Parents tricked to make bank transfers to save children

On Monday morning, Cho Ray Hospital, a major medical center in Ho Chi Minh City, received four people who came to look for their children.

They told the hospital that someone had called them on the phone, informing them that their child had been taken to the emergency room at the hospital after a serious accident.

In each of the cases, the person on the phone claimed to be a teacher at their child’s school. The caller told the parents that their child had fallen while at school and suffered brain injuries that required immediate surgery.

In order for the doctors to perform the surgery, parents were requested to transfer the money immediately to save their children’s lives.

According to the law, a representative of a patient must sign an agreement with the hospital and make the payment in advance in order for doctors to perform surgeries.

Of the four people who received the phone calls on Monday, three transferred the money, with two transferring VND20 million (US$846), and one sending as much as VND200 million.

Only one parent rushed to the hospital first to see for himself if his child was really in danger; he did not transfer the money.

By the time the four parents arrived at the Cho Ray Hospital to look for their children, they realized they had been scammed.

Last Friday, three other parents in HCMC who were also tricked by the same method transferred a total of VND70 million to the scammers.

Police are now searching for the people who made the phone calls.