Unscrupulous electronic traders have been travelling to rural areas of Vietnam to promote some products with exaggerated descriptions at extravagant prices.
Trade fraud schemes take advantages of naive consumers
Their targeted consumers include elderly and retired people who have pensions or medium living standards. Such people can afford to buy their products but don’t have much chance to check the accuracy of their information or prices.
Products offered for sale are often healthcare equipment and air and food purification machines for households.
Do Vuong, a man from Hanoi’s Dong Anh Street, was surprised that his mother, who lives in the northern province of Thai Binh, bought a Chinese-made Digital Therapy Machine at VND600,000 (USD28.64), when the prices for such items in Hanoi cost from VND110,000-VND130,000 (USD5.25-USD6.20).
“My mother said she was totally persuaded by the trader’s attractive introduction on the machine’s features. Several retired people in my hometown bought the machine without any doubts about the price and its real usefulness,” Vuong commented.
Nguyen Ngoc Son, a man from Hanoi’s Dong Da District, has just successfully prevented his parents in the northern province of Phu Tho from the same purchase.
They intended to buy a food purification equipment at VND2 million (USD95.50) while the prices of device of the same kind are only VND500,000 (USD23.87).
“The trader said the equipment was made by a military-run factory so we trusted them. They have set up a guarantee office in the nearby village,” Son’s mother said.