Recently, despite the police intensifying efforts to combat cross-border kidnapping and human trafficking, the circumstances continue to be challenging. The Ho Chi Minh City Police have recently received a communication from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, which requested assistance in organizing the reception and transfer of 31 Vietnamese nationals detained in Cambodia for legal violations, including illegal entry, exit, and labor.
Additionally, this request includes the transfer of five citizens who were rescued by authorities, some of whom are dwellers in Ho Chi Minh City.
A human trafficking crime ring was uncovered, prompting the Office of the Investigation Police Agency under the Ho Chi Minh City Police, to coordinate with relevant units in launching a specialized operation. As a result, five defendants have been prosecuted and temporarily detained for human trafficking.
Authorities continue to investigate additional offenses including ‘illegal entry and exit’ and ‘illegal detention’. The case remains open as further suspects and related crimes are examined.
The issue of kidnapping and human trafficking remains highly complex. Recently, a family in Dong Nai Province’s Tan Phu District reported a relative missing for three days. After an extensive search, they received a phone call from the missing person, who was in Cambodia. The traffickers demanded a ransom of VND350 million (US$13,747) for the victim’s release.
Police investigators have said that, in addition to direct criminal activities such as seduction and drugging, offenders frequently exploit social media platforms to advertise, recruit individuals, or engage with Vietnamese citizens seeking employment opportunities abroad. These criminals used various ways including making promises of appealing salaries and bonuses that can reach thousands of US dollars per month to lure potential victims.
When the victims “fall into the trap”, gangsters will organize to take them illegally abroad, mainly to Cambodia to work in online fraud centers disguised as casinos.
In online fraud operations disguised as casinos, perpetrators force victims to use only the phones and devices provided to them. Victims are compelled to perform a range of fraudulent activities, including luring gamblers into online gambling schemes, befriending women on Facebook to emotionally manipulate and defraud them, and impersonating law enforcement, prosecutors, and the courts to carry out fraud.
Perpetrators utilize a combination of economic and psychological coercion to control victims. Non-compliance with demands results in physical confinement, starvation, and battery. Victims are then compelled to leverage familial resources to secure their release, with ransom demands escalating to hundreds of millions of Vietnamese dong. However, these criminals didn’t keep their promises to set victims free but trafficked victims to other fraudulent operations for sustained illicit profiteering.
The police agency advises the public to remain vigilant when encountering websites that promote or recruit individuals for overseas work, as these may be fraudulent. Families of victims who receive ransom demands by phone should stay calm and gather key details, such as when and how their loved ones left the country, who persuaded them, and the location of the "center" where they are being held. They should then promptly report the situation to the nearest police agency for timely assistance.
