Trần Anh Dương, 48, at the Hà Nội People’s Court on Thursday. — Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

 HÀ NỘI — A man from Hà Nội has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for scamming victims by offering to sell motorbikes at discounted prices.

At a first-instance trial held by the Hà Nội People’s Court on Thursday, Trần Anh Dương, 48, was convicted of “fraudulent appropriation of property” under Article 174(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.

According to the indictment, around October 2024, Dương was unemployed and in need of money for personal expenses, prompting him to borrow funds through several online lending applications.

To repay the loans as they came due, he devised a scheme to defraud victims by falsely claiming he had connections with employees at the motorbike manufacturer Honda and could purchase large quantities of Honda motorbikes at prices lower than those listed on the market.

Initially, when customers approached him, Dương quoted prices below market rates and went to legitimate motorbike shops to purchase the vehicles at the listed prices, accepting a loss. He then delivered the bikes to customers on time to gain their trust, encouraging them to place larger orders or introduce additional buyers.

Trusting his claims, between March 5 and April 6, 2025, 12 victims transferred him more than VNĐ2.5 billion (US$95,000) to purchase 104 Honda motorbikes of various models.

After receiving the money, however, Dương did not purchase the vehicles as promised but instead appropriated the funds to repay debts and cover personal expenses. To date, he has compensated victims with VNĐ1 billion (US$38,000).

One victim, identified by the initials L.T.N., lost more than VNĐ1.5 billion (US$57,000) in the scheme.

Between February 26 and March 28, 2025, N. transferred money to Dương 11 times, totalling more than VNĐ480 million, to purchase 21 Honda motorbikes at below-market prices. Although the two did not sign a formal sales contract, Dương delivered all the motorbikes as agreed.

Following this successful transaction, N. believed Dương had actual access to discounted Honda motorbikes and asked him to purchase 72 additional vehicles. N. subsequently transferred VNĐ1.5 billion to Dương, who instead used the money to repay debts and for personal spending.

When the delivery deadline passed without the motorbikes being delivered, N. asked Dương on April 2, 2025, to sign a purchase contract.

On April 10, 2025, Dương wrote a handwritten statement acknowledging that he was unable to deliver the motorbikes and promising to return the money, but later failed to do so.

N. later filed a complaint with the police accusing Dương of fraud and property appropriation. — VNS