On February 26, police in Dai An 2 Commune, Tran De District, Soc Trang Province, announced that they had issued administrative fines totaling 30 million VND (approximately $1,200) to four Facebook account holders for “providing and sharing fabricated information that caused public panic.”

Investigations revealed that the Facebook account “C.N” had posted a warning stating, “A car just abducted someone into a four-seater vehicle…” Meanwhile, the account “N.T” shared a similar post, warning locals about an alleged kidnapping incident in Ngan Ro, a location in Dai An 2 Commune, and even included a vehicle license plate number.

These posts quickly went viral, drawing widespread public attention. Several other social media accounts subsequently reshared the information, amplifying public fear. However, upon verification, authorities confirmed that the reports were entirely false.

After being summoned for questioning, the four Facebook users admitted their wrongdoing and removed the misleading posts. Authorities have urged the public to verify information before sharing it online to prevent the spread of misinformation that could cause unnecessary panic.

Tran Tuyen