3 tricks cybercriminals often use to 'online kidnap' students

This is the content emphasized by Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Cuong - Head of Department 3, Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention (A05), Ministry of Public Security at the Cyber Day 2025 event organized by Wellspring International Bilingual School System on October 11 in Hanoi. This is an event responding to the campaign "Not alone - Together online safety" launched by the Ministry of Public Security.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Cuong, children and adolescents are vulnerable to cybercrime due to their lack of self-protection skills and their vulnerability to psychological manipulation. Statistics from authorities in the first 6 months of 2025 recorded dozens of cases of children and adolescents being scammed, abused or lured online. Among them, the form of "online kidnapping" has emerged as a new dangerous trick, often targeting students.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Cuong at the event. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

Mr. Cuong emphasized three main, sophisticated tricks of fraud and crime on social networks. The first is intimidation. Criminals often impersonate authorities, inform students that they are under suspicion or have violated certain regulations to trigger fear, forcing victims to comply with requests.

"Bad guys often impersonate police officers, forcing students to undress to check for tattoos or special marks on their bodies. After having sensitive photos, they continue to use these images to threaten and intimidate both students and their families," Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Cuong pointed out.

The second trick is manipulation, trying to control students' emotions and behaviors in the long term by telling sweet, convincing stories, making the victims believe and listen to their requests.

Finally, criminals often take advantage of teenagers' psychology, luring them with many attractive offers such as fame, love, money... to lure and control them.

"Do not let your children wander alone on the internet" is the principle emphasized three times by Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan - Director of A05 Training Center, Ministry of Public Security.

According to a 2022 Google survey, on average, Vietnamese children use phones from the age of 9, 4 years earlier than the world average. Early exposure to the Internet brings more dangers, so parents need to supervise and not completely hand over the device to their children.

"There was once a female student who intended to take 400 sleeping pills after being bullied online. Luckily, she took them slowly, and the police and doctors were able to save her life in time, but the psychological trauma was very severe and not easy to heal," Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan recounted.

Colonel Nguyen Hong Quan - Director of A05 Training Center (Ministry of Public Security) spoke at the event. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

According to Mr. Quan, the criminal process often begins with a few friendly messages, then entices children to send private photos or videos . Once they have the data, they immediately threaten to post it online to control and force the victim to do as they are asked.

Regarding solutions, experts advise parents to befriend their children, build trust so that children are willing to share problems encountered, thereby detecting and handling risks early. In addition, parents need to proactively update their technological knowledge, study with their children to calmly handle incidents when they occur.

From an educational perspective, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tien Cuong suggested that schools play a connecting role, organizing many activities and discussions to help students improve their awareness and skills in cyber safety.

Police forces want social media platforms to develop easy-to-use tools so that young people can quickly report and seek support when facing danger online.

"Not Alone" is a national action campaign, sponsored by the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Health, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); jointly organized by the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention, the National Cyber Security Association and the Hanoi People's Committee...
Within the framework of the Hanoi Convention signing ceremony on October 25-26, the “Not Alone” campaign will participate in two international workshops to affirm Vietnam’s commitment and efforts in protecting vulnerable groups in cyberspace. All are aimed at creating a ripple effect, equipping young people with self-protection skills, connecting the community and affirming Vietnam’s pioneering role in the field of cybercrime prevention.

LINH NHI

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/3-thu-doan-toi-pham-mang-thuong-dung-de-bat-coc-online-hoc-sinh-sinh-vien-ar970734.html