Ho Chi Minh City prosecutes group accused of hiring borrowers to obtain car loans and resell vehicles

Ho Chi Minh City police have dismantled a group accused of turning car loans into a coordinated bank-fraud scheme. Investigators said the suspects recruited people to borrow money for cars, then sold the vehicles as soon as banks released the funds.

On September 7, the city's police investigative agency said it had opened a case, charged and detained six people: Lê Hiền Anh, Nguyễn Thanh Hải, Nguyễn Trần Bảo Trân, Nguyễn Hoàng Nam, Đào Thanh Sang and Lê Quốc Khánh. They are being investigated for allegedly appropriating property through fraud.

The investigation began after the city's criminal police established a special case. Since around late 2025, the suspects allegedly connected through social media and arranged buyers before finding people willing to put their names on loan applications. Those borrowers typically had no jobs and received between 80 million and 100 million Vietnamese dong after the cars were delivered.

The group allegedly covered about 30% of the vehicle price, registration taxes and fees, part of the principal and interest for the first three months, and commissions for participants through the prearranged buyers. The cars were then sold at prices significantly below their actual value.

To make applicants appear financially qualified, investigators said the suspects created false information about jobs, occupations and income. They rented or borrowed business premises for appraisal photographs and used fabricated payroll records, employment contracts, salary confirmations, bank statements and other documents. They also prepared scripts for bank checks, instructing borrowers how to answer questions about their residence, workplace, purpose of the loan and ability to repay. After receiving the vehicles, the named borrowers handed them to the group, which delivered them to the buyers already arranged.