A high-tech criminal ring operating in Da Nang illegally obtained data from over 21,000 international credit cards and used them to place fraudulent orders on Amazon, illegally pocketing billions of dong.

On June 12, the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Division of the Da Nang Police Department announced that it had initiated criminal proceedings against a criminal organization for "illegally collecting, storing, trading, and publicizing bank account information."

The case has now been transferred to the city’s Criminal Investigation Police Department for further investigation and expansion.

The bust follows a nationwide crackdown on cybercrime launched under directives from the Prime Minister and the leadership of Da Nang Police.

Earlier, while monitoring local networks and cyberspace, the cybersecurity team, in coordination with relevant units, uncovered a large-scale organized crime group led by two individuals: T.D.D (from Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa Province) and N.Q.K (from Thanh Khe District, Da Nang).

According to preliminary investigations, the suspects rented two residential properties in Da Nang, outfitting them with sophisticated technological equipment. They recruited 15 individuals with IT backgrounds and used advanced cyber techniques to exploit security vulnerabilities. Through custom-developed software tools, they automatically harvested international bank card data for criminal use.

From November 2024 until the group’s operation was dismantled, they had illegally collected data from over 21,000 international credit cards - including VISA, Mastercard, and Discover - belonging to foreign users. The stolen card details were used to place thousands of transactions on the Amazon e-commerce platform, through which the group unlawfully gained billions of dong in profits.

Authorities searched the two rented locations and seized 15 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 16 CPUs, and 5 computer monitors.

The Cybersecurity Division is currently coordinating with Amazon and Visa to address and resolve the exploited security vulnerabilities.

Ho Giap