Around 5 PM on 3/12, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam, 76, residing in Thach Xuan commune, previously part of Thach Ha district, received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed her son had a traffic accident, was in critical condition, and needed an urgent money transfer for treatment.

The stranger accurately stated her son's name and repeatedly demanded an immediate money transfer, threatening that "his life was in danger" otherwise. Ms. Tam panicked, gathered all the gold she had saved for many years, and took it to a gold shop in Thanh Sen ward, previously part of Ha Tinh city, selling it for over 2 billion Vietnamese dong.

Receipt from the elderly woman's transaction at the gold shop. Photo: Public Security provided.

After selling her gold, Ms. Tam went to a nearby bank to initiate the transfer. The female teller observed the elderly woman trembling, acting hastily, and repeatedly urging to "transfer quickly". This behavior raised suspicions of psychological manipulation by criminals.

"I asked about the purpose of the transfer, and she said her son had an accident," the employee recounted. "I continued to ask about the accident's severity and why so much money was needed, but she only said, 'just transfer quickly', not listening to any further explanation."

Suspecting fraud, the bank employee tried to delay the transaction and reported the incident to the Criminal Police Department of Ha Tinh Public Security. A few minutes later, police officers arrived, reassured Ms. Tam, and explained that she was being led by a scam group and that her son had not been in an accident.

Ms. Tam called her son and confirmed he was safe, which helped her calm down and halt the money transfer.

"That gold was my life savings for my old age," Ms. Tam stated. "If the police and the bank hadn't stopped me, I would have lost everything and wouldn't know how I would live out my final years."

Police warned that this is a sophisticated scam tactic where fraudsters impersonate relatives in distress to create psychological pressure, forcing victims to transfer money immediately. The public needs to be vigilant against calls requesting money transfers in urgent or sudden situations.

Duc Hung

* Victim's name has been changed.