Be careful when exchanging money online
Money exchange services on social networks near Lunar New Year are becoming more and more popular, but at the same time they also pose many risks.
In addition to the service of exchanging new money and small change, “money traders” on the internet also sell lucky money, unique money, rare money, and foreign currencies from many countries. These types of money are mainly transferred directly from abroad, with the selling price often many times higher than the actual face value depending on the uniqueness and strangeness of the money.
Check out the prices at some new money exchange establishments in Hanoi. The exchange fee for 10,000 VND, 20,000 VND and 50,000 VND is around 5 - 6%. With higher denominations or more money exchanged, the exchange fee will be a little cheaper.
In fact, there have been many victims who have made transactions to exchange new money, but when they received the money back, it was not as promised, or even counterfeit money. There have been many cases where people transferred money but the social network account owner blocked contact and disappeared, "breaking" the customer's deposit.
Any act of collecting or exchanging new money or small change from other individuals or organizations to enjoy the difference and exchanging money online violates the law and must be strictly prevented and handled.
In response to the above information, the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) recommends that people should be vigilant against strangers and absolutely not exchange money via social networks to avoid becoming “prey” for fraudulent activities. Only use money exchange services of banks, financial companies or reputable businesses with legal operating licenses.
Impersonating bank employees to commit fraud
One of the popular forms of fraud recently is impersonating bank employees to fraudulently borrow money or repay debts. This trick has caused many people, especially those without much financial experience, to fall into the trap of scammers.
The subjects often claim to be employees of a large bank, calling or texting customers with the excuse of "notifying them of preferential loan packages" or "updating credit information". Then, they ask the borrower to provide personal information such as ID number, bank account number, income level, loan purpose, etc. Even if the customer has a loan at the bank, the subject will notify that "payment is due" or "loan needs to be extended". They ask the customer to transfer money to another account or provide personal financial information to "secure the transaction". After the victim trusts and follows the instructions, the subject will present reasons to make the victim wait, then block all communication and appropriate all the money.
The Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) recommends that people proactively call the bank's official phone number to verify the identity of the subject. Absolutely do not provide personal information such as CCCD; bank account, OTP code... in any form.
If someone asks you to provide this information, refuse immediately and notify the bank. Do not follow instructions from strangers, especially regarding money transfers. Do not access strange links or download applications of unknown origin.
