Fraudulent online stores are flooding the internet, scamming people with various kinds of tricks.
Fake iPhones were ideal bait of the scammers
In early May, police in HCM City arrested a group of five men for an online shopping scam. The scamming business started when one of the men picked up an ID card and used it to open bank accounts.
They opened an online shop and asked only for deposit money before transferring the goods. However, after they received the deposit, the group immediately destroyed the phone card and share the money. Up until they were arrested, they scammed total VND430 million (USD20,000) from the shoppers.
However, this kind of scam is still very common and threatening online customers' confidence.
D.H.N, a local in HCM City was even tricked all of the money. He said he found an agent that sold discount steel so he gave VND40 million for the seller and asked one of his relatives to come to the storage yard to collect the remaining steel back.
After checking the goods, his relative went home first but both the seller and the goods disappeared on the way. They were shocked when found out that it was only a fake company.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Ngoc Suong and Nguyen Thi Huong also earned a lot of money by tricking people who like discount goods.
When they opened an online shop, they advertised that their goods were brought back from flight attendants and relatives so they can sell iPhone 4 or iPhone 5, along with many other kinds of smart phones at only VND4.5-5 million each.
Hundreds of customers took the bait and gave them 30% deposit, many even agreed to pay the last 70% when Huong and Suong said they need it for documenting.
After successfully scammed the buyers, they would send them a fake iPhone or used other reasons to postpone the payment date.
