The Criminal Police Department of Thanh Hoa Provincial Police has arrested two suspects accused of using fake Facebook accounts to impersonate relatives of their victims and fraudulently obtain nearly 1.5 billion VND (approximately 60,000 USD).

On March 27, police received a criminal complaint from Ms. L.T.V. (born 1963, residing in Ha Trung Town, Ha Trung District), who reported that someone posing as a relative contacted her via Facebook and tricked her into transferring the large sum of money.

Recognizing the case as a form of cyber fraud, the Criminal Police launched an immediate investigation.

Within four days of receiving the complaint, police 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 revealed four mobile phones, one iPad, a desktop computer, and 235 million VND (approximately 9,400 USD) in cash.

At the police station, the suspects confessed to researching online how to scam victims by creating fake Facebook profiles of Vietnamese citizens living and working abroad. They then used these fake accounts to contact the real relatives of those individuals in Vietnam, pretending to need money transferred in exchange for foreign currency.

To execute the scam, the suspects purchased disposable SIM cards and phones, then contacted their victims, convincing them to transfer funds to bank accounts provided by money laundering groups on Telegram.

Besides the Thanh Hoa case, the duo also committed another scam in Dich Vong Hau Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, where they defrauded another victim of nearly 350 million VND (around 14,000 USD).

Authorities are continuing to investigate and expand the case.

Le Duong