Ninh Bình police bust transnational online fraud ring, arrest 12 suspects

Police in Ninh Bình, in northern Việt Nam, dismantled a transnational cyber fraud ring accused of swindling more than VNĐ250 billion (US$9.6 million). Authorities arrested 12 suspects and seized cash, a car, mobile phones, computers, identity documents, jewelry, and extensive records used in the operation. Ninh Bình police identified Nguyễn Văn Cương, 28, from Yên Phong Commune in Bắc Ninh, and Nguyễn Văn Phương, 34, from Yên Trung Commune, as alleged ringleaders. The group recruited Vietnamese citizens and transported them to Cambodia, where it allegedly ran an organised online fraud network with defined roles. Investigators say members impersonated police officers, prosecutors, judges, bank staff and tax officials, using counterfeit websites and apps. Since October 2024, police said the suspects defrauded about 500 victims across Việt Nam, and charged six with “fraudulent appropriation of property,” placing them in temporary detention while proceedings continue.