Older people increasingly fall prey to scams promising prizes, fake rewards

Ngoc, a woman in her 80s living in the coastal city of Phan Thiet, has a house filled with packages sent by a so-called "shopping center."

In a complaint to the police, she said she was deceived by phone calls promising valuable prizes in exchange for buying goods. She spent all her savings and even sold the gold her family had entrusted to her over the years besides unknowingly paying four to 10 times their actual prices for the items.

She was told some of them were worth tens of millions of dong (VND10 million = US$390), but instructed not to open them.

It was only after she lost her entire life savings of VND3 billion that her family discovered that their true value was only a few hundred thousand dong each.

The invoices she received listed the address of "Perfect Southeast Asia Joint Venture Shopping Center" at 720A Dien Bien Phu, Binh Thanh District, HCMC.

But the police discovered that no such shopping center or company exists.

The scam began in June 2023 when Ngoc received a phone call from someone claiming to be a customer service representative at the shopping center who said she had won two boxes of Ensure milk.

The gift was delivered home.

Since she had bought a juicer and provided her contact details to the store, she believed it was a legitimate promotion.

A few days later another "shopping center employee" called, informing her of another prize.

Due to her colitis, she declined the offer.

A month later a person posing as the "manager of the shopping center" called to inform her that she had won a massage machine worth millions of dong, which could also be converted into cash.

To claim the prize she was told she needed a "lucky draw code" that could only be obtained by accepting more products.

Following the scammers' instructions, Ngoc accepted deliveries from a courier, paying cash upfront and keeping the invoices, which supposedly contained the lucky draw codes. She was assured that once the draw took place, an employee would deliver her grand prize, purportedly worth VND4 billion (US$156,700) and refund her money.

Believing that ordering more would increase her chances of winning, Ngoc continued to buy hundreds of items, including vacuum cleaners, massage machines, fingerprint locks, and health supplements, each for tens of millions of dong.

The scammers insisted she must not open the packages, claiming they would "send someone to retrieve them" later.

Over several months she kept making payments, but the promised rewards never arrived.

At one point a man claiming to be the "legal officer" of the shopping center pressured her to continue purchasing products.

After nearly six months Ngoc's house was filled with packages.

Products Ngoc ordered and received from a fraud group. Photo courtesy of Ngoc

In January 2024 she asked the scammers to send someone to pick up the goods. A truck arrived and they took away 36 items along with the invoices.

From that moment she lost all contact with them.

Her relatives, suspecting a scam, visited the listed address and discovered that no such company existed.

Ngoc says: "I am over 80 years old and without a husband or children. I have no income and am now a burden to my nieces and nephews. Just because I was naive and believed the scammers' promises, they took everything from me. Now, I just hope the authorities intervene and resolve this quickly."

A growing number of elderly victims

Ngoc is just one of hundreds of elderly victims of such scams.

The HCMC police reported in February that senior citizens now account for 50% of scam victims.

They believe this is due to their lack of familiarity with technology and reluctance to involve their children and grandchildren out of fear of being a burden.

According to the National Cybersecurity Association, one out of every 220 smartphone users in Vietnam fell victim to online scams last year, with the total losses topping VND18.9 trillion.

A 2024 survey by the association identified the most common scams as fraudulent investment schemes, impersonation of government agencies and fake prize announcements.

Over 60% of victims received phone calls about "prize winnings" that lacked clear details, leading them to fall for elaborate scams.

Like Ngoc, 85-year-old Vu of HCMC also fell victim to fraudsters and his house is now filled with unnecessary products.

His ordeal began in May 2023 when two individuals claiming to represent the "Perfect Asia Joint Venture Shopping Center" informed him he had won a VND50-million massage chair. They offered him a "lucky draw code" for additional prizes, encouraging him to accept and pay for more products delivered by a courier.

Over time, Vu spent VND57 million on various household items and health supplements.

Vu's house is still filled with products he ordered from scammers. Photo courtesy of Vu

The scammers then told him he had won an SH Mode motorbike worth around VND60 million ($2,350). However, to claim the prize, they said he needed to buy additional health supplements for VND7 million and pay processing fees for the vehicle's paperwork.

He complied, transferring over VND34 million into the bank accounts they provided.

The deception continued, and by the time he realized he had been scammed he had already lost over VND500 million.

His son visited the addresses listed on the invoices, only to find that no such companies existed.

Authorities urge vigilance

Authorities advise families to spend more time with their elderly relatives, educate them about online fraud, and help them safely navigate technology and social media.

They also recommend monitoring elderly family members' banking activities to prevent financial exploitation.

A man uses his phone at a coffee shop. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Nga

According to a prosecutor from the HCMC People's Procuracy, fraud tactics, including fake prize scams and police impersonation, are not new but remain effective because they prey on human greed and lack of awareness.

Since scammers often use encrypted phone numbers and cash transactions, tracking them is challenging.

Tam, 71, recently reported to the HCMC police that he was scammed out of VND15 billion after receiving a video call from a man posing as a "police general."

The scammer falsely accused him of being involved in a drug trafficking ring and sent him a fake "arrest warrant."

When Tam panicked, the fraudster claimed he would transfer the call to the "Ministry of Public Security's leadership" for further instructions.

Another scammer, posing as a "director in the Ministry of Public Security," then told Tam to transfer money to an "investigation agency" account to prove his innocence.

He was warned not to disclose this to anyone or risk "immediate arrest."

Tam, frightened, transferred VND6 billion to the scammers.

Following further instructions, he bought a new phone and SIM card, downloaded a fake "Ministry of Public Security" app, and entered his personal details, citizen ID, bank account information, and passwords.

He then transferred another VND8 billion for "verification."

After waiting without receiving any refund, he realized he had been scammed and reported the case.

Major fraud ring dismantled

In April 2024 the HCMC police busted a con gang led by Le Duc Kong and his wife Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung.

They and over 50 accomplices used a network of call centers located in Richstar 2 and Carillon 5 apartment buildings in Tan Phu District, each with a group leader who assigned employees to make scam calls using fake phone numbers.

Victims were lured with promises of luxury prizes and manipulated into buying overpriced goods.

Kong and Nhung reportedly earned over VND2 billion a month from these fraudulent activities.

Authorities are still investigating the case, and Vu has been summoned to provide testimony.

It is unclear if Kong’s ring perpetrated the scam on Ngoc.

The police continue to warn the public to remain cautious, avoid engaging with suspicious phone calls and report any fraudulent activity immediately.