In the early morning of 5/8, an 18-year-old student residing in Cho Lon Ward was found and rescued from the threats of an "online kidnapping" crime ring by Team 2 of the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division.

Investigators are tracking transactions, traces, and messages to apprehend those involved.

The chat room where the student saw numerous police officers and prosecutors in a "trial meeting." Photo: Provided by the police.

Yesterday afternoon, the student's family reported to the Cho Lon Ward Police that their son had sent a Zalo message saying, "I have something to do, I'll go for coffee and be back," but then lost contact. The family suspected he had been kidnapped.

Based on the evidence, the Criminal Investigation Division determined that the student had likely fallen into an "online kidnapping" trap set by cybercriminals. Overnight, Team 2 investigators traveled over 350 km to a motel on Dinh Nup Street, Tan Lap Ward, Buon Ma Thuot City (Dak Lak province) to rescue the panicked student who was following instructions given over the phone by a group impersonating police.

The student recounted receiving a call from someone claiming to be an "investigating officer," who accurately recited his personal information, citizen identification number, bank account details, and so on, leading him to believe it was genuine. This person claimed he was involved in a criminal network under investigation and instructed him on how to join a video conference via the Zoom app on his laptop.

In the chat room, the student saw several people dressed as police officers and prosecutors. They demanded he maintain secrecy and cut off contact with everyone, threatening immediate arrest otherwise. The student denied involvement in any criminal activity, but the "investigators" demanded he transfer money to "the investigative agency's account" to prove his innocence.

Frightened, the student sold gold and borrowed money through an app to transfer nearly 80 million VND to them. The criminal group demanded absolute secrecy, instructing him to travel to Dak Lak, rent a motel room, and wait for their verification. Before being rescued by the Criminal Investigation Division, he was still being threatened and forced to follow all their instructions.

"The criminal group tricks victims into traveling far away, to other provinces, to evade police pursuit. Then, they threaten and extort the victim's family. In this case, they hadn't yet contacted the student's family before being discovered," an investigator stated.

The student admitted that the school had warned and educated him about some criminal tactics, "but somehow I still fell into the trap."

The Ministry of Public Security, Ho Chi Minh City Police, schools, and others have continuously warned about online scams, especially the rising "online kidnapping" tactic, yet many victims, mainly young people, still fall prey.

The criminals' common tactics include impersonating police officers, prosecutors, or delivery drivers to make calls or contact victims via social media, even using video calls with summons or Zoom Workplace. They declare the victim is involved in money laundering or drug cases, forcing them to "appear" in an online investigation or face "temporary detention."

They then isolate the victim in a rented room or hotel, cutting off all contact with family and friends. Many students have been forced to tie themselves up or endure torture while being filmed, with the videos sent to their families for extortion of hundreds of millions of VND.

The Criminal Investigation Division has established a Special Investigation Team for "online kidnapping" tasked with receiving reports, coordinating with relevant forces to quickly investigate, track, and prevent such cases, ensuring the victim's safety as swiftly as possible.

Therefore, upon discovering or suspecting an "online kidnapping" case, citizens should call 0693.187.200 (PC02) or 028.3821.7080 (Team 2) for immediate assistance.

Quoc Thang