Hi everyone, I’ve just been the victim of a very similar scam, but this time in Saigon, Vietnam.
A man approached me on the street and started talking about meeting his daughter, who’s leaving to work in France… and before I knew it, I was in a taxi on my way to his place. There, I met the uncle, a croupier in a big casino in Borneo, who taught me blackjack and how to cheat with him. Soon after, the wealthy person we were supposed to scam arrived. The croupier had already given me a few $100 bills to bet with.
I was getting more and more nervous—I could tell something was off, but I felt pressured to keep playing along and didn’t dare say anything.
The person across from me kept pulling out stacks of crisp bills, the bets were rising fast, and I had to put up the 2.5 million dong I had on me, then "borrow" from the "bank."
In the end, we were up to $37,000 on the line, and the person across from me wanted to see cash guarantees before showing their hand.
At that point, we spoke privately with the croupier, who suggested he’d front part of the money himself—but he didn’t have enough, so I’d need to bring the rest, about $9,000, so we could collect and split the $37,000.
I refused to withdraw or transfer any money from my account. After a bit of pressure, they said they understood it was scary and told me they’d figure out a way to gather the money, including selling some gold jewelry. They told me to come back the next day to finish the game and the transaction with the wealthy loser.
Just to clarify, they were never threatening or aggressive—just a little emotional manipulation (like the mother being in the hospital…). They gave me back my 2.5 million dong (which looked real) and took me back to my hotel by taxi.
I’m guessing it’s best not to go back, but I’d just like to ask a few questions and get your thoughts, please:
Would it make sense to go to the police? I have the girl’s WhatsApp and found their address on Google Maps.
But is the Vietnamese police really trustworthy? Could I end up in more trouble?
Thanks for reading—I hope I’ve been clear enough.
