In recent days, in Muong 1 village, Gia Phu commune, Lao Cai province, there have been continuous cases of people receiving calls from subjects claiming to be commune land administration officials with content requesting coordination to update land information on the electronic system.
According to people's reflections, the subjects used a strange phone number, claiming to be "Nguyen Hoang", a commune land administration official.
After gaining trust by accurately reading some personal information, the subjects guide people to make friends via Zalo, provide information or access strange links to "verify land records".
Believing that the caller was a real land administration official, Ms. Ly Thi Xuyen, residing in Muong 1 village, followed the instructions and provided a bank authentication code sent to her phone. Just a few minutes later, the entire amount of 9.5 million VND in her account was completely withdrawn.
Mr. Luong Van Nghi - Village Head, Head of the Security and Order Team of Muong 1 village, said that when she heard the caller clearly grasp her personal information, Ms. Xuyen completely trusted and followed the request.
According to Ms. Xuyen's account, only about 5 seconds after sending the OTP code, the phone reported that the account was deducted money. At that time, she called the village head to ask and found out she had been scammed," Mr. Nghi shared.
Luckily, the case of Ms. Doan Thi Mien, also in Muong 1 village, did not become a victim of this trick. When receiving a call from an account named "Nguyen Hoang" with similar content, Ms. Mien proactively contacted the village head to verify.
Through verification, she learned that the local government did not send any officials to call and request people to provide bank account information, click on strange links or transfer money to update land data. Thanks to her vigilance, she avoided the risk of losing money.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh - Vice Chairman of Gia Phu Commune People's Committee affirmed that the review and update of land data are carried out in accordance with the procedures of functional agencies.
Land administration officials do not require people to transfer money, provide bank passwords, OTP codes or access links of unclear origin in any form," Mr. Thanh emphasized.
Similarly, in some highland communes in Lao Cai, some people also reflected receiving calls requesting to pay "land data update fee" or "electronic dossier authentication fee".
Subjects often use many different phone numbers, speak with a local accent, and grasp some basic personal information to build trust before committing fraud.
According to records of grassroots police forces, subjects often exploit people's anxiety about changes in administrative procedures, especially in the digitalization of records and building e-government.
Although the scam scenario is not new, it is constantly being distorted with more sophisticated forms, making people, especially the elderly or those who have little access to technology, easily become victims.
Faced with the above situation, local authorities recommend that people raise their vigilance, absolutely do not provide personal information, bank account numbers, passwords, OTP codes to any individual via phone or social networks.
When receiving calls related to land, administrative procedures or public services, people need to proactively contact functional agencies or local authorities directly to verify information.
