Ha Tinh: Crackdown on Nationwide Cryptocurrency Scam, 56 Suspects Arrested

The police force has just cracked down on a large-scale fraud ring specializing in enticing victims to invest in cryptocurrencies and carry out tasks on TikTok. This group operates cunningly in many countries, causing hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong in damages. Campaign to sweep across multiple countries On February 13, the Ha Tinh Provincial Police, in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, the Philippine police force, Cambodia, and many other units, organized the pursuit of a transnational criminal group. 30 suspects were arrested in the capital Phnom Penh (Cambodia), while 26 other individuals were detained at Tan Son Nhat and Noi Bai international airports upon entry into Vietnam. The investigative agency has prosecuted 50 defendants for the offense of 'Fraudulently appropriating property'. This network operated under the guise of investing in the Bitcoin cryptocurrency through the UNISAT application and carried out tasks on TikTok to appropriate the assets of thousands of victims.

Sophisticated and professional tactics This organization is operated in a tight model, led by Chinese individuals, with the participation of dozens of Vietnamese people. The suspects are divided into many parts such as management, team leaders, fraudulent employees, and technical team. We use fake Facebook accounts, impersonate successful businessmen, and post pictures of luxurious lifestyles to attract victims. After gaining trust, the perpetrators lure victims into downloading the UNISAT application, participating in Bitcoin investment with a minimum amount of 8 million VND. Initially, the victim can withdraw both the principal and the interest to build trust. When investing a larger amount, they cite system errors, taxes, insurance fees, etc. to demand additional payments and then embezzle the entire sum. In addition, this group also organizes fraudulent tasks on TikTok, requiring victims to deposit money to participate, promising high commissions but actually a trick to seize property. Systematically fraudulent One of the important links in this network is the specialized 'feeding Facebook' department, managed by Nguyen Van Dong (SN 2000, Bac Giang). Dong is responsible for operating hundreds of fake accounts to reach and deceive victims. Meanwhile, Nguyen The Anh (SN 1996, Yen Bai) plays a role in managing the entire fraudulent activities of more than 80 Vietnamese people working in the Philippines. Anh directly supervises employees, provides scam scripts, and ensures illegal profits from this operation. At the end of 2024, after the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security provided information to the Philippine police, this fraudulent organization moved to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to evade pursuit. The police of Ha Tinh province cooperated with multiple units to plan in detail and carry out a surprise attack campaign from multiple directions. The incident is currently being investigated and expanded to capture related subjects and clarify the scale of this fraud ring.