Registering for pickleball lessons online, woman in Hanoi was scammed out of 400 million VND

On December 2, according to information from Hanoi City Police, the Investigation Police Agency of Cau Giay District Police issued a decision to prosecute a case of fraud and property appropriation through online pickleball registration.

Previously, Ms. H. (living in Hanoi) wanted to register her child to learn pickleball (playing with plastic balls). Ms. H. searched online and contacted the Facebook account “Vietnam Pickleball Federation”.

During the discussion, this person asked her to download the Telegram application and be instructed by the "experts" to participate in a number of tasks to confirm sports equipment to receive a discount on the course. Ms. H. agreed to participate. Because of trust, Ms. H. transferred nearly 400 million VND to the account provided by the subjects.

Ms. H. wanted to withdraw the above amount, but the subjects informed her that she had entered the wrong syntax and asked her to transfer more money to withdraw the money. Realizing that she had been scammed, Ms. H. went to the police station to report.

Pickleball is a sport that has recently gained popularity, creating a trend in Vietnam. This is a new sport but has developed very quickly and attracted many participants to practice health. Taking advantage of this, some people have created fake Facebook pages "Vietnam Pickleball Federation" to find ways to defraud and appropriate the property of people who register to learn to play Pickleball.

To prevent fraud, Hanoi City Police recommend that people be vigilant when registering for pickleball classes advertised on social networks and inform relatives, family, and friends about the above tricks.

People who want to learn to play pickleball should go directly to the centers and training facilities to learn more about the sport they are participating in. When encountering cases with signs of fraud, people should immediately contact the police for timely resolution.