13-year-old girl tricked into using sex videos as loan collateral in iPhone gift scam

According to a police report, the girl participated in a "free iPhone 15" promotion on Facebook. She was asked to provide personal information and then pay a VND800,000 (US$32) fee to receive the gift.

Unable to pay, she was threatened with police reports for "disrupting" the promotion. Simultaneously, she received a loan offer in exchange for explicit videos.

The girl sent the videos to secure the loan. However, when she fell behind on payments, the lenders "terrorized" her and demanded more videos, Hanoi police reported Thursday.

Police warn of a growing trend where lenders demand explicit videos and images as loan collateral, trapping many teenagers in a cycle of high-interest debt.

When borrowers default, lenders threaten to distribute the videos on social media or to family and friends. Some families have paid significantly higher amounts to resolve the situation, and even after repayment, scammers often continue to extort money using the videos.

Police urge the public to avoid loans requiring explicit content as collateral, citing severe and lasting consequences.