Warning about online kidnappings to defraud people of money to spread

Rescuing many students kidnapped online

On July 26, Ms. L.T.T (residing in Ca Mau province) went to the police station to report receiving a call from an unknown number informing her that her son, H.M.K (18 years old), owed 700 million VND for playing in securities and asked the family to transfer 350 million VND as a ransom. This subject also threatened to take K to Cambodia. The next morning, K returned home and recounted that he had been threatened by a subject claiming to be a police officer related to a money laundering ring, asking him to provide all personal information and bank accounts and forcing K to steal money and gold from his family to transfer to them.

In Can Tho City, the police force successfully rescued 2 cases of "online kidnapping" for fraud and blackmail. On the afternoon of July 11, a resident of Cai Rang ward took his daughter to a supermarket in the city to celebrate her birthday, but just 2 hours later, he received an emergency phone call from his daughter and sent it to his Zalo account for him to make friends. The subject informed that he had arrested his child and requested to prepare 50 million VND as a ransom, if he did not comply, he would sell his child to Cambodia. At more than 11pm on July 11, the task force found the female student at a hotel in Ninh Kieu Ward, Can Tho City.

While the case is being investigated, on the morning of July 12, the Criminal Police Department received a report of a similar incident. The victim was also a female student who had just rented a room from An Giang province to An Binh ward, Can Tho city to go to school at noon on July 11, but by the evening, she had lost contact. This time the subject asked to transfer 100 million VND along with a threatening message that he would sell people abroad if the family did not follow. In the verification, the Criminal Police Department coordinated with Le Binh Ward Police to quickly find the female student at a motel in Tan An Ward on the evening of July 12.

Also in July, the Criminal Police Department of An Giang Provincial Police coordinated with Phu Tan and Phu An Commune Police to verify and clarify 2 cases of fraud and appropriation of property using similar tricks.

The scammers made Zalo friends with the students and called them claiming to be police officers, saying that they were involved in a "Fraudulent or transnational drug case" and asked them to follow the instructions, otherwise they would be in prison.

The subjects asked them to log into the "ZOOM WORKPLACE" app, which would provide an ID code to join the chat group. After the victim logs into the app, the phone control will be taken over, and all information and social media accounts will be arbitrarily used, at this time the family will not be able to contact the children.

At this time, scammers ask victims to follow Google Maps to a designated motel or motel to rent rooms themselves. They continuously ask victims to participate in calls, psychological manipulations, even asking victims to borrow knives,hood them on their necks, and then take pictures and send them to their families to demand ransom.

The 12th grade male student (victim in the incident) shared: "I also have suspicions, but the subjects of the staging area are working and are constantly deterring me here, including the Ministry of Public Security and the Procuracy, asking me to cooperate. The subjects continuously monitored me to prevent me from leaking my application, and told me not to do it, which is against the person performing official duties, but I still go to school, I am afraid that being recorded in the application will negatively affect me, so I follow it," the male student said.

Previously, the authorities in Hanoi, Quang Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City rescued many students who were scammed by scammers impersonating the police, forcing them to stage a kidnapping, then forcing parents to transfer their children's ransacks. The method of approaching and threatening victims is also increasingly sophisticated and scammers often target young people who do not have much life experience.

Strengthen propaganda for people to avoid falling into traps

Talking to reporters, Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Phi Hung - Captain of the Property Asset Prevention and Investigation Team, Can Tho City Police Department - noted that the subject manipulated the victim's psychology in combination with technology to commit fraud. Initially, they gave fake information and then threatened, causing the victim to panic and lose his composure. Then, the victim is asked to go to a hotel, isolate himself from the outside, his family, turn off or not answer the phone and continuously put pressure if the victim does not follow, he will be arrested, thereby the victim only follows emotions without reason. Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Phi Hung recommended that the police agency should not work by phone, social networks, or request money transfers to serve the investigation. When encountering this situation, it can be immediately thought that there are signs of fraud. When someone is informed by a phone that they are being prosecuted, have an arrest warrant, ... then stay calm, do not panic; do not provide personal information, bank accounts, OTP codes, do not transfer money; do not self-isolate, go to the hotel and fake to be kidnapped as requested by the subject. For families who receive information about their children being kidnapped, they need to contact the police for coordination and guidance, not following the subject's request.

Regarding this issue, Phu Quoc Special Police (An Giang Province) also sent notices to agencies, departments, branches, unions, businesses, and educational institutions in the area and requested to organize information, propagate, and advise people, relatives, especially students and parents to be vigilant against calls and messages from unknown numbers claiming to be from authorities. Do not transfer money without clearly verifying the identity of the requester and the purpose of the transfer. Be vigilant with signs of requiring confidentiality, video calls with people wearing police and prosecution uniforms, threats of arrest, and requests for urgent money transfers. When the above incident occurs, it is necessary to immediately report it to the nearest police agency.