Evidence including papers, mobile phones and other electronic devices were seized. — Photo baobacgiang.com.vn

BẮC NINH — Police in Bắc Ninh Province have arrested and launched legal proceedings against seven people for illegally appropriating property on social media.

The accused are Phạm Xuân Thái, 18, Lê Viết Quý, 26, Cao Đăng Nhu, 25, from central Quảng Trị Province; Trịnh Minh Vương, 30, Nguyễn Văn Điền, 23, Lê Hữu Quý, 27 and Trịnh Hà Sơn Bình, 34, from Thừa Thiên-Huế Province.

The ring was headed by Thái, a high school student, who was in charge of setting up fake websites and then sending links to the Facebook accounts of Vietnamese people living abroad.

When the account owners logged into the websites, their passwords would be stolen, and their Facebook accounts taken control of by the hackers.

Since earlier this year, 14 of such fake websites were created, and the gang successfully defrauded more than VNĐ10 billion (US$429,000) from victims by hacking 100 Facebook accounts.

Thái transferred the stolen money to Viết Quý, Nhu and Vương who then relayed it to the bank accounts of Điền, Hữu Quý and Bình.

Thái took 70 per cent of all stolen money and the others would take between 5 and 10 per cent.

Under the criminal code, their act is related to using computers, telecom networks and electronic devices to illegally appropriate assets.

Bắc Ninh Police is continuing investigations into the case. — VNS