Luu was recently sentenced to one year and six months in prison, with a two-year suspended sentence, and fined 10,000 yuan by a court in Xinchang District, Zhejiang province, on 24/11. The charges stemmed from a peculiar theft incident where he attempted to outsmart cybercriminals.

Several months prior, Luu, unemployed and struggling with rent, encountered a message in an unknown QQ group. It offered to buy bank cards at a high price: "500 yuan per card, payment upon receipt, more cards, better deals!" Driven by desperation, Luu inquired about selling his two cards. The buyer provided an address for delivery but refused to disclose the purpose, stating, "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

Luu understood the cards were likely intended for illicit activities. However, he rationalized that since he was only selling the cards and not directly participating in any crime, he would not be implicated regardless of what happened.

Overcoming his apprehension, Luu sent two bank cards. The following evening, after confirming the package's successful delivery, he received 1,000 yuan in his Alipay account, which he quickly spent on new clothes and game top-ups. Contemplating how to earn more, Luu developed a plan: he suspected the criminals would use the cards for money laundering and would surely transfer large sums of money into them. He believed if he reported the cards lost to the bank first and then withdrew the money himself, the criminals, being lawbreakers themselves, would not dare report the theft to the police.

As Luu was devising his scheme, he received another message: "Change mobile banking linkage, send me the verification code." Interpreting this as a sign that money had been deposited into his card, he immediately went to the bank with his identification card.

He reported the cards lost and requested replacements from the teller. After verifying Luu's information, the employee assisted him with the procedures and issued new cards. Upon receiving the new cards, Luu checked the balance at an ATM, discovering over 62,000 yuan (approximately 230 million VND). He made multiple withdrawals, taking all the money from the cards and hiding it under the bed in his rented room. Luu was convinced his actions were undetected, believing he had earned money without any risk.

However, just three days later, Luu was arrested by police at his rented room.

In the interrogation room, Luu remained perplexed, stating, "I only took dirty money; they wouldn't dare report it to the police." The prosecutor explained that using or possessing illegal money is an unlawful act. Luu had stolen money others had deposited into the cards by reporting the cards lost with the intent of illegal possession, thus constituting the crime of theft.

Furthermore, selling bank cards is inherently an illegal act. If the amount involved reached a certain threshold, Luu could also be prosecuted for aiding cybercriminals.

Tue Anh (according to Hongxing News, Dushi Kuaibao)