Police have arrested 13 Taiwanese people connected with cross-border phone and Internet fraud, the Ministry of Public Security announced on August 16. The Ministry said 11 men and two women, led by Chen Wei Wen, 38, were arrested at their rented house at C13, Phu Thu ward in Cai Rang district, in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 13. Police also seized laptops, fixed phones, walkie-talkies, and 50 scripts that these suspects would use to pretend to be policemen or state agency officials while committing their fraudulent activities.

According to police, the suspects belonged to a 200-member cross-border hi-tech fraud ring.

In late June and early July, police netted close to 100 members of the ring in HCM City.

Many of the remaining members fled to Can Tho city and rented the house at C13 where they installed an internationally-linked communication network to conduct fraud that targeted wealthy Taiwanese and Chinese mainland business people and workers.

This is the first time Vietnamese security forces have arrested members of a cross-border hi-tech fraud ring.

The Ministry of Public Security’s Investigation and Security Agency has handed over the suspects to Chinese police for further investigation.

PV