Police warn of phishing scams targeting new students

Police have uncovered a sophisticated phishing scam targeting new university students and their parents during the enrollment period. Scammers use stolen personal data, including full names, phone numbers, university affiliations, and citizen ID numbers, to pose as police officers, social insurance officials, or university staff.

The criminals contact victims via phone to claim there are issues with their health insurance (BHYT) records, such as data mismatches with the national population database or errors in the VssID application. To create a sense of urgency, they pressure victims to update their information immediately to avoid losing medical benefits.

Once victims are engaged, scammers direct them to messaging apps like Zalo, Messenger, or Telegram to “assist” with the process. They then send malicious links that prompt users to download fraudulent applications. These fake apps are designed to mimic official platforms like VssID, VNeID, or the National Public Service Portal, making them extremely difficult for unsuspecting users to distinguish from legitimate software.