Ho Chi Minh City police smash Chinese-led online scam rings

City police announced on Sunday that they had launched criminal proceedings in eight cases and charged 26 suspects with organizing or facilitating the illegal stay of foreigners in Vietnam.

The suspects include nine foreign nationals, six owners, managers, or employees of lodging facilities, and seven brokers or intermediaries who arranged lodging for foreign nationals.

Authorities deployed 22 task forces to inspect lodging facilities linked to foreign residents across the city.

Police said investigations uncovered multiple groups of foreign nationals suspected of exploiting the city as a base for transnational crimes, particularly online fraud schemes.

In the latest case, police on June 17 found 42 Chinese nationals illegally staying in a house in Hiep Binh Ward.

Two Chinese nationals Fan HaiMing, Cao JiaLiang, and Vietnamese citizen Nguyen Hong Thao Nhi were identified as the individuals responsible for organizing the group's illegal stay.

The suspects rented an entire house, installed a high-speed Internet system, equipped the property with bunk beds and electronic devices, and implemented internal management measures to support a fraud operation targeting Chinese citizens.

Earlier, on May 18, police and local authorities inspected Bao Ly Guesthouse in Thuan Giao Ward and found 85 Chinese nationals staying there without proper registration.

Officers seized nearly 200 desktop computers and laptops, more than 550 mobile phones, and numerous other electronic devices.

Investigators determined that Chinese nationals Dai Fei, also known as Lei Long, Hu Guoyu, and Zhou Wendong had been directed by associates overseas to enter Vietnam, scout locations, lease accommodation, install network systems, prepare equipment, and organize the transfer of personnel from China to establish a cyber fraud hub.

Further investigation revealed that many members of the group had previously stayed at other facilities before gathering at Bao Ly Guesthouse.

Police alleged that Quach Thi Hue, the owner of several lodging facilities, allowed Chinese nationals to stay without verifying identification documents or reporting their residency status.

Some of those individuals were found to have entered Vietnam unlawfully.

In another case on June 8, police discovered a group of 83 Chinese nationals, most of whom had allegedly entered Vietnam illicitly from Cambodia.

The group had rented rooms at the Emerald Gold Hotel in Binh Duong Ward and gathered personnel, computers, mobile phones, and electronic equipment intended for fraudulent online activities.

Police said Pham Thi Huynh Nhu and Pham Thanh Son managed several accommodation facilities and coordinated with overseas contacts to receive and house large numbers of foreign nationals, including individuals who had entered the country illegitimately.

Investigators found that the suspects provided accommodation despite lacking the legal authorization to do so and failed to verify identities or comply with mandatory residency registration requirements.

Police said the groups had largely finished setting up equipment and training personnel for online fraud activities, but had not yet put the operations into action.

The timely intervention dismantled the operations before victims were targeted.