On 16/9, the Cybersecurity Department of the Da Nang City Police announced that the Vietnam Basketball Federation does not conduct surveys or recruit students via social media. They warned people to be cautious and not transfer money to Facebook pages impersonating agencies or organizations.

This warning stemmed from a 12/9 incident where a parent in Da Nang reported being defrauded of over 100 million VND after registering their child for a basketball course through a Facebook page falsely claiming to be the "Vietnam Basketball Federation."

The victim was asked to provide personal information, participate in an "entrance survey," and transfer money upfront with a promise of a refund. Initially, the parent received a small refund to build trust, but subsequent transfers were larger and were not returned. When the victim became suspicious, the scammers immediately blocked contact and absconded with the money.

The police stated that the scammers exploited parents' desire for their children to participate in sports, creating fake websites and Facebook pages to steal their money.

The scammers' methods were sophisticated, including creating fake accounts posing as other parents to confirm receipt of money, calling to promise uniforms, inventing reasons like "incorrect survey completion" to demand more money, and fabricating scenarios where someone worried about being scammed but still successfully transferred money to lull the victim into a false sense of security.

Previously, many parents in other localities also fell victim to similar scams, with one case in Hanoi losing up to 1.1 billion VND. The police urge people to report any suspected fraud immediately for assistance and action.

Nguyen Dong