23 foreigners found staying illegally in northern Vietnam, suspected of operating online fraud ring

According to police, authorities detected signs that a group of foreign nationals was engaged in online fraud and property appropriation activities in Bac Ninh.

On May 12, Bac Ninh police and police units in Kinh Bac and Vo Cuong Wards simultaneously inspected five accommodation facilities.

The inspected locations included houses at 218 and 225 Hud Trau Cau residential area in Vo Cuong Ward and apartments 8C3, 9C2, and 14C2 at Cat Tuong New apartment complex in Kinh Bac Ward.

During the inspections, authorities found 23 foreign nationals, including citizens of China and Malaysia, staying at the premises.

Police also discovered a large number of electronic devices suspected of being used for illegal activities, including 31 laptops, one desktop computer, and 48 mobile phones.

Through questioning and analysis of electronic data, police officers determined that the group had entered Vietnam but was engaging in activities inconsistent with the purposes declared in their visa applications and showed signs of violating the law in cyberspace.

The suspects reportedly used computers and mobile phones equipped with the HelloGPT application to simultaneously log into multiple Telegram, Zalo, and WhatsApp accounts.

They were accused of using these accounts to create online groups encouraging people to invest in stocks, trade USDT, and purchase cryptocurrencies through unofficial electronic trading platforms.

After victims invested on the platforms, another group would allegedly manipulate the technical systems to alter investment outcomes and appropriate the victims’ money.

Another group of suspects allegedly lured victims into participating in online shopping tasks in exchange for commissions.

The victims were assigned a series of purchasing tasks involving products of increasing value. 

Once they reached a task requiring a large sum of money, the suspects would take the victims’ funds.

In addition, one foreign suspect told investigators that he had been instructed to come to Vietnam to research and prepare conditions for recruiting customers to participate in online football betting activities during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The case is under further investigation and is being handled in accordance with the law.