Woman Posing as Feng Shui Master Jailed for $200,000 Fraud

A self-proclaimed "feng shui master" in Hanoi, Vietnam, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for a sophisticated scam that defrauded three women of more than 5 billion Vietnamese dong (approximately $200,000 USD). Doan Thi Bich Ngoc, 41, exploited the victims' belief in spirituality and feng shui to orchestrate a six-year-long deception, from 2018 to 2024. Ngoc befriended the women, who were interested in feng shui, and introduced them to a supposedly famous master named Vuong "gù." She claimed this master was highly selective and communicated only via text message, acting as an intermediary herself. The victims, trusting Ngoc, paid her substantial sums for feng shui consultations, ceremonies, and spiritual items, believing they were dealing with the renowned master. Ngoc even created a Zalo account to impersonate Vuong "gù," instructing the victims to transfer money for various spiritual services, including appeasing spirits and making offerings. One victim, identified as N., 38, was even adopted as a goddaughter and was persuaded to transfer over 2.9 billion dong for alleged purchases of feng shui items and donations to monks in Nepal and India. Another victim, T., 47, allegedly paid over 2 billion dong for fake pregnancy rituals. The deception unraveled when the victims, suspicious after seeing no results, visited the real Vuong "gù" in Ninh Binh province and discovered they had been scammed. The court ordered Ngoc to return all the misappropriated funds.