A Vietnamese woman lost 200 million VND ($8,000) after falling for an online job scam promising easy money. The case led authorities to a criminal ring based in Poipet, Cambodia, which specialized in defrauding Vietnamese victims through social media and fake investment schemes.

Woman scammed after applying for an online job

In October 2024, a woman named T. from Le Thuy District, Quang Binh Province, received a phone call from a stranger offering an online job. The caller introduced a simple, high-paying position: rating locations on Google Maps for commissions.

After agreeing, T. was instructed to download an app and create an account on a website to start her tasks. At first, she received small commission payments to build trust.

She was asked to pay an initial deposit of 300,000 VND ($12) to unlock higher-paying tasks.

She completed the first task successfully and received a small return on investment.

The next task required a larger deposit of 800,000 VND ($32), and scammers began inventing technical issues to delay payments.

To recover her money, she was pressured to deposit even more.

In total, she lost over 200 million VND ($8,000).

Realizing she had been scammed, T. reported the case to local police, prompting an investigation.

Police uncover a major scam ring in Cambodia

Using advanced cybercrime tracking methods, the Quang Binh police and Le Thuy District authorities traced the fraudulent operation to a transnational criminal ring run by Chinese nationals in Poipet, Cambodia.

These scammers employed Vietnamese operatives to target Vietnamese victims, exploiting trust in fellow nationals.

Investigators uncovered a network of Vietnamese scammers, recruited and trained in Cambodia, who played different roles in defrauding their fellow citizens.

Fifteen suspects were arrested, including:

Dinh Van Quan, the group leader, who moved to Cambodia in June 2024 and was assigned to the "kill customer" (lừa đảo) division. He personally scammed victims out of 1.5 billion VND ($60,000).

Vu Quang Khai, responsible for communication and reporting, defrauded victims of 1.2 billion VND ($48,000).

Other key members included individuals from Thanh Hoa and Bac Giang provinces, all of whom participated in calling, guiding victims, and managing fraudulent transactions.

How the scam worked

Scammers recruited Vietnamese speakers to specifically target Vietnamese victims.

Victims were contacted with fake job offers promising high commissions for rating locations on Google Maps.

They were added to Zalo chat groups, where fake members pretended to be successful workers earning large profits.

Victims were required to pay deposits to access high-paying tasks.

Once a victim invested a large amount, scammers blocked their access and disappeared.

Quang Binh police have formally charged the suspects and are working with international law enforcement to track down the masterminds in Cambodia.

Authorities warn against online job scams and advise people to verify all job offers before investing money.

Hai Sam