According to the Hanoi Police Department, the operation was carried out on February 28 as part of a broader crackdown to ensure security and public order ahead of Vietnam’s upcoming National Assembly and People’s Council elections for the 2026–2031 term.

Officers from the city’s Immigration Division simultaneously inspected four locations linked to foreign nationals residing in the Ciputra urban area in Phu Thuong ward and an apartment in the Mipec complex in Cau Giay ward. Seven foreign individuals - three Chinese nationals and four Japanese nationals - were detained for alleged involvement in online fraud activities.

Investigators identified a Chinese national, surnamed Z.H., as the alleged ringleader.

Initial investigation results showed that since August 2025, the group had developed scripts posing as Japanese police officers, prosecutors and court officials. They allegedly contacted Japanese residents by phone, claiming to have found their personal documents and falsely stating that the victims’ identities had been used in criminal activities.

Victims were then pressured to “cooperate with investigations” and instructed to transfer funds in cryptocurrency, specifically Ethereum (ETH), purportedly for investigative purposes.

Authorities estimate the total amount defrauded at approximately VND11 billion (around US$419,776). Seized items included 65 mobile phones, 19 tablets, three laptops, 12 walkie-talkies, four sets of counterfeit Japanese police uniforms and cash in Vietnamese dong.

Earlier, in January 2026, the police also uncovered and dismantled another organised transnational cyber-fraud ring led by Chinese nationals, who recruited Koreans to scam victims in the Republic of Korea.

According to the police, the case highlights the increasingly complex and organized nature of foreign-related crime, with networks operating across borders. Suspects allegedly entered Vietnam legally under the country’s e-visa policy, used Hanoi as a base of operations, and coordinated with accomplices of different nationalities to target foreign citizens abroad.

Vietnam dismantles US$12 mln Cambodia-based online fraud ring

VOV.VN - Vietnamese police have dismantled a Cambodia-based cyber fraud network that allegedly swindled more than VND300 billion (around US$12 million) from thousands of victims nationwide, authorities said.