PM orders ramping up online fraud crackdown
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested the Ministry of Public Security to intensify its crackdown on cybercrime, particularly fraud, given an ongoing restructuring of local police forces.
His freshly signed dispatch, which requests ministries, sectors, and local authorities to step up efforts to prevent and tackle high-tech cyber fraud, highlights the increasingly sophisticated and transnational nature of the crime, which continues to pose serious risks to individuals and businesses, undermining security and public order.
The ministry has also been instructed to monitor and dismantle fraudulent websites, links, applications, and online groups, as well as to block suspicious calls and messages, especially those originating from overseas or using VoIP and OTT applications.
The Ministry of National Defence has been directed to conduct surveillance and intelligence-gathering to counter any activities that threaten national defence and security. It will also coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Science and Technology to detect, identify and neutralise fraudulent websites, IP addresses, and malicious software used for financial scams.
Meanwhile, the State Bank of Vietnam has been instructed to work with commercial banks and payment service providers to implement biometric authentication for online business transactions, eliminate unauthorised or inaccurate accounts, and deploy technical solutions to detect and flag accounts conducting transactions from foreign IP addresses.
The Ministry of Science and Technology will be responsible for reviewing and amending telecommunications regulations, while the Ministry of Finance has been assigned with identifying businesses that exist only on paper and providing intelligence to the Ministry of Public Security to curb fraudulent company registrations.
Additionally, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, localities, particularly those in border regions, and press organisations have been assigned specific responsibilities within their respective domains.