Vietnamese Internet users face 7 new forms of online fraud

A representative of the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) said that in addition to the forms of fraud appearing on Vietnamese cyberspace, there has recently been an international fraud campaign that could affect Vietnamese users.

Hiring people "Read books every day to get paid"

Recently, some subjects have used the name, image, text, and fake documents of 1980Books Company to advertise recruitment and defraud and appropriate people's property.

The group created a website/landing page and Facebook system displaying information about 1980Books but changed the address and phone number; and used fake stamps and signatures to post recruitment ads for book readers.

“Reading books every day to get paid” is considered a prominent form of online fraud recently, a variation of the form of “performing tasks” and “receiving rewards.” Fake accounts are all advertised and can reach a large number of social network users.

The Information Security Department recommends that people be vigilant when encountering unusual and unclear situations and behaviors on social networks. People should not follow requests for advance payments; should not trust easy job offers, regardless of qualifications or skills. In particular, the presenter should not provide personal information, bank account numbers or OTP codes to anyone.

Seizing billions of dong from parents who registered their children for the "Summer Training" course

As the school year draws to a close, many parents are looking for summer courses for their children. In recent years, summer courses have become more diverse, including "summer retreat" courses. Taking advantage of this need, some people have scammed and appropriated the property of parents looking for summer retreats for their children.

Specifically, with the trick of creating trust by providing the ID number and photo of the "Head of the training department", the victim is then added to the Telegram group and asked to buy feng shui items to increase interaction for the course sponsor. Currently, the subject who created the "Summer Training" page has defrauded a parent in Hanoi of up to 2.8 billion VND.

Faced with the scam of summer retreats that is spreading online, the Information Security Department recommends that people be cautious when looking for information about courses on social networks; Do not join groups that do not have clear and transparent information. People should also be careful not to follow the instructions of strangers, especially those related to money transfers and providing personal information.

Cryptocurrency Scam Apps on the App Store

A representative of the Information Security Department said that Leather recently issued a warning about their fake cryptocurrency wallet application on the App Store while they have not yet provided a similar service on the iOS platform.

Some users have reported having their cryptocurrency stolen after using fake wallets. Users in Vietnam should be wary of the fake Leather cryptocurrency wallet app. To date, the scam app is still available on the App Store.

According to the Information Security Department, if you have accidentally logged in to a fake application, you need to quickly transfer your cryptocurrency to another safe e-wallet.

People should not access links received via text messages; Be wary of software installation requests. When installing applications, especially financial applications, people need to carefully consider the permissions requested by the application as well as read the terms and policies carefully.

"Falling into the trap" of easy work, high salary

A woman named H. living in Ba Vi (Hanoi) was recently scammed out of 750 million VND via social media. Specifically, in mid-March 2024, in need of a job, this woman contacted a Facebook account that posted an article with the content "easy work, high salary."

After that, Ms. H. was instructed to register an account to participate in investing in virtual currency exchanges that could earn a lot of profit. Following the enticements and enticements of the subjects, Ms. H. transferred 750 million VND to the scammers.

The Department of Information Security recommends that people do not invest or trade on virtual currency or digital currency exchanges or virtual currency investment websites and apps.

Because this investment poses many risks to investors because virtual currency exchanges do not have legal representatives in Vietnam and virtual currency is not recognized by Vietnamese law. In case of detecting fraud, people need to immediately report to the police to quickly verify, prevent and handle violators.

Seizing nearly 100 billion VND with the trick "need someone to keep the money"

On March 19, Gia Lai Provincial Police issued a notice to find victims of a fraud case involving property appropriation via social networks, involving foreigners.

The modus operandi of the subjects is to post pictures and articles impersonating foreign doctors, businessmen, and engineers on social networks and make friends with the victims. The subjects claim to be working in a country at war and currently have a lot of foreign currency that needs someone to trust them to keep for them.

When the victims believed, the subjects impersonated international shipping staff, airport staff to contact and request to send fees, taxes... then received the package containing foreign currency. Using this trick, the group of subjects committed cross-border fraud, appropriating nearly 100 billion VND from many victims across the country.

Faced with the above sophisticated tricks, the Information Security Department recommends that people be vigilant when meeting strangers online; Do not provide personal information, do not follow the instructions of strangers, especially requests to transfer money. People also need to verify the background of the subject to avoid falling into the scam trap.

Fake public service software

Although this is not a new form of fraud, many people have recently been tricked into installing fake public service software, creating an opportunity for the subject to take control of the phone and thereby steal property. For example, a resident living in Gia Lam (Hanoi) was recently tricked out of more than 800 million VND by this method.

To avoid the above scam, people are advised to be vigilant with strange calls and messages, especially those claiming to be from government agencies; do not work, do not provide personal information, and do not follow requests over the phone.

People should note not to click on links received via text messages, not to install applications of unknown origin via links or Apk files; Do not save banking service security information on phone applications.

New international email scam campaign emerges

According to the Information Security Department, an international phishing campaign is underway. Specifically, the attack starts with a phishing email with the subject “salary” to trick recipients into opening an attached Microsoft Word document.

When opened, the Word file asks the victim to enter the password provided in the email and allow editing, then double-clicks on the printer icon in the document to view the salary chart. From there, the subject attacks and appropriates assets on the victim's device.

In response to information about the above scam campaign, the Information Security Department recommends that people be cautious with files sent from untrusted sources or suspicious email content; Carefully check the email sender's address and email content; Do not arbitrarily click on attachments or links in emails when suspicious. Users should also use anti-virus software to scan email attachments; Regularly change email passwords; Set up 2-layer security for emails.