On January 6th, the Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of Quang Tri Provincial Police announced their successful crackdown on a usurious lending ring operating through the website 1gold.biz. The operation was led in collaboration with the Criminal Investigation Department and local police authorities.
Investigations revealed that the syndicate, headed by Nguyen Van Tuan (born in 1999, residing in Tung Thien Ward, Hanoi), exploited the digital space to offer loans with exorbitant interest rates.
The usurious lending syndicate arrested. Photo: Quang Tri Police
The group developed 1gold.biz as an “online ledger,” with strict administrative privileges, utilizing social media to promote their services, target borrowers, and manage lending activities across a wide area.
Preliminary findings indicate that from 2024 onwards, Nguyen Van Tuan, along with accomplices Khuất Kiều Quý, Lê Quang Điệp, Man Viết Nhất, and Lê Văn Thắng (all residents of Tung Thien Ward, Hanoi), engaged in usurious lending in Quang Tri Province, charging interest rates ranging from 365% to over 600% annually, illicitly profiting over 1 billion VND.
Based on the evidence gathered, on December 28th, 2025, the Investigative Police Agency of Quang Tri Provincial Police initiated legal proceedings, charging five suspects with “Usurious Lending in Civil Transactions” and imposing pre-trial detention.
According to police authorities, this organized criminal group employed sophisticated tactics, leveraging the digital realm to operate their usurious lending scheme, highlighting the shift of traditional crimes into the digital domain.
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