59 Vietnamese arrested in Laos over large-scale scam syndicate

The transnational high-tech scam ring was dismantled through cooperation between Vietnamese and Lao police on July 5.

Authorities arrested a total of 74 individuals, including 15 Chinese nationals, with the remaining suspects identified as Vietnamese citizens. Police seized 314 mobile phones, 292 computers, and approximately 1,000 electronic devices used for fraudulent purposes.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Xuan Lam, Deputy Head of the Criminal Police Division of Dien Bien Provincial Police, said: "Our biggest challenge was that the suspects were based abroad, and any accidental exposure during infiltration could have put our officers in serious danger."

The criminal network operated under the fake gold trading platform named "ATFX." Victims initially invested small amounts, receiving daily returns as high as 24%. Encouraged by these returns, victims subsequently invested hundreds of millions to billions of dong. (VND1 billion equals US$38,200)

Duong Van Huan, one of the arrested suspects, described the harsh conditions inside the scam ring: "If there's no income, we’d have to work overtime," he said. "If we didn't meet targets, we'd be electrocuted or beaten. That was normal. Many people have managed to escape and got out, but those who were caught were beaten severely."

On July 9, the 59 Vietnamese suspects and the seized evidence were escorted back to Dien Bien Province. Dien Bien police have filed criminal charges against three individuals identified as masterminds, prosecuting them for fraudulent appropriation of property.

Authorities reported that many suspects like Huan had been promised high-paying jobs and agreed to cross borders illegally to work in the Golden Triangle, only to find themselves trapped in forced labor conditions within the scam syndicate.

The Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand's borders intersect, is historically infamous for opium and heroin production, thriving due to its remote location and lax law enforcement. In recent decades, methamphetamine production has surpassed opium and heroin because of its ease of large-scale manufacturing.