A 28-year-old man who recently returned from Cambodia’s infamous "Tam Thai Tu" cybercrime hub has been arrested by police in Vietnam for allegedly defrauding victims of more than 131 billion VND (approx. USD 5.2 million), including at least one confirmed case in Soc Trang province.

On April 8, the Soc Trang Provincial Police announced that L.T.N., a resident of Truong Khanh commune, Long Phu district, had been prosecuted and detained for fraud and appropriation of property.

According to authorities, amid rising online fraud cases, the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention of Soc Trang Police has been closely monitoring suspicious individuals involved in digital scams.

On April 5, officers identified that N. had returned from Cambodia and was present in Soc Trang City. He was immediately taken into custody.

Confronted with evidence collected by the cybersecurity unit, N. admitted to the fraudulent activities.

Investigators found that N. had been living and working in the notorious "Tam Thai Tu" zone in Cambodia - a hotbed for cross-border cyber scams - since October 2024.

During this time, N. used 12 different bank accounts to facilitate online scams involving various fraudulent schemes.

Initial investigations revealed that over 131 billion VND (USD 5.2 million) had been transferred through these accounts.

So far, police have identified one confirmed victim from Soc Trang province who was deceived by fake hotel and homestay websites and fan pages created to lure tourists into transferring deposits for room bookings.

Tran Tuyen