Sophisticated tricks of a group of scammers selling fake gold across the Central provinces

From the report of the gold shop owner

At noon on July 3, Nghi Loc District Police received a report from Ms. Dinh Thi Tram - owner of Hoang Son gold shop in Nghi Thach commune, Nghi Loc district with the following content: On the same morning, 2 young men riding a motorbike with license plate 35B1-67580 came to Hoang Son gold shop to sell a 1.5-tael gold necklace for 50.7 million VND. Ms. Tram tested this necklace by burning it first and bought it at the above price.

After selling, the two young men immediately got in the car and left the gold shop. At that time, Ms. Tram felt suspicious so she took the gold necklace she had just bought to a gold shop in Vinh city to check and discovered that it was a fake necklace, only covered with a thin layer of real gold on the outside. Ms. Tram sent a report of fraud to Nghi Loc District Police that same afternoon.

The number of fake gold chains bought by the subjects to defraud and sell. Photo: Nhat Tuan

On the same day, the Nghi Loc District Police Department established Project 718V to investigate the subject. The project team notified gold and silver businesses and at the same time requested the victim to directly notify familiar gold and silver businesses for prevention and if discovered, to coordinate in arresting.

Based on the tricks, voices, vehicles and images extracted from cameras as well as discussions with professional units in some localities where similar cases have occurred, the Task Force determined that the above fraudsters operate in groups of at least 5 people or more, aged 25-35.

In addition to the motorbike 35B1-67580 used to transport the two subjects to the gold shops to commit the crime, it is possible that the group also used a car to support the fraud. Assessing that after selling fake gold at the Hoang Son gold shop, the group would continue to commit fraud along National Highway 1A, from Nghe An to the southern provinces, the Special Task Force sent a working group from Nghe An to Ha Tinh and the southern provinces to intercept and track down the subjects.

When the working group arrived at Can Loc district, Ha Tinh province, they received information that at Ngoc Ha gold shop, block 7, Nam Ha ward, Ha Tinh city, Ha Tinh province, there were 2 subjects riding motorbike 35B1-67580 to the gold shop to sell a gold-colored metal necklace with characteristics similar to Hoang Son gold shop that had been scammed. Immediately, the working group instructed the owner of Ngoc Ha gold shop to find a way to extend the transaction time to notify the surrounding people and the Nam Ha ward police, Ha Tinh city to detain the two subjects.

After the two subjects were arrested, the Nghi Loc District Police Investigation Agency was present at Nam Ha Ward Police to coordinate the fight. The two subjects detained were Le Tung Lam,(Born in 1992), residing at 22/43, Bach Dang Street, Ha Ly Ward, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong City; Nguyen Duc Cuong,(Born in 1996), residing at house number 2, area B254, Thanh To ward, Hai An district, Hai Phong city.

At this time, the subjects did not admit their crimes because they claimed that they had only gone to scout and had not committed any crimes. Extracting the camera images at the Hoang Son gold shop (Nghi Loc district), the two scammers there were not Cuong and Lam. Not admitting their crimes, both of them stubbornly refused to declare where their accomplices stayed and went.

The investigation agency of Nghi Loc District Police continued to send a working group to the southern provinces to investigate the remaining subjects when they saw Cuong and Lam being arrested. Through professional measures, the investigation agency determined that the remaining subjects were present in Hue City, so they coordinated with the Criminal Police Team of Hue City Police to check all hotels, motels, and inns in the area.

The group of scammers (from left to right: Dat, Lam, Dung, Cuong, Hoang). Photo: Nhat Tuan

At 5:30 a.m. on July 5, checking Binh Minh Hotel, address 34, Nguyen Tri Phuong, Hue City, the working group discovered a car 16N - 3686 hidden there. Checking room 305 of this hotel, discovered 3 subjects:Bui Tien Dat, (born in 1982), residing at 9/68 Dien Nuoc alley, Truong Chinh street, Lam Ha ward, Kien An district, Hai Phong city;Nguyen Duc Hoang, (born in 1991), residing at Lot 22, Le Hong Phong, Hai An District, Hai Phong City;Nguyen Duc Dung,(Born in 1989), residing at 3/17 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong City.

At room 305 and car 16N-3686, the Nghi Loc District Police Investigation Agency discovered 4 mobile phones; 18 gold-colored metal chains, 1.5 and 2 pieces; 1 gold-colored metal bracelet and 12.5 million VND.

Sophisticated fraud

At the Nghi Loc District Police Department, faced with undeniable evidence, the subjects bowed their heads and confessed their crimes. Accordingly, on June 29, Dung, Hoang, Cuong, Lam and Dat invited each other to go to Da Nang City to play. At the same time, they would visit gold shops along the way to defraud people of fake gold and appropriate money. When they reached an area where they could defraud, the subjects stopped the car, rented a motel, and discussed their actions.

The subjects changed the license plates, assigned two subjects to ride motorbikes to find gold shops to commit the crime. The remaining people rode cars and waited a certain distance from the gold shops to ensure safety. If the two subjects on motorbikes saw that the gold shop owners were not vigilant and were easy to trick, they would immediately take out fake gold chains to sell. If the gold shop owners were careful and checked more carefully, they would take out real gold chains to show them first, and when they agreed to the transaction, they would find a way to swap them for fake gold chains.

On the morning of July 1, Lam rented a car 16N-3686 and the group started from Hai Phong to Da Nang. After a night's rest at the first stop in Ninh Binh City, Ninh Binh Province, at 9:00 a.m. on July 2, Dung and Cuong went to buy a black old Sirius motorbike with license plate 35B1-67580 for 13.8 million VND. With the motorbike, Dat used it to find gold shops to sell, but no gold shop bought because everyone was wary.

The group checked out and continued on to Nghe An. That night, when they arrived in Vinh City, they went to look for gold shops to defraud people of gold. However, because it was late and the owners of some gold shops were on guard, the group did not dare to carry out their actions. At around 8:00 a.m. on July 3, Dat and Hoang rode their motorbikes ahead along National Highway 46 from Vinh City to Cua Lo to find a place to defraud people of fake gold. Cuong, Dung and Lam followed in a car to assist in case they needed to change people or escape if they were discovered.

Cars rented by the subjects to commit fraud. Photo: Nhat Tuan

When arriving at the Hoang Son gold shop, Dat and Hoang rode their motorbikes into the gold shop to trick people into selling fake gold. Cuong, Dung and Lam stopped their motorbikes about 2km away from the gold shop to wait for Hoang and Dat. At the Hoang Son gold shop; Dat met Ms. Tram, the owner of the gold shop, and said he wanted to sell the pure gold necklace. At the same time, Dat took the gold necklace off his neck and gave it to Ms. Tram. Ms. Tram checked it, put it on the scale and agreed to buy the gold necklace for 50.7 million VND.

While Ms. Tram was checking the gold, Hoang tried to ask questions to distract her. After successfully selling the fake gold necklace, Hoang and Dat rode their motorbike back to the car where Lam, Cuong, and Dung were waiting and drove ahead. After a while, Cuong and Dung got off their motorbike and replaced Dat and Hoang in the car to change their identification features and avoid detection by the victim. After that, the group went back to the old hotel in Vinh City to rest and find a way to continue to other locations to commit crimes.

At around 5 p.m. the same day, the group entered Ha Tinh city and rented a Louis hotel to stay. During the night, the group searched for Ngoc Ha gold shop in Nam Ha ward, Ha Tinh city to commit the crime the next day. On the morning of July 4, Lam and Cuong were assigned to go to Ngoc Ha gold shop to investigate and defraud. Thanks to the owner of Hoang Son gold shop as well as the Investigation Agency of Nghi Loc district police informing them in advance about the modus operandi, characteristics of the subjects and means of committing the crime, the owner of Ngoc Ha gold shop informed the security and people to arrest Cuong and Lam and hand them over to the police.

At the investigation agency, the subjects confessed that in addition to selling fake gold in Nghe An and Ha Tinh, they had carried out many similar cases in other provinces and cities across the country. Currently, the Nghi Loc District Police continue to investigate and expand the 718V project.

Nghi Loc District Police Department informs anyone who is a victim of the above subjects to report to Nghi Loc District Police Department, Nghe An at the hotline number: 0238 386 1132; or phone number: 0946 890 888.