According to the report, Hanoi police’s immigration department recently inspected two apartments, including a location in Ciputra, and detained seven foreign suspects in an alleged cross-border technology-enabled scam: three Chinese nationals and four Japanese nationals. A Chinese suspect identified only as Z.H was alleged to be an organiser.
Police reportedly alleged that the group had used electronic visas to enter Vietnam and rent accommodation in Hanoi for the operation from August 2025. Japanese members allegedly impersonated Japanese police and prosecutors, using forged official documents to tell people in Japan they were implicated in cases and induce them to convert funds into Ether (ETH) for supposed asset checks. The cumulative amount involved was reported as approximately VND11 billion, which the source described as about US$450,000.
Police reportedly seized 65 mobile phones, 19 tablets and four Japanese police uniforms. They compared the method with an earlier case in which a Chinese organiser allegedly recruited Koreans to scam South Korean citizens, describing transnational groups as exploiting visa convenience to operate in Hanoi. At the time of the report, Hanoi police were expanding the investigation and cooperating with Japanese authorities.
