Ms. Tran Thi Yen (character's name has been changed) residing in Yen The, Bac Ninh was tricked into transferring money after chatting with an account on social media. The subject promised to give her 7,000 USD and many gifts but asked her to transfer a fee in advance to complete the procedures to receive the gifts.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (character's name has been changed) - a relative of the victim, Ms. Yen was tricked into transferring 4 million VND after chatting with a strange account on social media.
"My wife received a text message to get to know her and chat with an account named Donald Nguyen on social media. This account often sent messages of intimacy, showing close concern, causing my grandmother to gradually gain trust. Although the messages are somewhat awkward and the language is not natural like a machine, sometimes calling me, sometimes calling me, my grandmother still believes it is real because that account keeps sending messages asking questions, showing concern and worry for her," said Mr. Hung.
After a period of talking, the subject asked Ms. Yen to transfer money to receive 7,000 USD and attractive gifts. Because she did not use a bank account, Ms. Yen used 4 million VND in cash and asked relatives to transfer the money instead. After that, the subject continued to ask her to send an additional 5 million VND, but the family discovered the unusual incident and promptly prevented it.
"From the family incident, we want to warn others, especially the elderly, so that they stay away from scams in cyberspace," Mr. Hung shared.
According to Mr. Ngo Tuan Anh - Vice President of the Vietnam Information Security Association (VNISA), many scammers today use chatbot - an artificial intelligence tool that can automatically respond to messages like real people to gain the trust of victims. The elderly, who often have little access to technology, are easily plagued by loneliness, which leads to loss of vigilance.
The Vice President of the Vietnam Information Security Association recommends that people be vigilant against strange messages on social networks. Do not transfer money or provide personal information to people who have not been clearly verified. When suspecting fraud, you should immediately report to the local police for timely support and prevention.
