Consecutive incidents of people losing from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of VND due to buying gold on fake fanpages are ringing the alarm bell about a new method of fraud that is very worrying.
First, most of the victims said they trust and pay money because they see the fanpage with a verification icon (blue link).
This was a dangerous mistake. In an era where technology criminals can easily buy back verified fanpages and then change their names and content, relying on just a blue icon to decide on money transfers is too innocent and risky.
Naively and newsily, many people choose to buy gold online and are willing to transfer money based only on a few lines of advertising messages such as "giving gold" and "grateful to customers".
Gold and jewelry are assets of great value, which must be traded directly, checked directly and have full invoices and documents. Buying gold online as if buying normal goods has many potential risks.
In fact, there are many risks when scammers copy the images, logos, and content of famous brands such as Bao Tin Minh Chau, DOJI, Phu Quy, etc. and then run huge advertisements.
Many pages also have blueprints and a large amount of interaction, making it easier for users to trust. The scammer impersonated a consultant, sent a QR code to take photos at the store, and even showed them " sample invoices". All to exploit the lightheaded and lack of vigilance of the people.
Meanwhile, no reputable gold and silver brand sells gold via Facebook messages, let alone deposit to receive promotions.
All businesses confirm that transactions are only at stores or on official platforms with legitimate authentication and electronic invoices. All genuine promotions are publicly announced, never via private messages.
From a management perspective, this story also exposes a major loophole in controlling the digital identity of cross-border platforms. The existence of a "green profit-taking" situation is extremely dangerous when bad guys can legalize fraudulent faces in just a few clicks. It is unacceptable to let fake accounts persist, even run public advertisements to scam.
However, it is also impossible to blame the platform or the authorities without mentioning the factor of people - victims. To avoid becoming a victim of online scams, each citizen needs to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to protect themselves in the digital environment.
Especially with money transactions, the greater the value, the more you must be absolutely careful. We cannot bring the online market's "online ordering" thinking to buying gold, land or large assets. An act of carelessness, a rushed transfer, can cause people to lose their entire fortune.
