The Hanoi City Police announced on November 16 that the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department recently received a report from a woman about losing 4 billion VND after befriending someone online.
Accordingly, Ms. T (residing in Hanoi) received a message from an acquaintance on social media. This person introduced himself as a “single dad” working at a technology company. During their conversations, the two shared more about themselves and developed feelings for each other.
Later, this person informed Ms. T about a business trip, sending her the company’s decision and flight tickets. Throughout this process, he continuously updated her with videos from the airport and hotel check-in, making Ms. T completely trust him.
A few days later, the man sent Ms. T a link asking her to perform some actions. Initially, the “single dad” deposited 100 million VND and asked Ms. T to withdraw 115 million VND. Subsequently, he instructed her to create a new account and wait for a high-profit opportunity to play. Ms. T was guided on how to operate, including specific times to play for profit.
Within just 6 days, she completed 14 transactions totaling nearly 4 billion VND. When she attempted to withdraw her money, the system reported an error. At this point, she was asked to deposit over 900 million VND to be able to withdraw her funds. Suspecting she had been scammed, on November 14, 2024, Ms. T went to the police to report the incident.
According to the Hanoi City Police, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly common and is inevitably exploited by criminals for fraudulent purposes. Criminals are enhancing the application of AI, combining it with technologies like DeepFake and DeepVoice to forge information and create scenarios that easily engage social media users for scams.
Therefore, to avoid scams, the Hanoi Police advises the public to be cautious when participating in online dating applications and friend requests from strangers through social media and online dating apps. Be careful when engaging in financial investment websites or applications that advertise high profits, as they may pose significant risks.
Absolutely do not follow instructions to transfer money to any individual or organization for any reason without verifying their identity. When detecting signs of fraud, citizens should report to the police for timely resolution of the case as per regulations.