The scheme used by the group of fraudsters to swindle thousands of people, embezzling 120 billion VND.

On the evening of December 28th, the Ha Tinh Provincial Police announced that they had coordinated with professional units of the Ministry of Public Security, the representative office of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security in Cambodia; the police forces of Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, and Tay Ninh provinces; and the police stations at Noi Bai, Cat Bi, and Tan Son Nhat airports, and the Moc Bai International Border Gate in Tay Ninh province to dismantle a transnational fraud ring.activities in cyberspace.

Initially, the police arrested and prosecuted 22 suspects and seized evidence related to the case. From May 2025 to the present, these suspects have defrauded more than 1,000 victims, totaling over 120 billion VND.

This network operated from Vietnam to Cambodia and Myanmar, led by Luong Xuan Duyen and Pham Van Diem (both born in 1988, residing in Hai Phong City). The suspects established "headquarters" abroad, impersonating businesses and armed forces to deceive small businesses and enterprises into transferring deposit money or making payments for goods.

The perpetrators established a "headquarters" with modern equipment, then infiltrated cyberspace, created fake accounts on websites, and subsequently devised sophisticated schemes to steal assets from people in numerous provinces and cities across the country.

To avoid detection by law enforcement, they operate discreetly, frequently changing vehicles, SIM cards, and accounts to conceal and erase traces of their fraudulent activities.

At overseas locations, sales teams are tasked with finding information about shops, businesses, and small enterprises on social media.

These establishments typically deal in essential goods such as vegetables, agricultural supplies, steel, and food – a sector that easily generates large-volume orders.

After investigation, it was found that the suspect was using disposable SIM cards, unregistered phone numbers, or roaming numbers to call the shop owner and impersonate an officer in the armed forces or a large corporation urgently needing to purchase a large quantity of goods, requesting immediate delivery within 1-2 days.

Exploiting the victims' trust and expectations of profit, the perpetrators suggest adding them as friends on Zalo to "discuss contracts." During negotiations, they entice victims to buy additional items such as canned goods, dried food, alcohol, or products that the store doesn't sell. They promise a "profit margin and commission," while reassuring victims that the purchasing arrangement will not be detected by authorities.

To build trust, the sales team pretended to introduce the phone numbers and Zalo accounts of "suppliers," which were actually accounts managed by the sales department within the same network.

When victims contacted them to place orders, this group continued to pose as "wholesalers," negotiating prices and requesting a deposit or 100% payment of the order value before delivery.

The bank accounts receiving the money were rented by Pham Van Diem from a third party, and then provided to employees in the network to receive money from the victims.

After the victim transferred the money, the perpetrator continued to pressure them to buy more items using the same tactic. Only when they could no longer contact the perpetrator did the victim realize they had fallen into a scam, at which point the perpetrators had erased all traces, blocked communication, and embezzled all the money.

At the end of November 2025, the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ha Tinh Provincial Police deployed 10 task forces in coordination with the representative office of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security in Cambodia, professional units of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ho Chi Minh City Police, the police of Tay Ninh and An Giang provinces, and the Moc Bai International Border Gate Border Guard Post to secretly monitor the border area and apply a comprehensive range of professional measures to apprehend the suspects.

Within a short period, law enforcement officers apprehended 22 suspects and simultaneously conducted searches at multiple related locations, seizing 30 mobile phones of various types and numerous electronic documents and evidence for investigation.

Faced with the documents and evidence collected by law enforcement, the suspects confessed to their entire involvement in the transnational criminal network.

The incident is currently under further investigation.