Hanoi woman fined $285 for fabricated ‘ghost encounter’ tourism posts

The woman, identified as L.Q.A., was penalized for “providing and sharing false, misleading and fabricated information that caused public concern and confusion,” according to police.

Authorities said A. posted a total of 37 articles on the social media platform Threads under the account name ‘Netolatone,’ recounting supposed paranormal and mysterious incidents that she claimed occurred while visiting tourist attractions in Ninh Binh, home to the UNESCO-listed Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex.

The posts quickly went viral, attracting more than 52,000 likes along with tens of thousands of comments, shares, and other interactions.

The public attention generated by the viral posts prompted a police investigation.

Cybersecurity police then identified A. as the owner of the Threads account and summoned her for questioning.

During the police questioning on Monday, A. admitted that she had published 37 posts related to alleged supernatural experiences during her trip.

According to investigators, many details in her posts, including claims involving phone calls to her ex-boyfriend and his mother, were invented, with no witnesses.

She admitted to fabricating the stories to make them more engaging.

Police also interviewed N.M.T., a local driver who had transported A. during her trip.

The driver denied claims of motorcycle breakdowns or forcing her out of the vehicle.

After working with authorities, she deleted the posts and committed not to repeat the violation.

Police insisted on responsible social media use and warned against spreading false information online.