Fake name to photo
In the early days of the 2025 tourist season, the situation of fanpages impersonating accommodation establishments to scam tourists is causing many people to "los money and get sick". This form of fraud is increasingly sophisticated and difficult to distinguish, causing hotels to "use their own" to support and protect their reputation.
On June 6, speaking with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy - Business Director of Poseido Hotel Quang Binh said that since the 30.4-1.5 holiday this year, the unit has begun to notice signs of fake fanpages.
They copy all content, images, and videos from the hotel's official website, even with a "green checkmark", a factor that makes many customers trust them easily.
Ironically, fake pages have many times more followers than the hotel's official fanpage, which has not been granted green status from the social networking platform.
Ms. Thuy informed that customers just thought they had booked it, and when they arrived, there was no information. Many people have been scammed from a few million to more than 10 million VND.
When the incident was discovered, the hotel quickly informed the authorities and provided maximum support to tourists, from rearranging rooms and having preferential price policies if they even went to introduce other accommodation if the hotel was full.
Not only Poseido Hotel Quang Binh, many other accommodation facilities in Dong Hoi City and key tourist areas in Quang Binh have also become red-handed "victims" of this scam.
According to the reflection of hotel managers, many people still fall into the trap because they are attracted to promotional programs and cheap combos launched by fake fanpages.
Increasingly sophisticated tricks
Lieutenant Colonel Tran Anh Tuan - Head of the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, Quang Binh Provincial Police warned that subjects often anonyimize administrative information, steal all images from real fanpages and then reduce prices strongly to attract customers. After the victim transferred the deposit, they immediately cut off contact.
According to the police force, at the beginning of this year's tourist season alone, there have been at least 3 accommodation establishments in the area whose websites and fanpages have been forged to commit fraud. The main form is to ask customers to transfer a deposit, then continue to give reasons such as not receiving it, having to transfer more... before completely "evaporating" from social networks.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Le Tran Minh Tam - Deputy Head of Foreign Security Department, Quang Binh Provincial Police said that the unit is coordinating with professional forces to verify the IDs and access addresses of the subjects to conduct struggle and handle. In addition, the police also actively coordinated with the tourism industry and accommodation facilities to issue early warnings to tourists.
To distinguish between real and fake fanpages, customers should carefully check information such as: email address, phone number matching business registration, landline code, carefully check official website links, avoid booking rooms via private text messages. Absolutely do not transfer deposits to strange personal accounts and be wary of "too good to be real" incentives.
In addition to the participation of authorities, businesses also need to proactively protect their brands by registering to authenticate fanpages, continuously updating warnings and reporting cases of fake news to social networking platforms and authorities.
