Online fraud remains a serious problem, causing huge losses to hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese users in 2024. A research report from the National Cyber Security Association, published on December 16, showed that one in every 220 users became victims, equivalent to a rate of 0.45%. The total loss from online fraud last year was estimated at VND18,900 billion.
According to the report, although 88.98% of those who were scammed said they immediately shared the incident with friends and relatives, only 45.69% of them reported the incident to the authorities. This is an alarming number, because not reporting gives criminals the opportunity to continue to operate.
According to experts from the Cyber Security Association, reporting to authorities not only helps protect personal rights but also plays an important role in preventing fraudulent behavior.
Firstly, information from the victim will support the investigation and evidence collection, helping to increase the ability to handle the subject.
Second, timely intervention can help victims recover their stolen property.
In addition, each report also contributes to building a database to warn the community, limiting similar incidents in the future.
The Cyber Security Association's survey also pointed out the three most common forms of fraud in 2024. Of which, 70.72% of users have received invitations to invest in fake exchanges, promising high profits but of unknown origin; 62.08% encountered calls impersonating agencies such as the police, court or bank, threatening and requesting money transfers. Finally, 60.01% received fake notifications of winning prizes or attractive promotions with unclear information.
Fraudsters are also becoming more sophisticated by using modern technology such as Deepfake to create fake videos and voices, chatbots to continuously communicate with victims, or specialized software to make mass calls. These technologies make it difficult for many people to distinguish between real and fake and easy to fall into traps.
Reporting scams not only helps protect victims' rights, but also contributes to building a safer online environment.
Each reported incident helps authorities prevent it in time, while also alerting the community to new fraud methods, minimizing future damage. In the context of increasing online fraud, the sense of cooperation and vigilance from each individual is the key factor to push back this problem.
