Some suspects were arrested on charges of fraud and appropriation of property; using computer networks, telecommunications networks and electronic devices to appropriate property; money laundering; and illegally trading bank account information. Photo Quảng Ninh Police

HÀ NỘI – Quảng Ninh City's Department of Public Security, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security’s Department of Cybersecurity and Hi-tech Crime Prevention (A05), has dismantled a major criminal ring involved in online fraud, illegal trading of personal data and money laundering, with the amount of money fraudulently appropriated estimated at over VNĐ1 trillion (US$38.4 million).

In early February, police received reports from eight citizens who had been defrauded of more than VNĐ160 million in total. Investigation showed the cases were linked to a professional transnational criminal ring operating in cyberspace.

Police established a special task force and worked with the A05 to investigate the network. Twenty-one suspects were arrested on charges of fraud and appropriation of property; using computer networks, telecommunications networks and electronic devices to appropriate property; money laundering; and illegally trading bank account information.

Authorities seized 83 mobile phones, seven computers, $266 million in cash and 3,353.07 USDT, a digital cryptocurrency pegged to the US dollar.

Initial investigations found that the suspects had defrauded thousands of victims nationwide, appropriating more than VNĐ1 trillion in total.

The suspects purchased personal information from people through Telegram groups, classified the data and used it to approach potential victims and devise detailed fraud schemes. They frequently rented apartments, homestays and houses in urban and tourist areas as operational bases, regularly changing locations and moving between provinces to evade law enforcement.

Quảng Ninh City's public security department warned individuals, agencies and businesses not to publicly disclose or provide personal information or bank account details on social media, and urged organisations and businesses to strictly comply with regulations on protecting customers’ personal data.

Residents are advised to remain vigilant and report suspicious groups staying briefly at homestays or apartments, particularly those frequently changing locations or using unusually large numbers of electronic devices simultaneously.

People should also keep abreast of new scams and criminal tactics to better protect themselves, the department said. VNA/VNS