The police in Guangning Province, Vietnam, recently cracked a major cross-border online fraud case, uprooting a criminal gang that used "gambling on stones" as a guise. The gang set up a base in Dongxing City, Guangxi, China, specifically targeting Vietnamese citizens, with the amount involved reaching hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong (equivalent to several hundred million yuan). Currently, 30 suspects have been formally charged.
Elaborately Designed "Gambling on Stones" Scam
According to the Criminal Police Department of Guangning Province, the criminal gang created multiple fan pages on social media with themes of jewelry and jade, using live streaming platforms to meticulously design the scam:
Live demonstration of "high-quality" jade cutting process
Hiring "shills" to create a fake buying frenzy in the live broadcast room
Using "cutting out top-quality raw stones" as bait to induce victims to place orders
The police investigation found that these so-called "raw stones" were either of poor quality or non-existent, and victims often received worthless ordinary stones or nothing at all after payment.
Cross-border Crime with a Tight Organization
The masterminds of the criminal gang are 36-year-old Chen Zhizhi and 30-year-old Wu Wenhai, who have long resided in Mangjie City on the Vietnam-China border. Since August 2024, they have colluded with Chinese nationals, renting houses in Dongxing City, Guangxi, to set up fraud bases, forming a complete criminal chain:
Recruitment: Attracting Vietnamese people to participate in the fraud with high salaries ranging from 5000-6000 yuan per month (about 18-21 million Vietnamese dong)
Professional Division of Labor:
Chinese technicians responsible for video editing and live broadcast operations
Special personnel providing payment accounts
Hosts responsible for attracting customers
"Shills" pretending to be buyers to create a fake buying frenzy
Money Laundering: Transferring illicit money through underground banks and other channels
Colonel Nguyen Trong Xiong, head of the Guangning Provincial Criminal Police Department, stated that this is the first time Vietnamese police have cracked a transnational online fraud case with the fraud base entirely located in China. Unlike some telecommunication fraud cases involving coercion, most of the suspects in this case actively participated in the crime.
Staggering Amount Involved, Severe Social Impact
According to the confession of suspect Wu Wenhai, the gang induced victims through fake live broadcasts and comments, cumulatively defrauding nearly 100,000 transactions, with the amount involved reaching hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong.
Police Reminder:
Beware of "high return" investment scams on the internet
Do not be deceived by the buying atmosphere in live broadcast rooms
Always purchase valuable items through legitimate channels
The case is still under further investigation, and the police are making every effort to track down other suspects and the whereabouts of the illicit money. This cross-border law enforcement action demonstrates the determination of the Vietnamese police to combat online crime and provides a successful case of cooperation between the police forces of China and Vietnam in combating cross-border crime.
