Hanoi Police are investigating a case where a woman lost over 8 billion VND after falling victim to a series of online scams. The investigation, which began with a fraudulent financial investment fund, was reported on 15/1.

The victim reported that she initially accessed a Facebook page named "Shark Linh/VinaCapital Open Investment Cooperation Fund," which posted numerous advertisements promising high returns. After making contact, she was directed to a fake website to begin depositing money.

Trusting these promises, the woman transferred over 4,7 billion VND for investment. However, when she attempted to withdraw her money, she found herself unable to perform any transactions on the system.

In her distress, she sought advice and found another Facebook page, "Startup at Home with Shark Linh," hoping to recover her capital. There, the scammers demanded an additional 460 million VND, citing "procedure support" as the reason, but the outcome remained unchanged.

Realizing she had been scammed, the woman searched online for "scam recovery" services. Upon contact, individuals posing as "experts" presented various reasons for further payments, such as "withdrawal fees," "financial verification," and even "installing virus into the system to demand money."

Driven by her eagerness to retrieve her lost money, she transferred an additional 3,25 billion VND. In total, after falling into multiple different "traps," the victim was defrauded of over 8 billion VND.

To prevent such scams, Hanoi Police's Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention and Control Department advises residents to be vigilant. They urge people not to trust projects promising high returns and to only invest through legal channels licensed by competent authorities.

"Do not transfer money to any individual or organization claiming to help recover scammed funds," the police emphasized.

Kien Tuong