On 7/7, Chien, 29, from Hai Phong, was sentenced by the People's Court of TP HCM to 12 years and six months in prison for fraud and appropriation of property. This sentence, combined with a previous conviction by the People's Court of Hai Phong for intentionally causing injury, results in a total prison term of 18 years, six months, and 16 days.
In connection with the case, Dao Thanh Chung received a sentence of 12 years and six months, while Tran Ba Quyen was sentenced to one year, 10 months, and six days (equal to his time in pre-trial detention) for the same offense.
According to the trial panel, the defendants' actions infringed upon the property rights of others and eroded trust in cashless payment activities, thus requiring strict penalties.
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The defendants in court today. Photo: Binh Nguyen |
The indictment states that after his early release from prison in 2022, Pham Quang Chien, needing money for personal expenses, sought to purchase a fake banking application on Zalo. This application could display fraudulent "successful transfer" messages, which he intended to use to deceive sellers and appropriate goods.
From 15 to 26/3/2024, Chien used this application to generate fake successful transfer transactions and fraudulent payment bills from various banks, tricking sellers into handing over goods. Using this method, he appropriated property from nine individuals in TP HCM, totaling over 683 million dong.
The prosecuting agency determined that Quyen created the fake application, bills, and messages displaying "successful transfer" content at Chien's request. Despite knowing the application would be used for fraud, Quyen still provided it to Chien, enabling him to commit the acts of appropriation.
On 26/3/2024, as instructed by Chien, Dao Thanh Chung accompanied him to two phone stores to carry out the fraud. At a Samsung store, Chien used the fake application to acquire a Samsung S24 Ultra valued at over 25 million dong.
At the same time, Chung went to a TopZone store, inquired about purchasing an iPhone 15 priced at nearly 26 million dong, and then presented a screen displaying a fake successful transfer to demand the phone. However, because the store had not received the money in its account, an employee grew suspicious and did not release the device. Chien subsequently instructed Chung to fabricate an excuse to leave the store.
In addition to the application provided by Quyen, Chien also bought fake bills from an individual named Dung to facilitate his fraudulent activities. However, the investigation has not yet determined which assets Chien appropriated using these bills, or their value, so there is insufficient basis for further charges at this time. The investigating agency has separated this part of the case for continued clarification.
Hai Duyen
