Police in Lâm Đồng Province have arrested two men for allegedly defrauding dozens of overseas Vietnamese living in the United States and Australia through fake loan schemes.
The suspects, Trần Phước Vĩnh, 25, and Trương Văn Thọ, 24, both from Huế City, have been taken into custody on charges of fraud and appropriation of property.
Vĩnh, who previously served time for using computers and telecommunications networks to commit fraud, had recently completed his sentence earlier this year. After relocating to Lâm Đồng, he teamed up with Thọ to execute their latest scheme.
According to investigators, since May, the duo posed as bank employees and created multiple fake Facebook accounts to post advertisements offering loan services. They specifically targeted Vietnamese expatriates in the U.S. and Australia who might be seeking financial assistance.
The suspects fabricated paperwork and instructed their victims to pay insurance fees and tax declarations through intermediary banks in order to secure disbursement of the supposed loans. Once the payments were made, Vĩnh and Thọ immediately cut off contact.
Initial findings show that the pair defrauded their victims of nearly VND 1 billion (approximately USD 39,000). The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to identify additional victims.
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Source: Vietnam Insider