Man scams HIV patient out of money

Ho Van Toan was detained by Ho Chi Minh City police on Wednesday for fraud and forging documents.

According to the investigation, Toan met Nhan in 2018. When Nhan tested positive for HIV, Toan told him that Australia had invented the cure and was testing it in Southeast Asia. Toan promised to get Nhan a treatment slot for VND90 million. Toan added he would tell his father in Australia to bring Nhan and his family to the country during the treatment process.

After discussing with his family, Nhan agreed to Toan's deal. From December 2018 to the end of 2020, his family paid nearly $170,000 to Toan for expenses including blood transfusion machine, treatment medicine, personal doctor and plane tickets. Toan told Nhan's family he would refund the payment if the treatment is unsuccessful.

However, Nhan's family waited for two years without results and asked for a refund, but Toan made many excuses to delay the payment. He then forged bank documents showing he had transferred money to Nhan through a Techcombank account. Nhan and his family did not receive the refund, so they reported Toan to the police.

The police said Toan needed money to pay his debts, so he gave false information to deceive and manipulate the victim. To conceal his behavior, Toan downloaded documents online and then edited and forged signatures. After that, he printed the documents and gave them to Nhan's family to prove he was returning the money to them.

'HCMC police suspect many others have fallen into Toan's trap. They are investigating further.

*The name of the victim has been changed.