Authorities dismantled a gang in South Korea that defrauded people out of over ten billion Vietnamese dong by posing as fruit vendors.

On August 10th, the Office of the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Da Nang City Police announced that they had temporarily detained five individuals: Vo Van Nhat Quang (born 1999), Vo Nguyen Hoang Thong (born 1998), Vo Van Tuong (born 1998), Vo Hoang Viet Hung (born 1991), and Vo Van Quang (born 2003, all residing in Quang Tri province) for investigation into the acts of "illegally accessing the computer network, telecommunications network, or electronic devices of others" and "fraud and misappropriation of property"

According to initial investigations, this group impersonated reputable fruit-selling Facebook accounts in South Korea to befriend and collect customers' phone numbers. They then used these numbers to register WhatsApp accounts, tricked victims into providing OTP codes, and subsequently gained access to Facebook accounts through the "forgot password" feature.

Once they gain control of the account, the perpetrators impersonate the account owner and send messages to the victim's relatives and friends, fabricating reasons for needing to borrow money or transfer funds urgently, employing various sophisticated tactics to steal assets.

From December 2024 until their arrest, the group illegally accessed more than 70 Facebook accounts, stealing over 10 billion VND from numerous victims both domestically and internationally.

The Da Nang City Police Department advises citizens to be vigilant against fraudulent accounts and to absolutely not provide their phone numbers, OTP codes, or personal information to strangers. When receiving requests to transfer money from acquaintances via social media, verify the information by calling directly or meeting in person to avoid being exploited by scammers.