Cheap mask scams are on the rise
Taking advantage of the thirst for masks, many scammers posted online offers for sale at low prices, asked for money transfers in advance, then "disappeared without a trace".
Ms. Hoa, in Tan Binh District (HCMC), saw a Facebook fanpage called Tong Kho Buon Si selling KT5 masks for 150,000 VND, so she ordered 2 boxes. "Seeing the price was quite cheap, I ordered right away, but 3 days later, when I received the goods, I was shocked to see that inside were 2 "ugly" shirts. I called to report the mistake but lost contact," Ms. Hoa said.
Similarly, Ms. Loan in Dong Xoai (Binh Phuoc) said she lost 350,000 VND when ordering a box of 3M 9001V masks with a valve to filter odors. Loan said that a Facebook user named Nguyen Nhat Linh requested to transfer money to her account before delivering the goods. However, after transferring the money, this person immediately blocked her Facebook and she could not call her.
Not only small customers are deceived, but even traders are victims when they want to buy cheap goods.
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This user posted a sale of wholesale masks at a cheap price but refused to deliver. Photo:NVCC. |
Ms. Ngan in Binh Tan (HCMC) saw that Facebook page Le An was selling medical masks at a cheap price of only 40,000 VND per box, 5 boxes of masks for only 10 million VND, so she immediately placed an order, hoping to sell them for profit. After closing the order, the seller asked for a deposit of 1 million VND in advance, the rest would be paid upon delivery. However, after transferring the deposit, she could not contact the seller, despite texting and calling many times.
"After being scammed, I posted on Facebook to warn people and discovered many similar scams. People should learn from this experience when buying goods, 'pay first before you buy'," Ms. Ngan confided.
Also nearly losing money, Mr. Hoa, in Buon Ma Thuot (Dak Lak) ordered a box of 50 boxes of 4-layer masks from Thanh Loan Bui's Facebook and was informed that the goods would be delivered on Saturday. Because he trusted him, he waited and drove a pickup truck to the delivery address.
"I waited until noon but still didn't see any goods, so I went to the address they listed online, but it was just a small grocery store in the market," he said.
Hoa also called the seller repeatedly and received a picture saying that he was studying in a business class and asked to transfer money immediately. "They promised that if the transfer was completed, someone would deliver the goods. However, they kept refusing to meet with all kinds of reasons," said Mr. Hoa. Hoa insisted on receiving the goods before paying, so the seller immediately gave up and cut off all contact.
