On 25/8, the Da Nang Criminal Police Department announced the successful takedown of a transnational "loan shark" operation charging annual interest rates ranging from 235% to 608%. Tran Duc Anh (29) and Tran Duc Nhan (24) were identified as the ringleaders.
The group defrauded nearly 2,600 people by forcing victims to log into their iCloud accounts on iPhones in order to borrow money.
The investigation revealed that the group demanded borrowers provide their iCloud account information, ID card images, and various other personal documents. Based on the type of phone, they created "loan packages" ranging from 2 to 13 million VND, but with exorbitant interest rates, requiring daily payments from 100,000 to 430,000 VND over 28 to 41 days. If borrowers missed a payment, the group would remotely lock the iCloud, rendering the phone useless, and then send threatening messages and make calls to coerce repayment.
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Six of the seven suspects involved in the loan shark ring were arrested. Photo: Police provided |
Six of the seven suspects involved in the loan shark ring were arrested. Photo: Police provided
To perpetrate the scam, the group created numerous Facebook and Zalo accounts using virtual phone numbers, advertising "quick loans - instant disbursement". Investigators determined that this was an organized ring operating across multiple locations, posing a serious threat to security and order.
On 16/8, the Da Nang Police Director launched a special operation codenamed 825V, mobilizing various investigative forces. After days of surveillance, on 20/8, authorities conducted simultaneous raids in Hanoi and summoned seven main suspects, including Tran Duc Anh and Tran Duc Nhan.
The other five suspects include Nguyen Thanh Dat (20), Hoang Anh Tuan (27), Ta Dien Thuan (19), Nguyen Quang Vinh and Nguyen Hoang Trung Hieu (both 17). Police seized numerous computers, iPhones, Macbooks, SIM cards, and related evidence.
At the police station, the suspects confessed to their crimes, including using iCloud to control and threaten borrowers.
Over the course of a year (8/2024-8/2025), the group facilitated 8,735 loans to 2,598 people, totaling 43.8 billion VND, and illegally profiting nearly 9.6 billion VND. In Da Nang alone, 111 people were scammed with 294 loans, amounting to over 1.4 billion VND. Tran Duc Anh and Tran Duc Nhan's group illegally profited over 300 million VND.
Authorities consider this a concerning figure, demonstrating the dangers of high-tech loan sharking today.
Ngoc Truong
