Fake hotel websites plague Vietnamese resort town

A general view of apartment buildings in Hanoi Vietnam Sept 27 2024 Yonhap — A general view of apartment buildings in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sept. 27. 2024. Yonhap

SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Nha Trang, a popular resort town in southern Viet Nam, is facing a surge in hotel booking scams. Fraudsters are creating fake websites and social media pages for 4 and 5-star hotels and resorts, tricking tourists into paying for non-existent reservations. One victim from Hanoi lost about 700,000 won ($520) when attempting to book for a group of 12.

Local police have reported nearly 100 similar cases. The scammers imitate pages of well-known establishments like Havana Nha Trang Hotel and Vinpearl Resort, often offering special deals to encourage prepayment. Victims typically discover the fraud only upon arrival at the hotel.

Affected hotels have issued warnings about these fake pages. However, the scammers continue to aggressively promote their schemes, with some victims losing up to tens of millions of Vietnamese dong. Nguyen Thi Le Thanh, director of tourism for Khanh Hoa province, which includes Nha Trang, describes this as an organized fraud targeting multiple victims. She urges tourists to report such incidents to authorities immediately.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com