11 Chinese nationals arrested in Vietnam for allegedly running online scam targeting French citizens

On July 2, officers from the provincial immigration management division, in coordination with other police units, inspected a house owned by a local resident named Nguyen Van P. in Vo Cuong Ward, Bac Ninh Province.

During the raid, police found 11 Chinese nationals allegedly running a cyber fraud operation. Authorities seized 11 computers and 12 mobile phones.

According to investigators, the group used social media platforms and messaging applications with built-in translation features to approach French victims.

The suspects allegedly built trust with victims through sophisticated tactics before carrying out fraudulent investment schemes.

Police said the group operated a fake e-commerce platform called Lucky Coin Mall, with each member assigned a specific role.

The suspects allegedly used Facebook accounts posing as French citizens to befriend victims and establish relationships following pre-written scripts.

After gaining the victims' trust, they collected their banking information and directed them to Telegram groups populated with numerous fake accounts controlled by the fraud ring.

These accounts created the illusion of active trading and profitable investments, encouraging victims to continue depositing increasingly large sums of money.

When victims attempted to withdraw their funds, the suspects allegedly claimed their accounts had been frozen or that taxes and additional fees had to be paid, thereby preventing any withdrawals while appropriating all of the victims' funds.

After obtaining the funds, the group allegedly laundered the proceeds through cryptocurrency transactions to conceal the origin of the money.

The Investigation Police Agency under the Bac Ninh Police is continuing its investigation to clarify the role of each suspect and handle the case in accordance with the law.