On the morning of 20/7, a 51-year-old woman residing in Hoang Mai ward arrived at a local bank branch. She intended to mortgage her land use rights certificate to borrow 100 million VND. During the application process, the teller observed several unusual behaviors, prompting them to alert the Hoang Mai Ward Police.
According to the bank employee, while completing the procedure, the woman was constantly on her phone, discussing transferring money to an online acquaintance. The stated reason was to receive a gift from abroad. Recognizing this as a common scam pattern, the teller proactively paused the application and notified authorities.
"The customer appeared rushed and lacked clear information about the recipient, yet she was insistent on urgently mortgaging her land title to transfer the money," a bank employee stated. This prompted the bank to collaborate with authorities for verification.
Hoang Mai Ward Police dispatched officers to the bank to speak with the customer. They determined the woman showed signs of being ensnared in an online romance scam. After police explained the modus operandi of such scams, she halted the loan mortgage process.
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The woman (far left) listens as police and bank staff explain the scam tactics, 21/7. *Photo: Police provided*
The woman revealed she had previously met a man on Facebook who claimed to be an American national. After a period of communication, the man informed her that he had sent her a package from abroad containing 800,000 USD and other valuable assets.
Subsequently, the woman received repeated calls demanding payments for "customs fees", "shipping fees", and "document verification fees", totaling 100 million VND, to claim the package. Lacking the cash, she decided to mortgage her land title to secure a bank loan.
Police stated that this scam tactic is not new, yet many victims still fall prey. The public must be vigilant about online relationships and should not transfer money or pledge assets at the request of strangers without verifying their identity.
Duc Hung
