Phu Tho Police warn of social media bank transfer scams

The Phu Tho Provincial Police's Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Division has issued a warning regarding a sophisticated social media scam. Criminals are using a “middleman” tactic to intercept legitimate transactions.

Scammers first gain unauthorized access to a victim's social media account through social engineering, such as impersonating administrators or service representatives to trick users into clicking malicious links or scanning QR codes. Once access is secured, the perpetrators silently monitor conversations to identify upcoming financial transactions.

When a payment is imminent, the scammer impersonates one of the parties in the chat and provides fraudulent bank account details, claiming a change in payment information. Authorities urge citizens to verify all payment details and immediately report any suspicious activity to the police.