Former Retail Employee Detained for Stealing Phones to Fund Bitcoin, Gambling

Authorities in Da Nang, Vietnam, have detained a former employee of electronics retailer The Gioi Di Dong on suspicion of stealing 84 mobile phones. The suspect, identified as Tran Ba Truong, 25, allegedly sold the devices to fund investments in Bitcoin and online gambling, ultimately losing all the money.

Truong reportedly confessed to the thefts on May 8, 2026, after taking 28 iPhones from storage on May 5 and 6. He then sold these phones and used the proceeds for personal purposes. In a more elaborate scheme, Truong contacted other store employees, falsely claiming to have customers needing to make purchases. He would then request QR codes from sales receipts, which he used with his company-issued sales account to legitimize the transactions.

When his account's transaction limit was reached, Truong resorted to obtaining One-Time Passwords (OTPs) from other employees to complete the fraudulent payments. This method allowed him to steal an additional 56 mobile phones from various The Gioi Di Dong stores across Da Nang. The total value of the stolen phones and the subsequent financial losses remain under investigation.

Investigators have so far recovered three phones related to the case and are actively working to track down and recover the remaining assets. The investigation is ongoing to determine the full extent of the alleged fraud and recover any further stolen property.