Vietnam police arrest 56 Asians for fraud—report

HANOI – Vietnamese police have arrested 56 foreigners on suspicion of international telephone and Internet fraud, state media said Saturday.

The 45 men and 11 women, identified only as Asian, were arrested in two separate locations in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday after raids by police, said the state-run Nhan Dan (People) newspaper.

The gang had pretended to be police, customs and tax officials to access information and account passwords of both Vietnamese and foreigners in order to steal their money, the report said.

Police have not yet counted how much the criminals stole, but said they had confiscated 17 laptops, 15 Wi-Fi transmitters, 103 telephone sets, mobiles and other equipment.

Last year, at least 130 Chinese and Taiwanese people were arrested in Vietnam on similar allegations amid an apparent increase in such illegal operations in the communist country.

Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said Taiwanese fraud rings had moved to Vietnam after a crackdown by the island’s police alongside Chinese and Thai authorities.