In Vietnam, in recent times, the problem of online fraud has been spreading continuously, with forms of online fraud constantly changing, becoming more sophisticated and complex.

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The Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) regularly disseminates and updates scams so that people can identify and avoid them. Illustration photo: NCSC

Statistics from the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) show that in 2023, the information security warning system received nearly 17,400 reports of online fraud targeting Vietnamese Internet users. Also during this period, according to data from the Ministry of Public Security, the police prosecuted 1,500 cases of cyber fraud, with the total amount of money people were scammed from was 8,000 - 10,000 billion VND.

Recently, at the National Assembly forum, during the discussion session in the hall on the afternoon of May 23, informing delegates about the solutions that the Ministry of Information and Communications has been implementing to deal with online fraud, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized: Propaganda is the most important and long-term solution. The Minister also said that the Ministry of Information and Communications has directed major newspapers and radio stations to organize columns to warn about online fraud tricks; at the same time, using the grassroots information system of ward and commune loudspeakers to regularly inform people.

Regarding propaganda work, at the first State management conference of 2024 of the Ministry of Information and Communications held at the end of January 2024, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung assigned the Department of Grassroots Information to preside over and coordinate with the Departments of National Digital Transformation and Information Security to disseminate instructions on basic digital skills and online fraud prevention skills to people, especially the elderly and children, through the grassroots information system nationwide.

According to the Minister, the grassroots information system is a strong communication force, especially effective for some urgent matters, therefore, management agencies in fields such as telecommunications, post, information security... need to proactively coordinate with the Grassroots Information Department to communicate through this channel, when there is a need to communicate about urgent and hot matters.

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The grassroots information system is considered a strong communication force. Illustration photo: Chinhphu.vn

Implementing the direction of the Ministry's leaders, the Department of Grassroots Information and the Department of Information Security have just coordinated to continue to deploy propaganda to prevent and combat online fraud on grassroots radio stations and other forms of grassroots information activities.

Specifically, the Departments of Information and Communications nationwide are requested to regularly organize propaganda on grassroots radio stations and other forms of grassroots information activities on preventing online fraud.

In addition to warning about some methods cybercriminals use to commit online fraud and recommending people how to prevent them, the Department of Basic Information and the Department of Information Security also asked the Department of Information and Communications of provinces and cities to disseminate to people 10 measures to help them prevent common online fraud today.

Protection of personal information

The first measure recommended for people to avoid scams is not to publicly disclose personal information such as date of birth, ID card number, citizen identification number, phone number, bank account number, etc. on social networks. Doing this will help people avoid being exploited and used for fraudulent purposes. People need to filter information before sharing it publicly on social networks.

Check and update

People need to regularly check and update security and privacy features on bank accounts, social network accounts and need to absolutely secure information on the above accounts. Information that people need to pay attention to security includes: login name, password, authentication code (OTP) or credit card number... People should not provide this information to any individual or organization without identifying it.

Verify carefully

Careful verification is also a measure that people need to take. Specifically, with messages asking to borrow money via social networks, people need to directly call the borrower to confirm the information carefully before transferring money.

Learn carefully when making friends

People need to carefully research information when making friends with strangers on social networks, especially those who promise to give or give large sums of money, property or valuable gifts.

Report to the nearest police station

When receiving calls claiming to be from government agencies, especially the police force, to inform or threaten that you are involved in a case or incident, people need to immediately contact the nearest police agency to report the incident.

Be careful when making transactions

People should not access links in messages or emails of unknown origin; Do not make transactions as requested by strangers when receiving phone calls or messages with content related to banking transactions. People absolutely do not provide personal information, OTP codes, bank account numbers, etc. to strangers.

Be careful with attractive offers

People should not listen to and follow instructions, introductions, or enticements to follow easy ways of working, making easy money, etc.; In particular, do not listen to people who transfer money to a designated account. People also need to be vigilant against information about receiving prizes online, asking for personal information or transferring money to receive prizes.

Be careful when installing applications and software.

People should not install unverified applications on their phones or computers. In case they discover that their SIM card is disabled, they should immediately contact the network operator to request support and verification. If their phone is lost, they should promptly notify the network operator to promptly lock the SIM card.

Manage bank account registration

People should not open, rent, or sell bank accounts to others. When discovering someone buying, selling, or renting a bank account, people should immediately report it to the nearest police station.

Beware of fake websites and applications

People absolutely do not access websites or applications in received messages, websites with unclear content, fake international money transfer services, or fake bank websites.

Vietnamese users report losses of more than VND300 billion due to online fraud . Recently, the Information Security Warning Portal operated by the Ministry of Information and Communications has received nearly 17,400 reports of online fraud targeting Vietnamese Internet users, causing losses of more than VND300 billion.