$8M stolen from 300 people via 'dating app'

Vu Duy Son, 26, who lives in Hanoi, was arrested by Dak Lak police on Tuesday for allegedly "obtaining property by fraud."

Previously, a man in Dak Lak's Buon Ma Thuot City reported to authorities that he was swindled out of over VND1 billion when he clicked on a link to find a partner on a dating app called "Ky Nu" (Courtesan).

He said he was instructed by online customer service personnel to transfer money into an account in order for the service to recommend him to women. They said the money would be returned to him with interest.

The man transferred VND1 million first, and then the money was indeed returned to him with interest. Gradually, he sent over VND1 billion into the account in order to get greater returns, but in the end, the money was not returned.

Police said Son was a member of a fraud ring.

Son told investigators that in October 2022 he met two men named Minh and Hung in Dubai through social media. Son said he was then hired by Minh to receive the money sent by users of two dating apps, including "Ky Nu." The members of the group would entice users to send more money to gain VIP statuses. They told users that the more money they spent, the more money they would receive in return.

But the money they sent eventually just ended up in Minh's hands.

Son now stands accused of helping Minh defraud over 300 people, stealing over VND200 billion in the scam since December 2022. Investigators said Son himself pocketed VND300 million in the process.

Further investigations are ongoing.