Man jailed for 12 years after using overseas-work promises to defraud victims of more than VND2.4 billion

Nguyen Dinh Dang Khoa turned people’s hopes of going abroad into a fraud scheme that brought him more than VND2.4 billion. On Sept. 4, the People’s Court of Hue City sentenced the 40-year-old to 12 years in prison for property appropriation by fraud.

Khoa began planning the scheme in February 2023 after his business suffered losses. He then established Phuong Dong Tourist International One Member Company Limited, based in Hue, and made himself director. Although the company had no license to send workers overseas or arrange foreign travel, Khoa claimed he could process applications for seasonal jobs in South Korea and trips to the United States and Europe.

From March 2023 through June 2024, he demanded money for application processing, visas, air tickets and an “anti-absconding deposit.” He promised Nguyen Van Tai, from Dong Thap, that he could arrange South Korean seasonal work for Tai and his girlfriend for VND40 million per person. After Khoa traveled from Hue to Dong Thap to gain Tai’s trust, Tai transferred VND80 million.

Khoa told Le Thi Hoai Phuong he could arrange a trip to South Korea and required a USD5,000 “anti-absconding deposit,” promising to return it after the trip. He took more than VND310 million from her. For Le Quang Dat, who wanted to travel to the United States, Khoa said a prior trip to Europe would improve his visa prospects, then repeatedly demanded deposits and savings-book funds. Dat lost more than VND1 billion.

Khoa later expanded the scheme to Nghe An through Tran Van Ky, who believed the South Korean job placements were genuine. Ky collected application files and deposits from 27 acquaintances and transferred more than VND1 billion to Khoa. When no one had left the country by June 2024, Ky reported the case to police. Khoa spent the stolen money repaying debts and on personal expenses. He had previously received a 18-month sentence for fraud from a court in Huong Thuy and a six-year sentence in Da Nang for abusing trust to appropriate property.