Thanh Hoa police have arrested 13 individuals involved in a transnational fraud ring operating out of Cambodia, headed by a group of Vietnamese nationals in collaboration with Chinese accomplices.

On June 9, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police reported that, after a lengthy investigation, the Criminal Police Division successfully apprehended 13 suspects connected to a large-scale scam network. The operation was based in Cambodia and run by Vietnamese individuals in coordination with Chinese nationals.

According to preliminary findings, in July 2024, Ta Thu Ha (born 1990), a resident of Lam Son Ward, Thanh Hoa City, and Trinh Ngoc Linh (born 1992), from Tao Xuyen Ward, Thanh Hoa City, traveled to Bavet City, Svay Rieng Province, Cambodia, near the Moc Bai border gate with Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province, to set up their fraudulent activities.

There, Ha and Linh made arrangements with a Chinese national to rent a house in an autonomous zone. The Chinese associates equipped the location with 20 desktop computers, Wi-Fi access, and other tools necessary for executing online scams.

During their operations, Ha and Linh recruited several other Vietnamese to form a Telegram group called “NOI BO 1,” with Ha as the group leader. The team purchased fake Facebook and Zalo accounts, which were handed over to group members who nurtured these accounts to increase interaction. These profiles, often impersonating women, were then used to initiate conversations and lure male targets under the pretense of performing tasks, such as placing orders on the Tiki e-commerce platform.

Initially, the group offered simple, profitable tasks to build trust. As the victims became more involved, they were assigned costlier tasks and were told that payments were being held and additional tasks or fees were required to retrieve their funds.

Once a victim became suspicious or could no longer pay, the scammers would cut contact, block messages, and delete the connection to the fake accounts.

To avoid detection by Vietnamese authorities, the Chinese ringleader provided corporate bank accounts based in Vietnam to receive the stolen funds, frequently rotating these accounts.

Once victims transferred money, Ta Thanh Tung (born 1985), also from Thanh Hoa and in charge of managing the group, would notify a payment center run through a Telegram account controlled by the Chinese leader.

The financial trail was further obscured through the conversion and trade of USD. After deducting operational costs, the remaining amount was converted into cash and handed to either Ta Thu Ha or Trinh Ngoc Linh to manage the operation and pay "salaries" to group members.

Initial investigations estimate the scam defrauded dozens of victims across Vietnam, totaling several billion VND (equivalent to hundreds of thousands of USD).

Authorities are continuing to expand their investigation into the case.

Le Duong