Police bust online ring selling fake traditional medicines
VOV.VN - Police in Vietnam’s Hung Yen province have dismantled a ring producing and selling fake traditional medicines on social media, using staged videos and false claims to defraud customers, authorities said on April 14.
According to local police, the operation led to the arrest of the alleged ringleader, Nguyen Van Hai, 35, who is accused of organising and running the scheme.
Investigators said that since late 2025, Hai had set up and managed multiple Facebook pages promoting so-called “four-generation traditional remedies,” claiming they could cure a range of skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema and fungal infections.
To gain trust, the group reportedly hired acquaintances to pose as patients and staged treatment sessions at a facility branded as a traditional medicine clinic. The videos were then posted online along with misleading advertisements portraying the suspect as a skilled practitioner with inherited remedies.
Authorities described the operation as a sophisticated form of online fraud that exploited social media platforms to reach customers and create a false sense of credibility.
Following a period of surveillance, police launched an investigation and conducted urgent searches at two locations used by the group in Hung Yen province. Officers seized electronic devices, production equipment and large quantities of products labeled as herbal medicines for dermatological conditions.
The investigation agency under the Hung Yen provincial police has initiated legal proceedings against the suspects on charges of “fraudulent appropriation of property” under Vietnam’s Criminal Code.
Further investigations are underway to identify additional individuals involved and to handle the case in accordance with the law.