The Criminal Police Department of Thanh Hoa Provincial Police has arrested two individuals accused of using fake Facebook accounts to impersonate relatives of their victims, ultimately defrauding them of nearly 1.5 billion VND (approximately 60,000 USD).
On March 27, Ms. L.T.V. (born 1963, from Ha Trung Town, Ha Trung District) filed a criminal complaint after someone pretending to be a relative contacted her via Facebook and tricked her into transferring a large sum of money. Recognizing the case as cyber fraud, the Criminal Police launched an immediate investigation.
Within just four days, police successfully arrested Nguyen Thanh Dong (born 1997) and Nguyen Cong Chanh Hung (born 2004), both from Trieu Phong District, Quang Tri Province. A search of their residences led to the discovery of four mobile phones, an iPad, a desktop computer, and 235 million VND (approximately 9,400 USD) in cash.
At the police station, the suspects admitted to researching online methods to scam victims. They created fake Facebook profiles of Vietnamese citizens living and working abroad and used these profiles to contact their real relatives in Vietnam. They convinced the victims that money was needed for foreign currency exchanges, prompting them to transfer funds to bank accounts provided by money laundering groups on Telegram.
In addition to the Thanh Hoa case, the suspects were also linked to another fraud in Dich Vong Hau Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, where they scammed another victim for nearly 350 million VND (around 14,000 USD).
Authorities are continuing to investigate and expand the case.
