Van Bao, head of Team 1, Criminal Police Department, Ha Tinh Provincial Police, said that 35 officers and technical investigators spent two months scouring the internet to find the methods, tactics, and identities of the ringleaders. When evidence emerged, the special task force dispatched officers to various localities to verify the information.

According to Captain Bao, this type of scam is not new, but Hai is knowledgeable about information technology and very sophisticated in choosing specific products to deceive. The design drawings are digital products, not physical, and transactions are conducted online, making it easy to conceal their origin. Anyone suspicious can simply block him on Facebook, Zalo, etc., to erase all traces.

By mid-December 2021, the case file on the operation was fully compiled. Through surveillance, investigators discovered that Hai was preparing to expand his market overseas, as evidenced by his hiring of translators to create Fanpage systems in Thai. Establishing an office in Thailand, connecting to the Chinese and Japanese markets, among others, was also being considered as the company expanded its reach.

"The clues gathered online are only initial information; most of it needs to be verified in person, and due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is not simple. This group is based in rented buildings and offices, with little interaction with the outside world, and the doors are always locked. To approach them, investigators had to use many professional methods," Captain Bao said.

On December 29, 2021, the Criminal Police Department of Ha Tinh Provincial Police, in coordination with the Hanoi and Thanh Hoa City Police, mobilized hundreds of officers and soldiers to simultaneously raid 40 locations, arresting 41 people and seizing over 2 billion VND in cash along with many related exhibits. At an apartment building on Ha Dinh Street, Thanh Xuan Trung Ward, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi - where Hai had his headquarters - upon seeing the police arrive, he ran to the gate intending to get into his car and escape, but was surrounded.

Police determined that in the last six months of 2021, approximately 5,000 people in 35 provinces and cities fell victim to scams perpetrated by Hai and his accomplices, with the group illegally profiting over 100 billion VND. According to investigators, the victims were partly deceived because they were greedy for profit and dazzled by promises of "easy work with high pay."

On January 19th, Hai and 40 accomplices were charged, arrested, and placed under house arrest for the crime.Fraudulent appropriation of property, according to Article 174 of the Penal Code.

Duc Hung