More complaints filed against fake fortune teller for scamming hundreds of millions of dong in Nghe An.

Over the two days of June 20-21, the Do Luong District Police continuously received reports from citizens about the fraudster Nguyen Thanh Binh.

A typical example is the case of Ms. NTT, residing in Yen Son commune, Do Luong district. According to Ms. T's report, in August 2018, Binh came to her house, befriended her, and inquired about her family circumstances. After gaining her trust, Binh used fortune-telling techniques with playing cards, examining the spiritual realm, family matters, and geography of her family.

Nghe An: Fake fortune teller scams hundreds of millions of dong.

(Baonghean.vn) - The Investigation Police Department of Do Luong District Police has just issued a decision to initiate a criminal case and prosecute Nguyen Thanh Binh (born in 1959, residing in Cong Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district) for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property.

Fake fortune teller Nguyen Thanh Binh. Photo: Quynh Trang

Binh claimed that Ms. T.'s family garden was cursed and pointed out a spot for Ms. T. to dig. After digging for a while, Binh told Ms. T. to go inside and light incense. Taking advantage of Ms. T.'s absence from the garden, Binh quickly took some gold from an old ceramic jar and put it into the newly dug hole, then covered it with soil.

After lighting incense, Ms. T. continued digging and was shocked to find the "artifact" that Binh had prepared. Binh declared it to be an ancient antique, and its appearance in Ms. N.'s garden was both a good omen and a bad one. It would bring good luck to the homeowner if a ritual to "remove the curse" was performed. Still reeling from the discovery of the "antique" and hearing this, Ms. T. was completely captivated by Binh's description.

Binh charged 15 million VND per person for each person to have the curse lifted, meaning Ms. T.'s family of five would have to pay 75 million VND. Binh also demanded an additional 30 million VND for the ceremony at the Tay Ninh Holy See. In total, Ms. T. gave Binh 105 million VND.

A month after believing the "curse had been lifted," Ms. T took the gold, supposedly in the antique porcelain jar, to sell only to discover it was fake. Realizing she had been deceived, Ms. T sought out the "fake" fortune teller. After much pressure, Binh returned 75 million VND to Ms. T.

"I don't know why, but when I heard Mr. Binh speak, it was like I was under a spell. After reading the news about the fraudulent fortune teller in the Nghe An Newspaper, my family immediately recognized the fortune teller as someone we knew, so we quickly reported it to the police hoping to get back the money we had been scammed out of."”Ms. NTT presented the information.

The ceramic jar containing fake gold was the tool Binh used to commit fraud. Photo: Quynh Trang

Continuing in April 2018, using the same fortune-telling trick, Binh defrauded the family of Mrs. VTT (residing in Khai Son commune, Do Luong district) of 300 million VND. After performing some "magic tricks," Binh fabricated a horrifying story claiming that Mrs. T.'s daughter-in-law was possessed by her recently deceased grandmother.

After hearing Binh's statement, Mrs. T.'s family panicked and complied with all of Binh's demands. At the investigative agency, Binh confessed that after being discovered, he paid Mrs. T.'s family 170 million VND.

Following reports from citizens, the Do Luong District Police are currently working with the victims and conducting verification and investigation to clarify the matter.

Previously, as reported by Nghe An Newspaper, the Do Luong District Police clarified that Nguyen Thanh Binh had defrauded other victims of a total of nearly 600 million VND. The Criminal Investigation Department (Do Luong District Police) issued a decision to initiate a criminal case and prosecute Nguyen Thanh Binh (born in 1959, residing in Cong Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district) for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property.

The police in Do Luong district announce that anyone who is a victim of Nguyen Thanh Binh should file a complaint so that the authorities can handle the suspect according to the law.