After just a few minutes of answering a fraudulent phone call, a woman in Ho Chi Minh City lost the entire VND 3.5 billion in her bank account. Without launching any sophisticated system attacks, scammers tricked the victim into installing a fake application on her phone. This scam has surged ahead of the 2026 Lunar New Year, with criminals impersonating government officials to announce “Tet gift support” or social insurance payments.

The scammers use AI and deepfake technology to impersonate the appearance and voice of officials, building trust and luring victims into clicking malicious links to install malware. Once the app is activated, the device is remotely taken over. The attackers immediately harvest OTP codes and banking passwords, draining the victim’s account within seconds.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, people’s excitement over receiving gifts or financial support makes them more vulnerable to such scams. According to Bkav experts, to protect their assets, people should:

• Never install applications from unknown links sent via Zalo, SMS, or phone calls, especially those claiming to offer financial support, Tet gifts, or social insurance benefits.

• Proactively verify information through official channels when receiving calls from individuals claiming to be government officers or staff.

• Limit granting sensitive permissions to applications, particularly accessibility access, remote control, and SMS access.

• Use licensed antivirus software to detect and block malware that can take control of devices.

• If device compromise is suspected, immediately lock bank accounts, change passwords on a separate secure device, disconnect from the Internet, and report the incident to the police.

Bkav