On Wednesday, investigative police in the central province of Thanh Hoa announced criminal proceedings against 84 people, most of them foreigners, for two offences under the Penal Code.
They were charged with using computer networks, telecommunications networks or electronic means to misappropriate property, and with organising or facilitating the illegal entry, exit or stay of others in Vietnam.
Investigators identified Zhao Xuefeng, known by the Vietnamese name Dong, as the mastermind and ringleader of the criminal organisation. He was born in 1987 and is a Chinese national.
The 84 people were part of a group of 118 people seized by Thanh Hoa police after a hotel raid on October 17. The group consisted of 113 foreign nationals and five Vietnamese citizens.
The foreign nationals included 74 Chinese, 28 Indians, nine Cambodians, one Malaysian and one Burmese national.
Police found that most of the detainees had previously lived in Laos or Cambodia. Eighteen had entered Vietnam illegally, and one was wanted by authorities abroad.
Authorities also seized machinery and electronic equipment used for online fraud.
Before the raid, the immigration management division of Thanh Hoa police found that the group had rented the entire Van Hoa Hotel in Nghi Son.
After arriving, the group brought in large quantities of computers and telecommunications equipment disguised as used goods.
The group lived in isolation, guarded the premises, restricted access by outsiders and showed signs of illegal activity.
The members were divided among six rooms. Each group focused on different markets and types of fraud, including financial and cryptocurrency investment schemes, online sports betting, fake recruitment and tasks promising monetary rewards.
The group targeted people in several countries and territories, including Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, India, the United States and mainland China. They used tailored scripts to contact victims, build trust and persuade them to transfer money.
In Taiwan, members befriended women over 40 through messaging apps and then lured them into foreign-exchange investments through the MGX platform.
In South Korea, they posed as representatives of Nexuswh Investment, offered stock investment advice and instructed victims to download an application, deposit funds and make trades. When victims tried to withdraw their money or could no longer invest, the group cut off contact.
In Japan, members befriended women on social media, developed relationships and lured them into cryptocurrency investments through online platforms. The operation was directed by a Chinese national commonly known as Dai Luk, or Mainlander.
One group livestreamed sporting events on social media to attract viewers and then invited them to place bets on prepared websites.
Another group used fake Facebook accounts, posing as wealthy and successful people. Members approached Indian nationals living in different countries, gained their trust and then lured them into depositing funds and buying stocks presented as financial investment opportunities.
They initially showed artificial profits and allowed victims to withdraw small amounts before persuading them to transfer larger sums. The group then cut off contact when the victims ran out of money.
Another group carried out recruitment scams by inviting victims to apply for jobs at non-existent companies and demanding training or recruitment fees.
Thanh Hoa police described the group as a sophisticated transnational criminal organisation operating in cyberspace and reported it to the Ministry of Public Security. The ministry then launched a formal investigation with its criminal police and cybersecurity departments.
A task force of investigators, intelligence officers, interpreters and high-tech crime personnel was mobilised for the October 17 raid.
Sources: Viet Nam News
