On 8/9, Hue City Police arrested Duy, 42; Nguyen Huu Nhon, 42; Phan Vu Truong, 39 (all residing in Tay Ninh); and Phan Van Duc, 35, from Ho Chi Minh City, for alleged property fraud.

The arrested fraudsters (right). Photo: Hong Nhung

Three days prior, 71-year-old Hoa from Hue City's Kim Long ward received a call from a man with a southern accent. He claimed to have unearthed a collection of "ancient artifacts," including a banana bunch and an areca flower stalk made of gold. He said someone offered him 24 million VND for the two items, but he refused. He then offered to trade them for Hoa's ring. Believing him, Hoa agreed and lost her ring, worth 5,000 USD (approximately 130 million VND).

Hue City Police identified this as a professional, mobile fraud ring and launched an investigation, leading to the arrest of Nguyen Khanh Duy's group at a motel in Thanh Thuy ward. The seized evidence included 12 banana bunches and 10 areca flower stalks made of gold-plated metal; 4 motorbikes; 6 phones; a metal ring; and 18.3 million VND in cash.

The group confessed to buying gold-plated metal objects on TikTok. They then smeared them with dirt and sand, posing them as ancient artifacts to trick elderly people into exchanging them for jewelry. Using this scheme, the group carried out several scams in Hue, Da Nang, and Gia Lai.

The police advised the public, especially the elderly, to be wary of offers to sell or exchange "ancient artifacts" of unknown origin.

Vo Thanh

*The woman's name has been changed.