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On the afternoon of April 16, the Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Division of Hue City Police announced that it had initiated a case and charged two suspects linked to online usurious lending activities.
The two suspects are Nguyễn Ngọc Tuấn (born 1991, residing in Ninh Bình province) and Phạm Huỳnh Thanh Trúc (born 2002, residing in Kiên Giang province).
Preliminary investigation findings indicate that the suspects used multiple Facebook accounts to regularly post advertisements for daily installment loans in groups in Hue City. They used Zalo to contact borrowers and then arranged meetings at coffee shops to discuss loan amounts, interest rates, and repayment methods.
For first-time borrowers, the suspects charged a 15% processing fee of the total loan amount, deducted from the disbursement. For subsequent loans, the fee was 10%.
Borrowers were required to transfer installments daily to a bank account designated by the suspects. In cases of late payment, the suspects repeatedly sent texts and made calls with threats to pressure borrowers to pay. The police noted that there were cases where the annual interest rate reached up to 530.91%.
The case is currently under investigation, and the police said those involved will be handled strictly in accordance with the law.
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