The student is rescued from an online kidnapping scam on September 17. Photo by Dong Nai Police Department
On September 17, the student’s mother reported to police that her son had been held by strangers who demanded VND 200 million (approximately USD 7,750) in ransom. The family could not reach him.
Investigators quickly traced the victim, who was being driven by a taxi toward the Moc Bai Border Gate. Assessing the risk, Dong Nai police coordinated with officers from Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh to intercept the vehicle. By 11 pm, they rescued the student, who was in a state of shock, and only then realised he had fallen victim to an online kidnapping scheme.
The student said he had received a call on September 16 from a woman posing as a delivery worker. Soon after, a video call came from a man claiming to be a police officer. He alleged that the delivery worker had been arrested and accused the student of links to drug trafficking and money laundering. Ordered to cooperate in secret, the victim was manipulated into isolating himself in a hotel, installing Zoom, and handing over his Facebook and Zalo accounts.
Using those accounts, the fraudsters contacted his family, demanding ransom and threatening to sell him across the border. When the mother refused to cooperate and instead alerted authorities, the scammers forced the student into a taxi headed for Moc Bai, telling him he would be transferred to the Cambodian police.
The victim’s mother expressed deep gratitude after his safe return, saying, “If police had not acted quickly, my son could have been in grave danger.”
Authorities have warned that online kidnapping scams are spreading nationwide. Criminal groups based abroad impersonate law enforcement, intimidate victims, and extort families. Police urge young people, in particular, to remain vigilant against these sophisticated cyber scams.
