A company in Binh Duong Province was prosecuted for setting up an online commercial transaction market to cheat hundreds of people, appropriating billions of VND.
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| Lam Van Hop and Truong Thi Huong with letters of denunciation |
After hearing of a job in Binh Duong Province, Truong Thi Huong, 23, living in Nghe An Province applied for a job in D.H.P Company with an initial salary of VND5 million (USD240) per month.
When Huong met the director of the company, she was introduced of an online commercial market project with registered capital of VND10 billion (USD479 million).
The director had set up a website located in the famous online commercial transaction platform Gobay.com. He said his company would work as a bridge to connect producers and customers.
To become a staff member of D.H.P, Huong had to pay VND2.8 million (USD134) as a deposit in advance to set up her own online shop. The director promised if she wanted to leave her job, she would be paid back the VND2.7 million (USD129). They asked for VND100,000 (USD5) to make a staff card for her.
“If you can introduce other staff to the company, you will receive VND600,000 (USD29) per person as commission. If that person decides to set up an online shop worth VND6 million (USD287), then you will receive VND1.5 million (USD72)”, the director said.
He also promised that the company would give her a multifunction ATM card, a shopping card with a discount of 20% for every item she buys, a travel card with a 100% discount for a once a month visit to Dalat. If she received a best salesperson award three times, she would be given VND16 million (USD765) to buy a laptop. If she managed to win the award eight times, the company would give her VND50 million (USD2,390) to buy motorcycle and if 12 times, she would be loaned VND500 million (USD23,900) at 0% interest rate to buy an apartment.
Huong immediately paid VND2.8 million (USD134) to set up her online shop. From February to July, the only job she carried out was to persuade other people join the company. She introduced 20 people to the company.
She also set up four online shops and paid another VND20 million (USD956) to be a shareholder in the company, but she has yet to receive a salary.
The 20 people she ‘hired’ convinced other 28 people to join.
Another case like Huong is Lam Van Hop, who persuaded 14 people join the company with him. Le Van Quy was the biggest cases with 50 people.
On the morning of July 9, dozens of the company’s staff deposited letters of denunciation to Thuan An Commune’s Police Station. That afternoon, the local police began to summon people involved with the company.
Lieutenant-colonel Vo Van Hong said, “Local people still have little knowledge of trading laws and online commercial transactions, so they become easy prey for cheats."
An official of Binh Duong Province’s Department of Industry and Trade said that D.H.P Company showed all the signs of fraudulent behaviour.