Prevent "black credit" fraud through apps

The tricks of the director of Good Voice company

Ho Chi Minh City Police and districts have continuously stepped up measures to investigate and handle a series of companies and businesses that are "disguised" and are lending money at "exorbitant" interest rates to many subjects and suspects for acts of extortion related to "black credit" and debt collection. The police also coordinated with the city's departments, branches and organizations to deploy a plan to launch propaganda and mobilize people to participate in removing and deleting products that are advertising in violation of regulations throughout the city.

On May 29, 11 defendants, directors and employees of 3 app lending companies, were prosecuted and temporarily detained by the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department for investigation and handling of property extortion. Among them are Nguyen Manh Hai (30 years old, residing in Khanh Hoa province) - Director of Tieng Noi Hay Debt Collection Company; Vu Ngoc Minh Khanh (28 years old, residing in Khanh Hoa province) - team leader; Nguyen Thi Thuy Van (28 years old, residing in District 7); Tran Thi Mai (27 years old, residing in Thu Duc City) is the manager of about 21 lending apps. In addition, there are also employees of Golden Company, Bamboo Company... who manage online lending apps.

Prosecute and detain Nguyen Manh Hai, Director of Tieng Noi Hay Debt Collection Company.

Previously, through the work of grasping the situation on cyberspace and information sources provided by the masses, it was found that there were many advertisements about online loan apps, no mortgage required, no loan application required... that hit the psychology of the people such as: Quick disbursement, quick procedures, no need to prove income... with simple installation methods, just need to operate on the phone to download the applications and install according to the instructions without knowing that to borrow money, you must allow the loan application to access your phone contacts, personal photos and collect user information...

The lending method of “black credit” subjects is to only pay short-term within 7 to 10 days with high interest rates (disguised as collecting service fees...). When the borrower does not pay on time, the staff will call or text to remind them to pay the debt.

In case the borrower does not pay or cuts off contact, the staff will use the contact list to call relatives and friends to remind the borrower that "if you borrow, you must pay" to avoid disturbing relatives and friends.

After calling borrowers and their relatives and friends to collect debts for loans that have not been paid, the staff will make phone calls, curse, threaten and send messages with vulgar and insulting words, take personal photos and combine them with obscene and nude photos to send to relatives and family... to pressure them to pay on behalf of borrowers to be at peace, not to be cursed or disturbed. In addition, groups of subjects will directly or hire people to throw paint and dirty substances, causing damage to people's property and disrupting security and order in the city.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department has directed the Criminal Police Department to establish a special investigation project, apply professional measures in coordination with the Criminal Police Department, professional departments of the Ministry of Public Security , Can Tho City Police, verify and collect documents, and identify more than 32 online loan apps operating with sophisticated debt collection methods and tricks.

According to the initial investigation results, Nguyen Manh Hai is the Director of Tieng Noi Hay Company, guiding and operating lending via apps, debt collection (the owner is a Chinese national who runs it, hired Nguyen Manh Hai to operate it).

Police searched the residence of Cao Thi Xuan Huong, chief accountant of Sofi Solutions LLC.

Every day, each member receives about 10 overdue borrower files to collect debts and benefits from 50,000 VND for the first 3 files and 50,000 VND for each subsequent file. Debt collection will be calculated by the target (called KPI) and will be rewarded by the company from 3 to 3.5 million VND when reaching KPI.

To collect debt, Hai provided phone numbers, SIM cards and text messages with content such as: "You animals, quickly bark at (customer's name) and (parent's phone number) to pay (amount of money)... You guys keep stealing money from me and I can't rest in peace..." for group members to use to threaten borrowers and their relatives.

Have to call 300 or more calls a day

The police also determined that Tran Thi Mai (an employee of Golden Company) manages a total of about 21 lending apps (some of which are: Baovay, Goldvay, Sugarvay, Ezvay, Ppvay, Fullcash, Cfcash, 99cash, Maxvay, Wellvay, Ucvay, Fixloan, Dodong, Find[1]ong, Roseloan, Bigcash, Cash66, Flydong, Okloan, Aloloan, Seacash), and manages all employees of these apps. Every day, employees will be instructed on how to collect money and will be paid with bonuses and responsibility allowances. The police determined that each lending app will create a group on social networks to manage and divide levels from S0 (new employees) to S1 (debt collectors from 1 to 7 days), S2 (debt collectors from 8 to 30 days).

Meanwhile, the two subjects Dam Chi Hao and Chau Kha Nghi have been working as debt collectors at Golden Company since June 2022. Hao and Nghi confessed that Hao was accepted into the company to work in the group of debts overdue under 7 days, including 3 groups, using the applications: Goldway, Dodong, Fixloan, while Nghi was introduced to work in the debt reminder group and used the applications Find[1]ong, Fullcash of the Golden Company system managed by Tran Thi Mai.

Tran Thi Thanh Huong (born in 1995, from Dong Thap province) is a debt collector for Bamboo Finance Company (with a representative office at 86 Nguyen Trai Street, Cai Khe Ward, Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho City). Bamboo Company uses applications including: Magician, Sun Shine Loan, Eagel, Caft, Ech Vay, Giraffe, Camel, Gourd, King Kong, Landlord, Dinosaur, Cactus, Shooting Star, Swan, Key to lend money to customers.

In addition, the police also identified the defendants Nguyen Thi Cam Hong as an employee of the apps Tu Do and Doc Lap; Tran Tan Tien worked as a debt collector for Chinese-owned loan apps including Nano, Gola, Asa, Benta, Bason, Roly, Anfa, Misa, Mango, Vila. In 2022, Tien collected debts for the apps Mango and Vila; Nguyen Vang Trung was the debt collection team leader and Nguyen Thanh Tung was a debt collector for the apps NamLoan, BlueVay, Ap[1]pleLoan, SunLoan, MunLoan, Pedong, BeeLoan, Reddong, HotDong... Vang and Trung worked under the direction and management of a Chinese person.

Police searched the residence and workplace of Tran Dung, head of operations at Sofi Solutions LLC.

According to the investigation results, the above-mentioned lending apps usually have 3 levels when collecting debt. From level 1, level 2 is texting, calling borrowers, their relatives to threaten, intimidate the borrower's spirit to level 3 is terrorizing relatives by cutting and pasting images of borrowers, or relatives of borrowers into information about debt evasion, going to the altar, working as prostitutes and sensitive images... posted on social networks, sent to Zalo of customers and relatives, friends of customers through the customer's contact list.

Lending apps will have many departments such as loan appraisal, system management, debt reminder and collection, debt collection and debt sales staff management. Those who work in the debt reminder and debt collection department claim that their only job is to call customers to remind them to pay their debts on time. If they do not pay, they will send messages of curses, threats, and transfer the customer's loan file to the debt collection department, which will threaten them more severely, such as posting pictures and collages on Facebook and Zalo. This department has a target of calling 300 or more calls a day.

In case debt collection is ineffective, the loan apps will sell the debt to disguised law firms, debt trading companies, financial companies... to continue debt collection by means of terrorist phone calls, threats to relatives, slanderous photos posted on social networks to defame and lower the reputation of the borrower and relatives...

Similarly, on May 28, 9 directors, department heads, division heads, and team leaders of Digital Credit Trading and Service Company Limited, Fincap VN Company Limited, and Sofi Solutions Company Limited were also prosecuted by Ho Chi Minh City Police for the crime of "Lending at high interest rates in civil transactions".

During the investigation, Ho Chi Minh City Police determined that these companies had "hidden" as pawnshop and financial consulting services to operate loan sharking activities through the websites tamo.vn and findo.vn.

These are illegal online consumer lending websites, pre-programmed, with data servers located abroad and operated from abroad. Sofi Solutions, Digital Credit, and Fincap companies operate lending activities in Vietnam.

When there is a need for a loan, customers only need to log in to the website or application on the phone, fill in personal information and the loan request will be automatically processed by the system without having to directly contact any employee of the lender.

From April 2019 to April 2023, through the above two websites, Digital Credit Trading and Service Company Limited, Fincap VN Company Limited and Sofi Solutions Company Limited disbursed more than 2 million loans, totaling more than VND 6,072 billion, illegally profiting more than VND 4,123.4 billion, with the lowest interest rate being 153.2%, the highest being 1,289.67%, 7 to 64 times higher than the highest interest rate prescribed in the Civil Code...

From these projects, it can be seen that the situation of loan sharking through apps or disguised websites is still very complicated, with many sophisticated variations, causing much frustration among the people, affecting the security and order situation. At the same time, the authorities have also shown their determination in stepping up the fight and handling of crimes related to "black credit" through apps, illegal debt collection under the guise of financial consulting companies, law consulting companies...

Ho Chi Minh City Police warned people to be more vigilant. When they need capital for business, they should contact banks and financial institutions licensed by the State to enjoy preferential policies and suitable interest rates. In addition, people should not borrow money through illegal apps to avoid having their information, phone contacts, personal photos leaked and being harassed by criminals, having paint or dirt thrown on them, affecting them and their families. And, customers can have their personal information sold to scammers or carry out illegal activities.

After nearly a month of implementing the plan to launch propaganda and mobilize people to participate in removing and deleting illegal advertising products throughout the city, Ho Chi Minh City Police discovered and verified hundreds of phone numbers related to financial lending activities with 50 suspects, prosecuted 3 cases, 17 defendants for crimes related to "black credit", and administratively punished 43 cases of illegal advertising.

According to People's Police Newspaper null

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