Zhao Xiao Mei, 36, and Tan Shi Ren, 32, were found to have colluded with their accessories to hire some Vietnamese people to open bank accounts.
They later made phone calls to intimidate Vietnamese victims and ordered them to send money into those bank accounts to get money, said Captain Nguyen Minh Hoan, an officer of the police division for hi-tech crime prevention at Hanoi’s Department of Public Security.
Zhao Ziao Mei confessed that in mid-August 2016, Mei’s elder brother Zhao Wei Zhong, who was living in China, told Mei to find somebody to receive money via bank account and then withdraw and send the money back to Zhong. Zhong promised to pay Mei 2 percent of the sum.
Mei later hired some Vietnamese and promised to give them 1 percent of the transferred money. The Vietnamese accessories still agreed to do what Mei asked though knowing the money was illegal.
On August 24, the bank accounts opened by the Vietnamese accomplices received 600 million VND (nearly 26,900 USD) sent by a victim in Hanoi. Mei was arrested while coming to get money at the Vietnamese accessories’ house in Ta Lung town of Phuc Hoa district, the northern province of Cao Bang.
Meanwhile, Tan Shi Ren admitted to be acquainted with a Chinese man named Gang, who asked Ren on August 23 to seek some Vietnamese to open bank accounts to receive and withdraw money.
On August 25, Gang informed Ren that 300 million VND (over 13,400 USD) was sent to the new bank account. Ren paid the Vietnamese accomplices 1.5 million VND (about 67 USD) and transferred 295 million VND (over 13,200 USD) to Gang after getting the money.
After succeeding in the first time deal, Gang asked Ren to continue the offence, which involved 280 million VND (12,500 USD) on August 26 and 150 million VND (6,700 USD) three days later.
Hanoi police said they appropriated all of the money, and all victims were Vietnamese.
