Ta Minh Chau and his accomplices have been arrested for organizing fake injuries and staging accident scenes to fraudulently claim more than USD 240,000 from life insurance providers in Phu Tho province.

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Ta Minh Chau, mastermind of the insurance scam. Photo: Phu Tho Police

On November 14, the Phu Tho Provincial Police Department announced that they had dismantled a sophisticated fraud ring that involved intentionally breaking bones and fabricating medical conditions to defraud insurance companies.

Investigators identified Tạ Minh Chau, 30, a former employee of the Cam Khe District Medical Center, as the ringleader and mastermind behind the scheme.

Leveraging his background in the medical field and his detailed knowledge of human anatomy and insurance claim protocols for high-value bone fractures, Chau designed a meticulous plan. His operation covered everything from convincing participants to purchase life insurance policies, to inflicting injuries and fabricating accident scenes and medical documents in order to file false claims.

Notably, Chau directly administered anesthesia to victims, then used syringes and hammers to create fractures and fissures in their bones, simulating real accident injuries. After the injuries were inflicted, Chau instructed participants on how to stage plausible accident scenarios - such as electric shocks or falls into streams - to match the fabricated diagnoses and support the insurance claims.

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The location where the suspects sedated victims and performed bone fractures. Photo: Phu Tho Police

Chau collaborated with several accomplices, including Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu, Nguyen Anh Dung, Ha Thanh Dat, Hoang Van Truong, Hoang Van Thang, Hoang Thi Hong Diep, and Hoang Thi Linh. These individuals followed Chau’s instructions to buy insurance and then allowed him to inflict injuries for the purpose of illicit financial gain.

Using these methods, the group successfully defrauded multiple life insurance companies, including Manulife, AIA, Dai-ichi Life, FWD, Sun Life, and Chubb Life. Of the total stolen, Manulife alone suffered a loss of approximately USD 104,000.

Based on the investigation, the Phu Tho Provincial Police Department issued emergency arrest warrants for Tạ Minh Chau, Hoang Van Truong, Hoang Van Thang, Hoang Thi Hong Diep, and Nguyen Anh Dung.

Six additional suspects have been temporarily detained to assist with further investigation.

Anh Tam