The Hanoi City Police on November 16 reported that recently, the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of the city received a report from a woman about losing 4 billion VND after befriending someone online.
According to the report, Ms. T (residing in Hanoi) received a message making acquaintance on social media. This person introduced himself as a “single father,” working at a technology company. During their conversation, he shared more and developed feelings.
Later, this person informed her that he was going on a business trip and sent her the company’s travel decision and flight tickets. Throughout this process, he continuously updated her with videos of his arrival at the airport and checking into the hotel, so Ms. T completely trusted him.
A few days later, the man sent Ms. T a link asking her to help with some operations. Initially, the “single father” deposited 100 million VND and asked Ms. T to withdraw 115 million VND. After that, he told her to create a new account and wait for a chance to earn more profits. Ms. T was guided on how to operate, with specific times to play for profit opportunities.
In just 6 days, she made 14 transactions totaling nearly 4 billion VND. When she intended to withdraw the money, the system reported an error. At this point, she was asked to deposit over 900 million VND before she could withdraw her money. 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, currently, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly popular and is inevitably being exploited by individuals for fraudulent purposes. The perpetrators are enhancing the application of AI combined with technologies like DeepFake, DeepVoice, etc., to fabricate information and create scenarios that easily approach social media users for fraud.
Therefore, to prevent fraud, the Hanoi Police advise the public to be vigilant when participating in online dating applications and accepting friend requests from strangers on social media and online dating platforms. Be cautious when engaging in online financial investment applications or websites that advertise high profits, as there may be significant risks involved.
Absolutely do not follow instructions to transfer money to any individual or organization for any reason unless the identity is accurately verified. When detecting signs of fraud, citizens need to report to the police for timely resolution of the case as per regulations.
