Vietnam authorities crack down on diverse fraud and money laundering schemes

Authorities in Vietnam are addressing several legal and criminal issues involving fraud and financial misconduct. In Hanoi, Bùi Thị Nhường was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her role in a massive fraud scheme. She was manipulated by an online persona named ‘Walter’ into recruiting investors for a fake energy project, resulting in tens of billions of VND in losses.

In Đắk Lắk, police have prosecuted Trương Minh Hoàng and Dương Kim Sang for exploiting spiritual beliefs to defraud victims. The couple used social media livestreams to claim they could predict lottery numbers through divine guidance, selling ‘lucky’ numbers to unsuspecting individuals.

Additionally, law enforcement has warned against the growing trend of students being recruited as ‘links’ in money laundering and online gambling rings. Many students have been lured by promises of high salaries to open and lease bank accounts for criminal organizations.

In a separate civil matter, an appellate court ruled that a 1 billion VND debt incurred during a marriage remains a joint liability between both parties, even after a divorce has been finalized.