Officers in Da Nang City and Quang Tri Province apprehended Cao Van Hieu, 28, and Mai Thanh Quoc, 26, on Tuesday as part of an investigation into fraudulent activities and asset appropriation.

Four days earlier, Da Nang’s Criminal Police had received multiple reports from victims who were contacted by individuals impersonating their relatives abroad. The impostors sent messages and made calls via Facebook to persuade them to invest money.

Police tracked down the group’s hideout in Trieu Phong District of Quang Tri, leading to the arrest of Hieu and Quoc.

The two men confessed to using various techniques to hack the Facebook accounts of Vietnamese citizens living abroad. They then impersonated these individuals to send messages to their relatives in Vietnam, soliciting investments.

To evade detection, the suspects used gaming accounts to launder the stolen money, making it difficult for authorities to trace the funds.

According to the initial investigation, from early 2024, Hieu and Quoc’s group hacked 1,000 Facebook accounts and fraudulently appropriated approximately VND10 billion from over 500 victims nationwide.

Da Nang’s Criminal Police have already contacted three victims in the provinces of Soc Trang, Kien Giang, and Thua Thien Hue, who collectively lost VND440 million. Another victim in Da Nang was scammed out of VND750 million.

Authorities are urging other victims to come forward and provide information to the police.