Retired teachers were tricked into using all their savings to buy vacation contracts.

Retired teachers say they were tricked into signing additional vacation contracts.

Regarding the case of fraudulent schemes operating under the guise of businesses selling vacation packages in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City Police have... Eleven cases involving nearly 200 defendants have been prosecuted.Initially, investigators determined that the suspects had defrauded numerous victims nationwide of over 612 billion VND.

Retired teachers were lured into signing contracts.

Ms. HTTT (68 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City), a retired teacher, said that in 2023 she used all the money she had saved after many years of teaching to sign a contract to own an Alma vacation property worth 250 million VND, with a term of 29 years, and one vacation per year.

In January 2024, she received a call from a company called LORS inviting her to discuss their business's need to lease her Alma resort package for two years. However, upon arrival, the content of the meeting was completely different from what had been initially presented.

According to Ms. T., the two consultants did not mention subletting the contract but instead introduced another vacation package worth 30 million VND, promising to assist in reselling the Alma contract if she agreed to purchase additional services.

Initially, she refused due to financial constraints. However, the staff repeatedly highlighted numerous benefits, such as vacations at various locations over three years, and the option of installment payments.

Trusting this advice, on January 12, 2024, Ms. T. signed a contract and paid 10 million VND upfront, equivalent to one-third of the service package's value. The two parties agreed to pay the remaining amount on January 20.

"After that, I always felt uneasy, thinking I might have been scammed, so I decided not to make any further payments even though the company called me many times.", Mrs. T. recounted.

By mid-2025, she received another call informing her that the company would refund the 10 million VND she had paid. However, upon arriving at the office, instead of receiving the promised refund, she said the staff continued to persuade her to pay an additional 20 million VND.

According to Ms. T., the referral company had a wide network of partners and could find buyers for her Alma contract. Driven by a desire to recover her investment, she initially believed the well-presented and professional advice, but ultimately, after much deliberation, she accepted the loss of the 10 million VND she had already paid.

It was only when the police informed her that the case showed signs of fraud and invited her to come in for questioning to assist with the investigation that she realized she was one of many victims.

"I was so happy, I could barely sleep all night. The next morning I went straight to the police station to work things out. I am very grateful to the police force for giving citizens like me the opportunity to protect our rights according to the law.", she said.

Many people were tricked into signing multiple contracts in quick succession.

Regarding the investigation of the case, Major Tran Thanh Hau, Deputy Head of the Major Crimes Team, Criminal Police Department, Ho Chi Minh City Police, said that many customers were lured into signing 5-6 consecutive contracts with increasingly larger values.

According to Major Hau, the perpetrators often claim that signing additional contracts or upgrading service packages will allow customers to resell their old contracts or withdraw their invested money. However, in reality, buyers cannot recover their capital and continue to pay more money, while also being unable to use the services as promised.

Another tactic noted by investigators is that when customers react negatively or refuse to upgrade their contracts, the perpetrators will book hotel rooms at the requested tourist destination to build trust. However, customers are required to pay for all airfare, transportation, accommodation, and other incidental expenses themselves to use this booking.

Furthermore, the perpetrators repeatedly offered various excuses to delay the final settlement or payment as per the contract. According to investigators, this tactic preys on the victims' belief that the amount spent is not significant, causing many to make multiple trips, gradually becoming discouraged and giving up on claiming their rights. At that point, the perpetrators implicitly appropriate the money the customers have paid.

According to the investigation results, these organized networks operate under the guise of resort businesses to carry out fraudulent activities using sophisticated and professional methods, exploiting the desire for profitable investments or ownership of high-end resort packages.

The businesses involved include Happy Family Holiday Tourism Service Trading Company Limited, First Class Membership Joint Stock Company, YTS Company Limited, Yes International Company Limited, Paradise Travel Tourism and Travel Service Company Limited, Invest Trip Company Limited, Mariana Bay Group Company, Meli Club Company, League of Resorts (LORS) Company, Ravi Company, JJ Travel Company...