Do the task, receive the gift of gratitude
Hanoi City Police said that recently, online fraud has appeared in the area through "giving gifts of gratitude" on the occasion of October 20. Accordingly, the scammers impersonated employees of famous e-commerce platforms or supermarket chains to announce and send free gifts of gratitude. After that, the subjects will approach and instruct customers to perform certain tasks and transfer a certain amount of money.
Ms. Chung (name changed), born in 1964, residing in Tay Ho district, saw an advertisement on Facebook saying "YODY Fashion for Every Home" was giving away gifts on October 20th to customers. Ms. Chung proactively texted to receive free gifts and was contacted by a person claiming to be a customer service specialist. The person instructed her to perform a number of tasks for a chance to receive money and gifts.
Because she was gullible, Ms. Chung transferred about 50 million VND to the subject to do the task. The scammer continued to ask the victim to transfer more money to receive a larger gift. On the afternoon of September 24, Ms. Chung went to VPBank (251 Thuy Khue) to transfer another 40 million VND. However, the bank teller saw signs of suspicion and reported to the Thuy Khue Ward Police. After being persuaded by the ward police and bank staff and analyzed the scam, Ms. Chung stopped transferring money to the subjects.
Informing Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa in Cau Giay District, Hanoi (name changed) said that she almost became a victim of online scammers. Ms. Hoa said that on October 11, she suddenly received a call from a strange phone number. This person informed that Vietnamese Women's Day, October 20, was coming up, this was an occasion for the Cocolux cosmetics store system (Vietnam Import-Export Investment and Trading Company Limited) to show gratitude to customers. Therefore, Ms. Hoa needed to make friends with the store staff via Zalo to do this gratitude.
The subjects also guided Ms. Hoa through many different social networks with many different tricks. Notably, they forged the seal and signature of Vietnam Import-Export Investment and Trading Company Limited to make a commitment to refund the advance payment for the gift of gratitude in accordance with Vietnamese law.
Hit the psychology of liking gifts
PV of Lao Dong Newspaper contacted the customer service department - Cocolux Cosmetics System to clarify the above issue. Cocolux affirmed that the unit absolutely does not text customers via personal Zalo, Facebook social network or organize any promotional programs with the above content. "Cocolux is working closely with the authorities to investigate and handle the impostors, to ensure the rights and peace of mind for customers" - this unit said.
With the recent explosion of scams, Hanoi City Police recommends that people should be cautious and vigilant against messages and calls announcing winning prizes or inviting them to participate in free customer appreciation programs. This is likely a scam by criminals to exploit the psychology of many people who love gifts. If they encounter cases showing signs of fraud, the authorities recommend that people go to the nearest police station to report for guidance and resolution, to avoid being taken advantage of, enticed, and scammed, leading to loss of money.
