Exposing the scam perpetrated by real estate brokers in Vinh City who swindled billions of dong.

Land purchase deposit scam

At 37 years old, this is the third time Tran Ngoc Thuong, residing in Dong Vinh ward, Vinh City, has had to stand before the witness stand for his mistakes. And while in previous cases Thuong only received short-term prison sentences, this time his criminal act was more reckless, causing serious consequences for the victims.

Previously, in 2003, Thuong committed robbery and was sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for 36 months. In 2014, Thuong committed robbery again and was sentenced to 36 months in prison. The defendant's relatives had to compensate for the damages Thuong caused to the victim.

Defendant Tran Ngoc Thuong was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Photo: Tran Vu

It was hoped that after two stints in prison, Thuong would reform and become a new person. But the hopes of her family were dashed when Thuong was accused by several people of committing fraud and embezzling their money.

According to the indictment, Thuong worked as a real estate broker. Due to business losses and debts, she conceived the idea of ​​committing fraud. One of the methods Thuong employed was fraudulently selling plots of land that she did not own. Notably, she sold these fictitious plots of land to multiple people, defrauding them of nearly 1 billion VND.

Specifically, one day in March 2022, knowing that Ms. Le Thi D. wanted to buy land for investment, Thuong introduced herself as having a plot of land measuring 195 square meters.²In Cua Lo town, the selling price was over 4.2 billion VND. Seeing that the plot of land suited her investment needs, Ms. D. asked Thuong to take her to see it.

During the land viewing process, to gain the customer's trust, Thuong claimed the land was hers, currently mortgaged to the bank. Thuong showed the customer a photo of the land use right certificate on her phone. In reality, the land did not belong to Thuong. The image of the "land title" was downloaded from a real estate buying and selling group on social media. Trusting her, that same afternoon, Ms. D. signed a deposit contract with Thuong for the purchase of the land for 500 million VND. Thuong spent the money on personal expenses.

Defendant Tran Ngoc Thuong in court. Photo: Tran Vu

Around the same time, Thuong also sent photos of the land title deed for a plot in Cua Lo to another customer, quoting a price of 4.3 billion VND. After viewing the plot, Ms. Nguyen Thi Th. agreed to buy it. On March 28, 2022, Ms. Th. signed a deposit contract for 480 million VND with Thuong. However, shortly afterward, she discovered that Thuong had also sold the same plot of land to someone else, so she filed a complaint with the police.

Investigators determined that between August 2020 and May 2022, Tran Ngoc Thuong committed six acts of fraud against six victims, appropriating over 1.7 billion VND. In addition to the scheme of selling land to receive deposits, Thuong also used the tactic of collecting debts on behalf of others to embezzle money.

Confession of the scammer

At the trial, the defendant admitted to all the crimes. Thuong testified that thanks to her real estate brokerage job, she once owned a house, a car, and lived a comfortable life… But because she fell into cryptocurrency investment and suffered losses, leading to debt, she committed numerous fraudulent acts as charged in the indictment. The money obtained through fraud was used to pay off debts and for personal expenses.

The defendant stated that since falling into debt, he felt like he had lost everything, and had to sell his house. His wife decided to separate from him, leaving him to raise their young child alone. The defendant stated that he is currently unable to repay the debt but promised to work hard to repay the victims after his release from prison.

Several victims attended the trial, requesting that the defendant be tried according to the law. They explained that they were deceived by Thuong because they trusted her, resulting in financial losses and the need to pay monthly interest.

Before the trial, the defendant's family had compensated the victims with 400 million VND. In particular, the defendant's brother had to sell his car to "save his brother." The defendant felt remorse for affecting the reputation and honor of his brother, who serves in the armed forces. It was this brother who had wept profusely over his younger brother's repeated mistakes.

The victims attended the trial demanding that the defendant return the money. Photo: Tran Vu

At the trial, the presiding judge exclaimed, "The defendant has brought ruin to his family, having committed crimes twice before. His brother, when he came to court to submit documents showing partial compensation for the victims, cried his eyes out. Doesn't the defendant feel ashamed of his actions?" Following the court's analysis and admonition, Thuong bowed his head for a few seconds before apologizing to the victims and his family.

Presenting arguments in court, the representative of the People's Procuracy of Nghe An province stated that, due to needing money to pay debts and for personal expenses, Thuong used many fraudulent schemes to deceive the victims, appropriating more than 1.7 billion VND. The defendant's criminal act was reckless, audacious, and showed disregard for the law, therefore it needs to be dealt with severely.

The court determined that the defendant's criminal act directly violated the property rights of citizens protected by law, affecting public order and security in the locality. In this case, the defendant had an aggravating circumstance of committing the crime two or more times. However, mitigating circumstances such as honest confession, remorse, and the family's efforts to compensate the victims with 400 million VND should also be considered. Considering all aspects of the case, the court sentenced Tran Ngoc Thuong to 14 years in prison and ordered the defendant to compensate the victims for all damages.

As he was being escorted out of the courtroom after the trial ended, Thuong tried to turn his head back to look for his wife, children, and relatives…