“38-Year-Old Real Estate Agent Arrested in Property Scam”

The case began on August 26, 2025, when Mr. Pham Viet S., a resident of Hoa Xuan Ward, Da Nang, posted an advertisement on social media selling a plot of land in Duc Trong Commune, Lam Dong Province. Upon discovering the post, Nguyen Van Luc (42 years old, residing in Ngoc Kinh Tay Village, Ha Nha Commune, Da Nang) forwarded it to Pham Thi Thuong (38 years old, residing in Tu Cung Village, Tinh Khe Commune, Quang Ngai Province). Together, they devised a fraudulent scheme to deceive and extort money from Mr. S.

Their plan was meticulously orchestrated:

Pham Thi Thuong posed as a real estate agent named “Thu,” using the Zalo account “Minh Thu” to contact Mr. S. She claimed to have a potential buyer named “Minh” interested in purchasing the land.

Nguyen Van Luc then used a different phone number to call Mr. S., impersonating the buyer “Minh” introduced by “Minh Thu.” He negotiated the price with Mr. S.

Unsuspecting, Mr. S. fell for their elaborate ruse without any doubt.

Once the seller and the fake buyer agreed on the price, Thuong (as “Minh Thu”) asked Mr. S. to draft a deposit agreement for the land sale, claiming to represent a brokerage firm as a witness.

To further gain Mr. S.’s trust, Thuong purchased pre-made deposit contract templates from a photocopy shop, filled in the details of the transaction between Mr. S. and Luc, and forged the signature and seal of “Hung Thinh Phat Real Estate Management LLC” on the contract. She then sent photos of the document to Mr. S. via Zalo.

With Mr. S.’s trust secured, Thuong proceeded to defraud him. She fabricated various fees, such as online contract fees, witness fees, deposit guarantee fees, and consignment fees, and demanded Mr. S. transfer these “charges” to her. In total, Mr. S. was scammed out of over 195 million VND.

After the fraud, Thuong gave Nguyen Van Luc 4.9 million VND. The remaining money was spent on personal expenses and debt repayment, with Luc also spending his share entirely.

Upon realizing he had been deceived, Mr. Pham Viet S. reported the incident to the police. Through thorough investigation and professional measures, the Da Nang City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division swiftly uncovered the truth.

At the police station, both Pham Thi Thuong and Nguyen Van Luc confessed to their crimes. The Investigative Police Agency of Da Nang City Police seized crucial evidence, including a laptop, two mobile phones, two fake seals, and related documents.

The Investigative Police Agency issued a decision to prosecute and detain the two suspects for “Fraud to Appropriate Property.” The case is currently under further investigation by the Da Nang City Police to ensure strict legal proceedings.