Nguyen Duc Tien, the alleged mastermind of a 256 billion VND cross-border fraud and money laundering ring, has surrendered to authorities in Vietnam. Tien, 41, from Xuan Dinh ward, Ha Noi city, turned himself in to the Criminal Police Department of Quang Ninh Provincial Police. He was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Quang Ninh Provincial Police in 9/2025, having operated from Cambodia to manage a large-scale property fraud and illicit money transfer network. Following persuasion from law enforcement and his family, Tien voluntarily returned to Vietnam on 26/1.

Nguyen Duc Tien surrendering to police. Photo: Police provided

The investigation into Tien's network began on 16/1/2025, when Cam Pha City Police, acting on intelligence, raided a house at 885 Dang Chau Tue street in Quang Hanh ward. Officers found 10 individuals engaged in receiving and transferring funds via bank accounts. The raid yielded one laptop and 47 mobile phones.

Investigation revealed that from abroad, Tien directed Nguyen Duc Linh, 43, from Cam Pha city, to rent a house and recruit seven other young individuals. This group's primary task was to open numerous bank accounts. Daily, they used biometric verification to receive fraudulent funds, then dispersed and transferred these funds to overseas accounts to obscure their origin. Quang Ninh Provincial Police characterized the operation as highly professional, with clearly defined roles for the ringleader, technical support, communications, and individuals directly handling biometric transactions.

Authorities determined that the ring's total transaction volume amounted to 256 billion VND, with over 784 million VND directly defrauded from victims across the country. The scam involved Tien's group calling individuals, impersonating police officers, and falsely informing them of involvement in serious criminal cases. They then manipulated victims psychologically, coercing them to transfer money into pre-arranged accounts.

Police noted that despite repeated warnings about this fraudulent tactic, many individuals still fell victim. This was primarily due to panic induced by threats from fake law enforcement officers and a lack of legal awareness.

Le Tan