Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Department of Public Security has warned of a growing trend of high-tech crimes committed by foreign nationals shifting their operations to Vietnam after crackdowns intensified in several Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia.
These groups have been organising transnational fraud and online gambling activities with increasingly sophisticated methods and tight organisational structures, a representative of the department said at a press conference on April 6.
From December 15 to March 14, the department detected three cases involving 58 foreign suspects linked to acts of fraud, gambling organisation, and illegal entry.
Notably, the operations are often remotely directed by overseas ringleaders who collude with Vietnamese accomplices to rent apartments and high-end residential buildings as operational bases.
The groups then install systems of computers, simbox devices, and mobile phones to carry out crimes in cyberspace.
To conceal their activities, they set up "international securities companies" as a front, broke their group into smaller units, and continuously changed locations to avoid detection.
Their targets are mainly victims abroad, as they refrain from defrauding Vietnamese citizens in an attempt to evade criminal prosecution in the country.
In response to the situation, the Hanoi Department of Public Security has urged residents, particularly landlords renting properties to foreigners, to heighten vigilance and promptly report any suspicious signs or individuals to the authorities for handling in accordance with regulations./.
