Vietnam initiates campaign to combat online fraud

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has launched a campaign on online fraud prevention to increase awareness and understanding of the issue. The campaign, which will run until July 23, is led by the MIC’s Authority of Information Security (AIS) and involves relevant stakeholders. According to the AIS, online fraud and scams have become more complex in the digital environment.

In the first six months of 2021, online fraud in Vietnam increased by 65% compared to the same period last year and 38% compared to the last six months of 2020. The AIS has identified three main groups of frauds, including brand counterfeiting, account appropriation, and other combinations, with 24 types of fraud occurring in Vietnam’s cyberspace. Online scams often target vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, students/youth, workers/employees, and office workers. The authority believes that one of the main causes of this situation is the perception of users.

In addition to technical solutions, the campaign aims to increase communication and awareness of basic knowledge and skills to ensure information security in the digital space. The campaign includes popular clips about online fraud, instructions on identifying 24 types of fraud, and a set of knowledge manuals. The goal is to create a safe Vietnamese cyberspace, contribute to accelerating the country’s digital transformation, and develop digital socioeconomic infrastructure sustainably.