Vietnam bank warns of fraud via impersonation

A major bank in Vietnam has issued a warning about fraudsters posing as bankers to try to con people out of money via phone calls.

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There have been some people making calls to many mobile phone subscribers and claiming to be Vietcombank employees for fraudulent purposes, said the bank, which is the fourth biggest lender in the country by assets with VND530.22 trillion (US$24.9 million).

These people then told their potential victims that they had been chosen as the winners of a promotional program of the bank with very high-value prizes, Vietcombank said.

After that, they will ask their targets to prepare certain documentation or buy scratchcards for mobile phones for the purpose of claiming the prizes.

When the targets feel doubtful, they can never contact the caller via the old phone number, the lender said.

"All phone calls claiming to be Vietcombank employees that way are made to cheat people so customers should be vigilant,” the bank warned.

According to Vietcombank, all the promotional programs of the bank are announced publicly.

The names of the winners will be published on the official website of the bank.

They will also be contacted by the bank’s branches that directly manage their accounts for notification and instructions for further steps to claim the prizes, Vietcombank said, adding that it will send such notifications to the email address customers have provided as well.

If there are any inquiries, customers can re-check on the website, call the customer service center, or contact the bank’s branches that directly manage their accounts, Vietcombank advised.

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