Police investigate case of cheating foreign travelers

Police has found out the taxo driver who had returned fake money to two foreign visitors, announced the anti-Criminal, Hoan Kiem District Police, Hanoi, on July 21.
Trần Văn Phong and the fake note
Trần Văn Phong and the fake note
          Tran Van Phong, 29 years old, living in Xuan Phuong, Nam Dinh, was confirmed              the cheating taxi driver

The incident took place around 7 pm on July 16. After leaving a restaurant on Le Thai To Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, the two Spanish tourists Miguel Fernandez Lamelas and his girlfriend Elena Blasco Hernandez hired a taxi driven by Phong to a hotel located in Ngoc Thuy ward, Long Bien district.

When the taxi arrived at the hotel, Muguel gave Phong a note of VND 500,000 while the meter showed Muguel's trip cost of VND 37,000.

Thinking that the two foreigners do not know about Vietnamese currency, taking advantage of the linguistic differences, Phong took out three notes of fake money (two notes worth VND 200,000 and a note worth VND 500,000) and gave them to Muguel.

After the incident was discovered, the taxi driver also admitted the whole deceitful behavior against the two travelers. The case was then handled over to Long Bien district Police for further investigating according to the competence.

Hoan Kiem district Police also discovered and handled Nguyen Van Chinh (39 years old, from Hai Hau, Nam Dinh province) who cheated foreign tourists with high price.  

Chinh often transported tourists round Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter by cyclo.

The cyclo driver himself admitted that he had charged the tourists VND 600,000 for an hour to visit around the old quarter of Hanoi. The victims were a couple coming from France.

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