A Rental Deposit Scam Report Leads Police to Suspect Accused of Defrauding More Than 100 People

A single report about a 2 million dong rental deposit scam led Dak Lak police to a 30-year-old man accused of defrauding more than 100 people online.

Police said on Sept. 6 that they had opened a criminal case, charged Ngo Hoang Vu and ordered his detention while investigating alleged property appropriation fraud. Vu lives in Lien Chieu Ward, Da Nang.

The investigation began after police received a complaint on May 20 from a woman identified as H.H.N. She said she found a room-for-rent advertisement on social media, contacted the advertiser and transferred 2 million dong as instructed. The advertiser then blocked her, prompting her to report the case.

Investigators from Dak Lak's criminal police and cybercrime units traced accounts and transaction information. The work proved difficult because the suspect allegedly used identities that did not reflect his real identity, along with social media accounts and room images that required verification.

Police said Vu created multiple Facebook accounts, used false information and took photographs of other people's rental rooms to post listings in groups across various provinces and cities. When prospective tenants made contact, he allegedly built their trust and requested deposits ranging from 500,000 to 2.5 million dong into designated bank accounts. After receiving the money, he blocked them and removed the listings.

After applying several investigative measures, police identified Vu on Aug. 31. The investigation is continuing to determine the full scale of the alleged scheme.