Promised ‘easy, high-paying work’ in Cambodia, men posed as Shopee staff and stole billions of dong from Vietnamese victims

A promise of “easy, high-paying work” took Lưu Sinh Diễn and eight others from Facebook to Cambodia, where they allegedly joined a Chinese-led fraud network operating near Bavet market in Svay Rieng province.

According to an indictment issued by the Hanoi People’s Procuracy, the group crossed through the Moc Bai international border gate in Tay Ninh province in late 2021. They were taken to a nine-story building and assigned to pose as Shopee employees. The network advertised for online collaborators and persuaded Vietnamese customers to pay in advance for e-commerce orders.

The victims were promised their principal and a profit of 10% to 15%. At first, the scammers fully returned the money and profits from low-value orders, building trust. Once victims believed the scheme, the group sent larger orders and demanded further transfers. It then cited various reasons for withholding repayment, urged victims to send more money, and took the funds.

The indictment says members received salaries of $800 a month, about 18.4 million dong, plus bonuses of 3% to 5% based on the amount stolen each month. The nine-person group was led by Đoàn Anh Hà, while the alleged organizers provided computers, phones, Zalo accounts and bank-account details.

The group is accused of defrauding seven people of more than 1.3 billion dong. Diễn allegedly took part in defrauding three victims of more than 420 million dong and received 18 million dong. Six members have already been sentenced to between six and 12 years in prison, and Nguyễn Tuấn Anh received 12 years after turning himself in. Diễn later surrendered and was detained. Hà remains wanted, while the investigation into him has been temporarily suspended until his arrest.