Woman scammed out of over 1,2 billion dong by lover in 'bad luck removal' scheme

A woman was deceived by her lover, Lieu Tan Thanh, who impersonated his wife to send threatening messages, then posed as a "charm master" to convince her she faced misfortune, leading her to repeatedly transfer money for "bad luck removal rituals".

On 28/9, Lieu Tan Thanh, 37, was sentenced by the People's Court of Ho Chi Minh City to 14 years in prison for fraudulent appropriation of property and ordered to compensate the victim for the entire amount stolen.

According to the indictment, in 3/2022, Thanh met Ba Hong while brokering a land deal. The two then developed a romantic relationship and frequently met at hotels.

Thanh stated he later felt guilty towards his wife and sought to end the affair. He impersonated his wife, messaging Ba Hong, claiming to have discovered their relationship and threatening to inform Ba Hong's husband.

Knowing his lover's fear, Thanh fabricated a story about knowing a "charm master" in An Giang who could perform "bad luck removal rituals". He bought a phone SIM card, created a Zalo account named "Thich Quang", and impersonated this person to message Ba Hong.

The "charm master" told Ba Hong she was facing misfortune, had a "hidden karmic connection", was "haunted by a spirit", and that her family would soon encounter disaster, demanding money for rituals to ward off bad luck.

Believing the deception, from 11/2022 to 4/2023, Ba Hong repeatedly transferred over 1,24 billion VND to accounts specified by Thanh.

He also instructed her to bury two taels of SJC gold in Binh Chanh District for "bad luck removal", then secretly dug them up, sold them, and used the money for personal expenses and debt repayment.

When Ba Hong discovered that the owners of the receiving accounts were Thanh's acquaintances and that the "charm master" did not exist as introduced, she reported the incident to the police.

At today's trial, Thanh admitted to all charges.

Regarding the amount Ba Hong claimed Thanh appropriated, which was higher than what the indictment stated, the court had returned the case file for further investigation last June. However, the investigation results were insufficient to clarify the matter, so the investigative agency and the Procuracy maintained their original stance.

The trial panel reserved Ba Hong's right to file a separate civil lawsuit for this additional amount if she wished.