In the context of the explosion of e-commerce and social media, forms of online fraud are also increasing at an unprecedented speed and sophistication.

On November 27, under the direction of the Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (A05) under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA) collaborated with TikTok to organize a seminar on identifying fraud traps, a key activity of the "Anti-Online Fraud Campaign 2025," taking place nationwide from October to December 2025.

Vu Duy Hien, Deputy Secretary General and Chief of Office of the National Cybersecurity Association, noted that cybercriminals operate most aggressively during the year-end period, with millions of online transactions conducted every day.

Fraud schemes not only increase in frequency but also continually evolve, exploiting every vulnerability in technology and user behavior.

Common scam tactics include impersonating major brands, posing as employees of e-commerce platforms, using “shock sale” tricks, fraidulent paying through e-wallets, sending malicious links, or creating fake accounts to hijack user accounts and personal data.

Particularly, criminals exploit deepfake technology to mimic the voices and images of relatives in order to manipulate victims emotionally and steal assets.

Hien warned that many scams begin with small actions: a click to an unfamiliar link, scanning a QR code with no clear origin, or answering a video call that appears familiar.

Just a few seconds of carelessness can cause people to lose personal data, control of their social media accounts, or even their entire finances.

“Identifying scam traps is not only the responsibility of authorities but of the entire digital ecosystem, from platforms, merchants, and payment providers to every single user,” he emphasized.

Phan The Thang, Deputy Director of the Consumer Protection Department under the National Competition Commission, noted that the digital era brings many opportunities for commercial growth but increases the risk of fraud and deception.

To protect consumers, multiple activities under the Consumer Protection Law 2023 have been implemented, including improving regulations on handling violations in e-commerce, increasing sanctions in cyberspace, drafting a new E-commerce Law, and preparing the national consumer protection strategy for 2026–2030.

However, Thang emphasized that the effectiveness of legal frameworks depends on coordination among regulators, the business community, and consumers to build a safe and sustainable digital transaction ecosystem.

“Three-layer shield”: a solution to protect users in the digital era

In his presentation on solutions to protect participants in e-commerce, expert Vu Ngoc Son from the National Cybersecurity Association, stated that Vietnam is facing a “paradox of the digital era”: shopping and payments are more convenient than ever, but digital assets can also be stolen instantly after a single careless action.

Son highlighted three major risk groups: transaction fraud, data-theft fraud, and high-tech fraud, especially involving AI and deepfake. To counter these “invisible traps causing visible damage,” he proposed the “three-layer shield” model: legal, technological, and skill-based protection.

The Personal Data Protection Law 2025 strictly prohibits the buying, stealing, or exchanging of personal data without authorization, the very supply that enables criminals to target victims with the correct name, phone number, and information.

The draft Cybersecurity Law 2025 also strengthens regulations on data security while prohibiting the use of technology to impersonate information, images, voices, or copy brand identities.

Internationally, Vietnam has promoted cooperation through the Hanoi Convention, the first international instrument on cybercrime prevention opened for signature in Vietnam.

The convention aims to establish mechanisms for data sharing, digital evidence collection, and extradition of cybercriminals, helping extend the “legal shield” beyond national borders.

Banks and financial institutions have implemented multi-layer authentication such as passwords, OTPs, biometrics, and behavioral analysis to detect abnormal transactions.

The connected system for warning about criminal accounts between banks, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Bank has helped prevent many suspicious transactions and assisted in recovering stolen assets.

Additionally, users can protect themselves with tools that detect malicious links, such as nTrust, issued by the National Cybersecurity Association.

According to Son, the skill-based layer is the most important. Every citizen needs to develop digital awareness as a type of “vaccine” to prevent risks.

The “Cybersecurity handbook” published by the association is considered a valuable resource helping users identify scams and prevention methods. He encouraged younger generations to support older adults to spread safe digital practices in the community.

Thai Khang