Vietnamese police have broken up a suspected transnational criminal group accused of attempting to establish a large-scale online scam centre in the country, authorities said on Friday, amid a wider regional crackdown on cyber fraud networks across Southeast Asia.
Police in Phu Tho province said they had dismantled a group linked to fraud syndicates operating in Cambodia, preventing what officials described as a planned major scam hub from becoming operational in Vietnam.
Four suspects were arrested, including a Chinese national and three Vietnamese citizens, according to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security.
Investigators said the group had rented resorts, farmstays and villas across Hanoi, Lao Cai and Phu Tho provinces to house dozens of individuals allegedly recruited to work in the operation. Many of those involved were previously employed in scam compounds in Cambodia, authorities said.
Police also seized dozens of computers, hundreds of mobile phones and other telecommunications equipment allegedly intended for large-scale online fraud. Officials said the site was close to becoming operational before the raid disrupted the network.
The ministry said the operation “prevented the formation of a large-scale transnational high-tech fraud centre within Vietnam” and helped protect public assets and national security.
In a separate case, police in Ho Chi Minh City this week discovered 83 Chinese nationals staying in a hotel who were allegedly preparing to establish another scam centre, according to Vietnamese state media reports.
Authorities said the group had illegally entered Vietnam from Cambodia and was planning to target Chinese victims through online fraud operations.
The cases highlight growing concerns over the expansion of organised cyber scam networks across the region, particularly in Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, where criminal groups have been linked to large-scale online fraud, forced labour and trafficking.
Speaking earlier this week, FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey warned that scam compounds represent one of the “most significant threats facing the world today”, saying such networks are expanding rapidly and operating across borders.
Authorities in the Philippines have meanwhile repatriated citizens who were reportedly trafficked into scam-related operations after being recruited for fake online jobs, underscoring the cross-border nature of the problem.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have also reported that scam compounds in parts of Cambodia continue to operate despite ongoing enforcement actions.
According to a recent UN report, at least 300,000 people in Cambodia and Laos are believed to be forced into participating in large-scale online fraud networks targeting victims worldwide.
These operations include romance scams, often involving so-called “pig-butchering” schemes in which scammers build long-term trust before luring victims into fraudulent investment platforms, frequently linked to cryptocurrencies.
Other methods include fake cryptocurrency trading platforms, tech support scams, bank and government impersonation schemes, as well as a wide range of fraud conducted via phone, social media, email and text messages.
The report also estimates that these global scam networks generate around $64 billion in annual profits.
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