On the morning of 22/4, Nguyen Huu Phuoc, 42, was driving his taxi, taking a 64-year-old woman from Hai Ninh ward to a bank in Song Tri ward for a transaction. During the trip, the driver noticed unusual behavior from his passenger, who was constantly messaging and calling someone to discuss how to transfer hundreds of millions of dong to a stranger she had met on social media.

Suspecting the passenger was being psychologically manipulated by fraudsters to embezzle her assets, Phuoc drove to the Song Tri Ward Police headquarters instead of the bank, urging the woman to report the incident.

Driver Phuoc (far right) with the victim at the investigative agency, morning of 22/4. *Photo: Police provided*

Speaking with the crime prevention police unit, the woman explained her plan to go to the bank to send 5,000 USD (approximately 131 million dong) to her "Viet Kieu" (overseas Vietnamese) boyfriend. This was a "customs fee" required before she could receive a gift box containing 50,000 USD (approximately 1.3 billion dong) that he had sent from abroad.

Police determined the woman was involved in an online scam to appropriate assets and advised her to stop the transaction, allowing authorities to investigate.

The woman recounted that a few weeks prior, she had befriended a Facebook account named Truong Thuan. This individual claimed to live abroad, regularly sent romantic messages, expressed a desire for a long-term relationship, and often called her "my love" and "my wife".

Recently, via Messenger, the individual sent images of valuable gifts such as a gold necklace and an iPhone, promising to include 50,000 USD (over 1.3 billion dong), and expressed a desire to give her these gifts and move to Vietnam to live with her.

Gift messages sent by the foreign 'boyfriend' to the woman. *Photo: Police provided*

Today, the individual messaged, announcing that he had sent 50,000 USD, packaged in a carton box, which would be shipped from abroad. To receive the gift, the woman needed to transfer 5,000 USD (over 130 million dong) to a bank account named VO VAN SACH as a "customs fee".

After receiving an explanation from the police, the woman realized she had been scammed and abandoned her intention to transfer the money.

The leadership of Song Tri Ward Police praised driver Phuoc's quick thinking. His actions not only protected the victim's assets but also spread a spirit of vigilance against all fraudulent schemes, demonstrating community responsibility.

Investigators stated that this scam tactic is not new. They urged the public to be cautious with online friend requests and not to be overly trusting of online romances or gift-giving schemes from abroad, as these are often just "cheese in a mousetrap."

Duc Hung