New scam targeting parents appears

Kim Lien High School (Dong Da District, Hanoi) has just sent an urgent notice to all parents about a new form of fraud. That is, the subject calls parents to inform them that their children have "purchased goods but have not paid yet".

Providing more information on this issue, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, Principal of Kim Lien High School, said: Recently, some parents of the school received calls from unknown numbers informing them that students had purchased goods or food, clothes, supplies, etc. but had not paid in full and left their student cards behind. After that, the bad guys came out to ask the parents to send money to the account number provided by the bad guys.

Parents need to be wary of phone calls asking for payment when their children make purchases.

To avoid falling into the trap of bad guys, the school board recommends that teachers inform all parents and students of all classes to heighten their vigilance. In case of receiving a call with the above request, parents should stay calm and contact teachers and school staff for confirmation.

Also on March 24, a number of schools and English centers in Hoang Mai district also issued notices about the phenomenon of "child kidnapping" in the area, so parents need to be vigilant.

According to the announcement of Ocean Edu Linh Dam Center, Hoang Mai District, there has been a phenomenon of child kidnapping in the area. The subjects are targeting students, especially students who walk to school by themselves. "Parents are requested to agree on a time to pick up their children. When picking up their children, please gather at the lobby on the 1st and 2nd floors of the center. For students who walk home by themselves, please text the homeroom teacher to inform them" - the announcement clearly stated.

Notice from Ocean Edu Center sent to parents of students on the afternoon of March 24.

Previously, after carrying out a series of scams targeting parents of students in Ho Chi Minh City using the trick of "children being treated in the hospital", the subjects continued to "attack" parents of students in Hanoi and Da Nang.

The Ministry of Public Security, the Hanoi Department of Education and Training and most schools in Hanoi have issued warnings and propaganda to parents to be vigilant and calm to avoid becoming victims of this sophisticated scam.

Immediately afterwards, the Ministry of Education and Training also sent a document to the Departments of Education and Training, universities, academies, colleges, and teacher training colleges to inform them about the methods of defrauding parents and students.

In the document, the Ministry of Education and Training stated that, according to data from the Ministry of Public Security, from the beginning of March 2023 to present, Ho Chi Minh City Police have recorded 14 cases of parents being scammed using the trick of "urgent money transfer, emergency child" for a total amount of 825 million VND.