Ca Mau Police warn of land certificate digitization scams

The Ca Mau Provincial Police have issued a warning regarding a sophisticated scam targeting citizens regarding land use certificates, commonly known as “red books.” Scammers are exploiting the national digital transformation and land data standardization processes to deceive victims.

The perpetrators impersonate officials from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment or local land administration officers. They contact citizens via Zalo or Facebook, claiming that their land certificates contain data errors, lack citizen identification information, or are not synchronized with the national land system.

To resolve these alleged issues, scammers direct victims to fraudulent websites that mimic official public service portals or instruct them to download malicious applications (often APK files). Once installed, these files allow criminals to infiltrate devices, steal banking credentials and OTP codes, or seize remote control of phones to transfer funds from bank accounts.

Authorities advise citizens to remain vigilant and note that government agencies and land officials do not conduct land document updates or digitization via phone calls or social media platforms. Citizens are urged not to click on suspicious links or download unknown application files.