Police bust 3 Chinese-run online scam rings in Vietnam’s Bac Ninh

Bac Ninh police said Thursday that the three consecutive crackdowns uncovered high-tech fraud operations involving suspects from South Korea, China, Malaysia, Myanmar and Taiwan.

The first ring was uncovered in early March, when local police and immigration officers detected a group of eight South Korean suspects showing signs of online fraud.

During a raid on the group’s temporary residence in Hap Linh Ward, authorities seized nine computers, six tablets, 13 mobile phones and three USB devices believed to have been used in the scam.

Investigators identified Son Chan Hyun, a South Korean national born in 1984, as the ringleader of the group in Vietnam.

Initial findings showed that Hyun’s ring was controlled by a Chinese mastermind based in Cambodia, who recruited and trained members before sending them to Vietnam to carry out scams.

According to investigators, the suspects posed as staff from diplomatic missions and contacted stores and sales agents in South Korea, placing large, high-value orders to gain trust.

They then persuaded victims to purchase other goods on their behalf for a promised profit margin.

When victims contacted the sellers, who were actually impersonated by the suspects, they were told to transfer deposits or make advance payments.

After receiving the money, the suspects cut off contact and appropriated the funds.

Police said the ring had defrauded South Korean victims of about 1.2 billion won, or nearly $801,400, while operating in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Of that amount, more than 622 million won, or $415,400, came from around 20 scams carried out in Vietnam.

All illicit proceeds were transferred to accounts managed by Chinese individuals, while ring members were paid in USDT, with each member earning between 2,000 and 7,000 USDT (S$2,000-$7,000) a month.

The second ring was dismantled on March 5, when authorities inspected a lodging facility in Hap Linh Ward and found six Chinese nationals staying there without proper temporary residence declarations.

The suspects told police they had been recruited online by a Chinese mastermind to lure Chinese nationals in China into joining online gambling platforms.

They were instructed to use applications such as WeChat and WhatsApp to contact players, guide them through the process, maintain regular communication and scam them out of money through various schemes.

Police said each suspect received monthly pay ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 yuan, or about $1,160 to $1,450, along with bonuses based on the number of gamblers they recruited.

The third ring was broken up on March 6, when police inspected another local accommodation facility in Nam Son Ward and found 29 foreigners from China, Myanmar, Taiwan and Malaysia showing signs of involvement in fraud and the distribution of pornographic content.

The suspects admitted they had been hired online by an unidentified Chinese individual to carry out fraudulent activities.

Their role was to use dating websites and sexually suggestive applications to approach and lure Chinese nationals in China.

Once victims registered accounts and selected partners, their information was passed on to other groups that continued the scam using various tactics to cheat them out of money.

Police said the group operated under a compartmentalized structure, with members handling separate stages of the scheme and having no direct contact with one another to avoid detection.

Investigations into the three scam rings are being expanded, authorities said.