On 24/4, Dung was sentenced to life imprisonment by the People's Court of Tay Ninh province for fraud and appropriation of property, and ordered to compensate victims more than 68 billion VND.

Tran Thi Kim Dung in court. Photo: Nam An.

Dung, who completed only 5th grade, had no stable profession. By mid-2019, she owed over 1 billion VND and was unable to repay her debts. To acquire funds for personal expenses and debt repayment, Dung began claiming to be a fortune teller with the ability to foresee destinies, targeting wealthy but gullible individuals.

She suggested clients invest in land purchases under her "guidance," promising significant profits upon resale. To gain trust, Dung meticulously kept a notebook, falsely documenting the amounts received, projected profits, and specific land plot locations.

Once individuals were ensnared, Dung operated a Ponzi scheme, using funds from later investors to pay returns to earlier ones. This tactic encouraged many victims, including her neighbors and friends, to transfer even more money.

In July 2020, Dung persuaded Nguyen Thanh Tam to transfer 3,1 billion VND for two land plots, promising a 700 million VND profit within one to three months. When Dung paid the promised returns on schedule, Tam's trust grew, leading him to make 11 more transfers. These subsequent transfers ranged from 500 million to 8 billion VND each, with Dung promising profits of 100 million to 800 million VND within three weeks to two months.

Nearly three years later, Tam uncovered the scheme and confronted Dung. She admitted to having spent all 34 billion VND of his money, confirming no land plots were ever purchased.

Additionally, Dung convinced one victim to register two land plots in her husband's name, which she then used as collateral to borrow 2,2 billion VND for her personal use.

Employing these fraudulent tactics, from June 2019 to April 2023, Dung defrauded 14 individuals, with each victim losing between several hundred million and tens of billions of VND, amounting to a total of nearly 99 billion VND.

By mid-2023, having spent all the embezzled funds, Dung declared bankruptcy. She then abandoned her home in Thanh Loi commune, Ben Luc district, Long An province, and sought refuge at a relative's house in Tra Vinh province. She was apprehended nine months later.

By Nam An