The Regional People’s Court No. 8 in Khánh Hòa Province, Vietnam, recently handed down a verdict in a human trafficking case. The case involved a scam organization known as "ETH." A total of 14 defendants were sentenced for human trafficking, with one of the ringleaders, Vũ Thị Hồng, receiving a 14-year prison sentence.
The court found that in 2025, Vũ Thị Hồng worked for the "ETH" organization in Cambodia. The group was managed by Chinese nationals and internally divided into recruitment, sales, backend and finance departments. It specialized in posting fraudulent job ads on social media platforms to lure Vietnamese nationals to Cambodia.
Vũ Thị Hồng was in charge of the "Recruitment Department," assigning tasks through a Telegram work group. After victims were transported from Vietnam to Cambodia, they were funneled into "ETH" for illegal work. Related personnel also paid a fee of US$600 per victim to those responsible for transportation.
The court found that the defendants and others deceived and threatened 16 Vietnamese nationals into Cambodia and subjected them to labor exploitation. Some victims were threatened, beaten, and even subjected to electric shocks for failing to meet quotas; those who wished to leave were required to pay a ransom.
In the end, Vũ Thị Hồng was sentenced to 14 years, while the remaining defendants received prison terms ranging from 5 to 10 years. Four of them, whose involvement was relatively limited and who cooperated with the investigation, were sentenced to 5 years in prison.
The Vietnamese side warned that overseas job ads on social media platforms offering "high pay and easy work" carry significant risks. Particular caution is advised for opportunities that cannot provide proper outbound or labor procedures, to avoid falling into human trafficking and scam traps.