Taking advantage of the growing use of payment-announcement loudspeakers among small businesses, criminals impersonating bank staff or technical support personnel instruct customers to install an application that contains malware, steal security information, and seize accounts. In response to this scam, Vietnam Cooperative Bank (Co-opBank) warns customers to increase vigilance to protect assets and personal information. Recently, Co-opBank issued a warning about cases where individuals impersonating bank staff or technical support to assist in installing, upgrading the loudspeaker used to announce money transfers in order to defraud customers. According to the warning from Co-opBank, there have recently been many cases where criminals call or text business owners, or people using payment-announcement speakers, misrepresenting themselves as bank staff or technical support to guide installation or upgrading of the devices. Co-opBank warns that this new form of fraud directly targets customers using payment-announcement speakers. The illustration emphasizes this risk. Criminals commonly cite reasons such as updating software, upgrading the system, or supporting operation of the payment-announcement device to build trust. They then require customers to install applications via links of unknown origin. These apps may contain malware, allowing criminals to take control of the user’s phone. Moreover, criminals continue to collect personal information in many forms such as requests for portrait photos, providing OTP codes, login passwords, PINs, or other bank account information. Once criminals gain access to a customer’s phone or account, they can perform unauthorized transfers themselves, causing asset losses. In practice, this tactic has victimized many people and resulted in asset losses. In Da Nang, a woman named N.T.M.T. was duped by criminals impersonating technical staff on social media, who guided her to install a loudspeaker app for a digital wallet, leading to about 27 million dong in losses. Previously, Dien Bien Province Police had also warned about impersonation of technical-support staff, guiding the installation of a loudspeaker to monitor balance changes to steal bank account information. The ongoing cases show that criminals continuously adapt their methods to access and seize assets via electronic payment devices. Given these circumstances, Co-opBank urges customers, members of credit unions, especially those using payment speakers, to stay vigilant; do not install apps from unknown sources; do not provide OTPs, passwords, PINs, portrait photos, or any security information to others; and do not transfer money or follow instructions from suspicious calls or texts. If abnormal signs or suspected fraud are detected, customers should promptly contact the bank’s hotline or visit the nearest branch to have their accounts locked promptly to limit losses. Customers are also advised to report to the police and to file the matter via the VNeID app under Other Services/Feedback and Security to aid authorities in handling and processing the case. In view of the increasingly sophisticated online fraud, banks recommend customers regularly update warnings from banks and authorities, and stay vigilant against new methods to protect assets and personal information.
