Ministry warns residents to be vigilant over phone, social media scams

Police instruct citizens in person to install the electronic identification application – VneID. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhựt An

HÀ NỘI — The Authority of Information Security (AIS) under the Ministry of Information and Communications has warned people to be careful when declaring personal information on popular social applications.

The warning was made after several scams were reported by the Hà Nội Police.

Recently, one resident received a phone call from a stranger, informing her that her data was incorrect, and asked her to go to Nguyễn Cơ Thạch Street in Nam Từ Liên District to correct it.

After that, the stranger suggested she remotely change the data online, then appropriated her personal information.

In other similar cases, fraudsters continuously call the victims claiming to be officials at the local people’s committee.

They request the victims to provide their identity card information and other personal paper numbers.

The AIS recommends that organisations, businesses and individuals need to be vigilant when receiving phone calls from strangers.

The strangers often claim to be officials of State agencies or judicial authorities to request investigation or payment of unspecified fees and debts.

Residents are urged not to follow requests and instructions from anyone contacting them by phone.

When citizens have doubts about the fraudsters, they should notify the nearest police agency for instructions.

Some con artists are taking advantage of citizens’ lack of information about the electronic identification application – VneID.

The fraudsters continuously call victims, then send them links via social networks and ask them to access and install fake applications, which have a similar interface to the real one.

After installing and declaring information on the fake link, the fraudsters will have enough data to carry out crimes.

The municipal police confirmed that all phone calls and communications via social network applications requesting and instructing to activate VNeID are fake.

The callers only do so to defraud and steal people’s personal information.

The AIS recommends that people should install the VNeID application from official sources, not provide personal information or access strange links.

If citizens have questions about the VNeID application, they should contact local police or the Ministry of Public Security’s hotline.

In addition, a warning bulletin posted on the website khonggianmang.vn also mentions other forms of fraud such as purchasing goods to receive rewards, stealing Facebook accounts and then fraudulently appropriating money, impersonating doctors selling medicine, calling for investment, buying and selling shares and then taking money, or tricks to borrow money online.

People need to be alert, remain calm and seek help from the police if they detect abnormalities or signs of scams. — VNS