The Da Nang Police Department placed Ho Van Nghia, a native of Song Phu Commune, Tam Binh District, Vinh Long Province, under a 4-month detention on the charge of ‘using computer, telecommunications networks and electronic means to commit fraudulent acts to appropriate property’.

The Da Nang police released an arrest warrant for Ho Van Nghia. Photo: L.H

Previously, a male resident in My An Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District and two others had received phone calls during which a group of fraudsters claiming to be police officers who were investigating crimes, and they suspected these call recipients of having involvement in criminal rings.

The fake police then asked for the victims to transfer their money in saving accounts to the Da Nang police bank accounts to verify its origin.

If the victims refused to co-operate, the scammers threatened that they would be arrested for several months to undergo rigorous investigations.

The impersonators also claimed that if the victims’ innocence was proven, the money would be returned in a short period, and asked such deals to be kept secret.

These victims transferred a large amount of money into the scammers’ bank accounts. By this trick, the scammers appropriated more than VND4 billion VND from the 3 victims.

The Da Nang Police carried out investigation and arrested Nguyen Duy Phuong and Nguyen Van Do from Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

These offenders claimed to have been hired by a person of unknown identity with the Zalo nickname Jack Kicm to open more than 120 bank accounts in services for frauds.

Through further investigation, the police found that Jack Kicm was Ho Van Nghia, who had left Viet Nam for Malaysia at that time.

In mid-December, 2021, Nghia returned to Viet Nam and underwent 14-day mandatory medical quarantine at a resort in Cam Lam District, Khanh Hoa Province.

On December 31, the police conducted a surprise raid and arrested Nghia upon the completion of his quarantine stay there.

Nghia admitted to have bought many bank accounts from many others to help a Malaysian person named Jack Liew, the mastermind of the scam.

Nghia was also tasked with using the money illegally appropriated from victims to buy cryptocurrency and transfer it to the Malaysian fraudster.

The case is being further investigated and clarified.

Reporting by LE HUNG – Translating by A. THU