Investigating a network that "magically" modifies commercial transport vehicles:
Part 1: It's easy to buy fake yellow license plates.
Part 2: "Magically" transforming vehicle registration to obtain transport permits.
Carelessly forging documents
Circular 58/2020 of the Ministry of Public Security stipulates that after December 31, 2021, commercial transport vehicles must switch to license plates with a yellow background.
In Hanoi , commercial transport vehicles must switch to license plate numbers starting with 29, for example 29E, 29F, 29H... License plate numbers starting with 30, such as 30H, 30K, 30N… are reserved for private vehicles with white license plates.
The man, who identified himself as Hoang Anh, affixed a contract vehicle badge issued by the Hanoi Department of Transport to the Hung Thinh Transport Service Cooperative onto a KIA car with license plate 30G-403.xx.
This means that when a new car is purchased or a car currently registered with a white license plate is converted to a commercial transport vehicle, the registration certificate must include the letter V and a QR code.
As mentioned in the previous article about the tactic used by Hoang Anh (who claims to be from Binh Minh Transport Service Cooperative), after buying fake yellow license plates to help drivers register their vehicles for commercial transport, he photographed the vehicle inspection certificate and registration of the reporter to apply for a contract vehicle permit.
According to regulations, when a vehicle owner switches to a yellow license plate, the police will collect the white license plate registration and issue a yellow vehicle registration certificate for commercial transport with the letter (V) on it.
In order to register a commercial transport vehicle and apply for a permit while retaining its original white license plate, Hoang Anh used a fraudulent registration method: After the vehicle owner photographed and sent the registration, using Photoshop software, he erased the letter T and replaced it with a V.
Next, images of forged transport business registration certificates and transport vehicle inspection certificates will be sent to a notary office for authentication without requiring the originals. The documents are then uploaded to the Hanoi Department of Transport's website to apply for vehicle permits.
A loophole in the badge issuance process?
Regarding the process of issuing these badges, a transportation expert stated that the cooperative could only falsify the letter T to V; the QR code on the vehicle registration certificate could not be faked.
If the licensing officer scans the code with their phone, the license plate information displayed on the registration will still show a white background, potentially preventing the issuance of the permit at this stage.
"When a driver is issued a transport business permit but the vehicle's actual registration still shows a white license plate, there's a problem with the application process. This is a loophole in the Department of Transport's issuance of contract vehicle permits," the expert said.
Upon checking the number of vehicles issued with permits on the Hanoi Department of Transport's website, reporters found that cooperatives such as Hung Thinh, Binh Minh, and Toan Phat each have more than a dozen vehicles issued with permits each month. Currently, vehicles with license plates 30G, 30K, and 30H have forged registration papers to obtain contract vehicle permits.
Among the vehicles issued to cooperatives in the last two months, almost 100% of those with license plates starting with 30K, 30L, and 30H had fake registrations, such as: 30H-692.70, 30K-603.09, 30H-572.37, 30K-922.53, 30K-912.71, 30K-928.21, 30K-826.12, 30K-805.34, 30L-287.67, 30H-491.78, 30L-214.17, 30K-895.73, 30K-936.94, 30L-002.93, 30K-672.09, 30K-455.47, 30L-013.43, 30L-024.49, 30K-694.46…
You can still get a health certificate without a medical examination.
So, after almost a week, Hoang Anh completed all the steps for us, such as installing fake license plates for vehicle inspection to convert it into a commercial transport vehicle, and applying for a contract vehicle permit. These are the two most important documents for drivers to be granted accounts by ride-hailing companies.
The driver's medical certificate after it was forged.
To obtain a passenger transport account, technology companies like Grab and Be require drivers to submit documents such as: chip-embedded citizen identification card, driver's license, vehicle registration certificate, vehicle inspection certificate for commercial vehicles, contract vehicle badge, profile picture, health certificate, and SIM card information under the driver's name.
The final procedure we needed to complete was obtaining a health certificate. Citing our reluctance to go for a check-up, we asked Hoang Anh for help. Hoang Anh immediately replied, "Your health certificate is already included in the 6 million VND package, you don't need to go for another check-up."
According to a transportation expert, if the proper procedure is followed, the cooperative should refer the driver to a qualified hospital for examination.
However, some cooperatives have now purchased fake health certificates, with forged signatures and hospital seals, and the information left blank.
Drivers who need medical attention, have health issues, or even are drug addicts and don't want to see a doctor, the cooperative fills in the driver's information on a health certificate. Ride-hailing companies, seeing that the driver has submitted all the necessary documents, activate their account; they are unable to detect which documents are fake.
After Hoang Anh downloaded and completed the setup of Grab and Be driver accounts in the profile section, the reporter noticed a "Health Examination Certificate" with the name E Hospital (Hanoi) written on it.
Bright red circular stamps and signatures, a single-word "comment" stating "normal," the names of specific doctors... Specialist doctor Phan Thao Nguyen concluded: "Fair enough to drive" without any further examination.
"After registering his commercial vehicle and having a Grab or Be account, he removed the yellow license plate, put on a white one, and re-registered it as a personal vehicle (white license plate) to transport passengers normally."
"You just need to do those two things; I'll take care of everything else, from applying for the contract vehicle permit, getting the health certificate, and opening the account. After activating your Grab and Be accounts, please transfer all the money to me," Hoang Anh said.
If you need something, just give us a call and we'll take care of it.
After having the yellow license plates installed and the vehicle inspection completed, Hoang Anh scheduled an appointment for us at the Binh Minh Transport Service Cooperative office, located at 45A, No. 10, Duong Noi Service Area, Ha Dong, to finalize the remaining procedures.
Upon arrival, we were quite surprised to see a sign outside the door that read "Binh Minh Transport Service Cooperative," but inside, the wall displayed the words "Toan Phat Transport Service Cooperative." Many employees were working there.
We were asked by Hoang Anh to sign various documents, including a transportation service contract with the cooperative.
Hoang Anh showed us the contract vehicle badge issued by the Hanoi Department of Transport to Hung Thinh Transport Service Cooperative (Doi 2 Hamlet, Dong Phuong Yen Commune, Chuong My District, Hanoi), whose Chairman of the Board of Directors is a person named Vu Thi Kim Luyen.
Responding to questions about why Hoang Anh, who is an employee of Binh Minh Transport Service Cooperative, has a badge from Hung Thinh Transport Service Cooperative, Hoang Anh said: "Both cooperatives are the same. All cooperatives do it this way; the accountant calculates whichever one is suitable and handles the accounting accordingly."
According to our investigation, Hoang Anh is currently the legal representative of Toan Phat Transport Service Cooperative, whose headquarters is the same as Hung Thinh Transport Service Cooperative. Nam Hung Transport Cooperative is also located at this address.
After completing the remaining procedures, we transferred the remaining amount of 3 million VND to Hoang Anh.
When asked if many of his friends also wanted to follow this model, Hoang Anh immediately agreed and said: "Currently, our cooperative manages 3,000 drivers. If your friends need our services, just give me a call. We have many staff members, about 10 people ready to assist."
What are the penalties for forging documents and seals?
According to lawyer Dang Van Cuong, Head of Chinh Phap Law Office, individuals who forge documents may be prosecuted for the crime of forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations. Offenders may be fined from 30 to 100 million VND, sentenced to non-custodial correctional labor for up to 3 years, or imprisoned for 6 months to 2 years.
If the crime is committed in an organized manner; committed two or more times; involves making from two to five seals, documents, or other papers; uses the seals, documents, or other papers to commit minor or serious crimes; results in illicit gains of 10-50 million VND; or constitutes a dangerous recidivism, the penalty is imprisonment from 2 to 5 years.
If someone forges six or more seals, documents, or other papers; uses the seals, documents, or other papers to commit a very serious crime or an exceptionally serious crime; or illegally profits 50 million VND or more, they will be sentenced to imprisonment from 3 to 7 years.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/ho-bien-dang-ky-xe-xin-phu-hieu-van-tai-19224091317212601.htm
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