Through sophisticated psychological tactics, scammers infiltrate their victims’ minds, turning lonely women into willing “prey” who transfer hundreds of millions, even billions, of dong without hesitation.

In the digital world, where traps lurk at every turn, cybercriminals continuously refine their techniques. Social media users - especially lonely women - are particularly vulnerable to elaborate fraud schemes.

Recently, authorities dismantled an international scam network that used a “7-day trust-building” script to defraud thousands of victims of hundreds of billions of VND.

The "7-day trust-building" scam: How victims fall into the trap

The Ha Tinh Provincial Police recently prosecuted 50 individuals for fraud related to a large-scale scam involving cryptocurrency investments and TikTok tasks. The organization defrauded thousands of Vietnamese victims, with some losing as much as 20 billion VND ($800,000).

Using fake Facebook accounts, scammers posed as wealthy, successful entrepreneurs to approach their targets - mainly middle-aged, single, or emotionally vulnerable women.

These scammers were systematically trained and followed a detailed 7-day psychological manipulation script:

Days 1-2: Initial contact with friendly, caring messages to build rapport.
Days 3-4: Sending pictures of a lavish lifestyle, sharing sweet words, and talking about dreams of a happy family.
Days 5-6: Introducing cryptocurrency investments with promises of huge profits and quick returns.
Day 7: Once the victim is emotionally invested, scammers persuade them to make larger investments.

Initially, victims receive small profits to build trust. But once they invest significant amounts, the trading platform suddenly experiences “technical issues,” demanding additional deposits to “unlock” funds. At this point, victims - now desperate - borrow money from friends and family, ultimately losing everything.

One victim, a woman from Ha Tinh, lost 500 million VND ($20,000) after falling for a scammer posing as a successful businessman in Taiwan. Initially, he showered her with attention and convinced her to invest in Bitcoin.

She saw early profits and continued investing - until one day, the trading account was locked, and the “businessman” vanished.

"Casino Bay Sands" scam: A new level of deception

Beyond romance scams, cybercriminals have expanded into fake business operations. Recently, Tay Ninh Provincial Police dismantled a large-scale fraud ring led by a group of Chinese nationals, operating under the guise of “Casino Bay Sands”.

How the "Casino Bay Sands" scam worked

The scammers set up fake companies in rented buildings, organizing operations with management, logistics, and sales teams.

Many Vietnamese workers were lured to Cambodia with promises of high salaries. Once there, they were forced into scamming others - facing fines, beatings, or even electric shocks if they refused.

“Sales agents” used fake Facebook accounts to approach victims, pretending to work for major corporations.

Victims were invited to online betting sites under the "Casino Bay Sands" brand. Initially, they were allowed to win and withdraw money easily.

Once hooked, victims faced sudden account freezes, with demands for additional deposits to regain access.

This highly sophisticated scam defrauded hundreds of victims nationwide, accumulating over 500 billion VND ($20 million).

AI and the future of online fraud

Cybersecurity expert Ngo Minh Hieu (Hieu PC) from Chongluadao.vn warns that AI is making online fraud even more sophisticated.

“Scammers can now bypass language and geographic barriers, making cross-border fraud more dangerous. Fake identities are becoming harder to detect,” he explained.

Common scams include:

Impersonating family members, government officials, police, or utility companies.
Luring victims into fake investment platforms or “task-based” earning schemes.
Romance scams targeting lonely individuals.

Hieu advises users to limit public sharing of personal photos and remain cautious of unexpected requests for money, OTP codes, or suspicious links.

"If you receive a message or call asking you to transfer money, click a link, or provide an OTP code - 99% of the time, it’s a scam," he warns.

Thanh Hue