On 7/7, the Office of the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee announced that Vice Chairman Le Quang Hung signed a decision to revoke and annul death certificate number 09, registered on 8/6/2020. This certificate was issued by the Phu Son Ward People's Committee (now Quang Trung Ward) to Nguyen Thi Thu, 41.

The annulment was prompted by the death certificate being registered based on false information and documents, violating provisions of the 2014 Law on Civil Status. This marks the latest development in the insurance fraud case that garnered significant public attention in Thanh Hoa at the end of 2025.

Suspect Nguyen Thi Thu. *Photo: Lam Son*

According to the investigation, Nguyen Thi Thu had purchased four life insurance policies from two insurance companies. In 2020, after a cancer diagnosis and family disputes, Thu devised a plan to fake her death for insurance payouts. She discussed this with her biological mother, Tran Thi Thap, 70. Ms. Thap initially opposed the idea but later agreed, fearing her daughter would attempt suicide.

On the morning of 7/6/2020, Thu took sleeping pills, feigned a fall in the bathroom, sustaining minor injuries, and then lay motionless. Her family declared Thu had died from a sudden stroke. Her body was quickly prepared for burial, a funeral was held, and she was interred according to local customs. Only Thu, her mother, and a shaman, who acted as an intermediary, were aware of the entire scheme.

That midnight, Thu awoke, left the coffin, and sought refuge at the shaman's home before moving to Dong Nai to live under a new identity. On 8/6/2020, Ms. Thap registered her daughter's death at the Phu Son Ward People's Committee, receiving a legal death certificate. She then contacted insurance companies to process compensation claims.

Investigators determined that three insurance policies with Prudential Company paid out over 682 million Vietnamese dong, and one policy with Phu Hung Company disbursed 600 million Vietnamese dong, totaling over 1,28 billion Vietnamese dong. The funds were transferred through several relatives and acquaintances before reaching Thu for business investments.

The deception was uncovered in late 2025 when Thu returned to her hometown and filed a request to cancel her death registration to restore her personal identification documents. Verification confirmed that she was the same woman local authorities had declared deceased in 2020.

According to her testimony, Thu decided to reveal the truth because she lacked personal identification documents. Additionally, one of her children suffered from a serious illness requiring treatment, necessitating the restoration of her identity to handle related procedures.

Thu's fake grave was exhumed in 10/2025. *Photo: Lam Son*

On 18/12/2025, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police Investigation Agency initiated legal proceedings against Thu and Ms. Thap for insurance business fraud. Authorities are also expanding the investigation to clarify the responsibilities of other involved individuals.

During the investigation, police also determined that the shaman who assisted Thu in orchestrating the fake death scheme had passed away in 2022.

According to the investigating agency, creating a death registration file with false information was a crucial link enabling the defendants to fraudulently claim insurance money. It also generated legal consequences related to civil status management. The Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee's annulment of the death certificate is a necessary step to restore Nguyen Thi Thu's correct legal status and to facilitate the investigation and legal processing of the case.

Le Hoang