Police recommend that gold and foreign exchange trading businesses install camera systems and alarms connected to the nearest police station.
The Criminal Investigation Department of Binh Thuan Province has issued a warning about a scam involving the exchange of Vietnamese dong (VND) for US dollars (USD) at a gold shop.
They have also requested that police units and local authorities inform the public of criminal activities in order to raise awareness and detect and report them promptly to the police.
On February 21, 2023, two foreign men went to the THN gold shop on Thủ Khoa Huân Street, Thanh Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, and asked to exchange VND for USD. Taking advantage of the gold shop owner’s carelessness, the suspects swapped the shop owner’s 70,000 USD and fled.
The police have identified the two men as Malisava Joni (55 years old) and Akhalaia Irakli (47 years old), both Georgian nationals. They moved to Ho Chi Minh City after stealing the money and then left the country through Tan Son Nhat airport.
Phan Thiet Sand Dunes, @ Pham Huy Trung
According to the Criminal Investigation Department, the two men had visited the THN gold shop a few days earlier to exchange money, gaining the trust of the gold shop owner. On February 21, they made an appointment with the owner to exchange 70,000 USD, with the owner agreeing.
The suspects prepared three deposits of money, with the outer sides of each deposit featuring two 100 USD banknotes to disguise them. The inside of each deposit contained 1,000 VND, 2,000 VND, and 5,000 VND bills, each deposit being wrapped in a transparent plastic bag (like those used in previous transactions with the gold shop) and placed in a compartment of a handbag carried by the suspects.
During the transaction, one suspect directly dealt with the gold shop owner, claiming that they needed to withdraw VND from a bank and requested that the owner prepare three deposits of 70,000,000 VND to be counted. Meanwhile, the other suspect took the opportunity to swap the money with fake banknotes and put the real ones in his bag.
After the transaction, the suspect who conducted the transaction put the fake banknotes in another bag and handed them back to the gold shop owner, who did not suspect anything and did not check the banknotes. The two suspects then left, claiming to be going to withdraw money from the bank.
The police investigation determined that the two suspects had entered Vietnam on tourist visas and had rented a house in Ho Chi Minh City. After the incident, they immediately left Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat airport.
The police also found that the suspects had committed similar fraud in other cities and provinces in Vietnam, with a total amount of stolen money reaching up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This incident highlights the need for businesses that deal with gold and foreign currencies to take measures to prevent such fraud, such as installing camera systems and connecting alarm systems to the nearest police station.
The police advise individuals to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities. They also encourage businesses to report any incidents of fraud or attempted fraud to the police in a timely manner.
The police continue to investigate this case and are seeking cooperation from the relevant authorities in other countries to apprehend the suspects and bring them to justice.
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Source: Vietnam Insider