Thinking it was a music video of a famous singer, the girl clicked on it and lost 400 million.

Hanoi City Police said that Ms. T. (residing in Ba Dinh district) was recently raped by the subjects.fraud and appropriation of propertyby receiving and opening files containing music and videos sent via Telegram.

According to Ms. T., on March 10, she received a message on Telegram containing a .m3u file, usually a music playlist or video. Thinking it was a music video by a famous singer, she clicked to watch it.

Just a short time later, her bank account was suddenly deducted 400 million. Too surprised and not understanding what was happening, Ms. T. went to the bank and reported the incident to the police.

Cybersecurity experts said that when Ms. T. opened the .m3u file on the computer version of Telegram (Telegram Desktop), the software could automatically download embedded content from outside without the user's permission.

This can expose important network data to the device, allowing attackers to take control of the system and steal account information.

According to statistics, more than 32% of Internet users in Vietnam (aged 16 - 63) use the multi-platform messaging application Telegram. Its increasing popularity has turned Telegram into a "fertile ground" for scammers.

Millions of users could fall prey to a sophisticated trap on the platform if they aren’t careful. A seemingly harmless music or video file sent via Telegram Desktop could actually be a tool for data hijacking.

These files are usually in .m3u format. When clicked, all passwords, ports and system information can be exposed without the user knowing.

Not only stopping at .m3u format, hackers also take advantage of popular formats such as .exe, .zip, or even Word/Excel files containing malicious code to attack users.

Particularly dangerous is the Pass-the-Hash technique - which allows hackers to gain unauthorized access to internal systems without knowing the actual password. If successful, they can take control of the entire system, causing great damage to individuals or organizations.

Experts warn that many victims have been scammed out of hundreds of millions to billions of dong through tricks on Telegram.

Part of the reason is that the app allows for the creation of large groups and channels for free. Messages are end-to-end encrypted, and senders can delete entire two-way chat histories—making it difficult to trace.

People are advised to be extremely vigilant with files and links sent from accounts of unknown origin. In addition, it is necessary to regularly update software, operating systems and applications to patch new security holes, minimizing the risk of being attacked.