Police in Vietnam have apprehended 20 individuals accused of orchestrating a scheme to steal and gain control of tens of thousands of Facebook accounts, both within the country and internationally. According to state media reports on Wednesday, the group managed to amass nearly $4 million in profits from their illicit activities.

The group stands accused of developing and disseminating malware designed to hijack over 25,000 high-value business accounts, as reported by VNExpress. Cybersecurity police conducted raids in several locations across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the northern Nam Dinh province in April, resulting in the arrests.

The alleged leader of the group is identified as 31-year-old Dang Dinh Son, who reportedly purchased a malware source for $1,200 to pilfer Facebook user account information. Hailing from Nam Dinh province, Son utilized this malware to seize control of two prominent Facebook fan pages associated with photo editing sites known as "Art Bay AI" and "Evoto Studio," as stated by state media.

Subsequently, they enticed Facebook users to download and install an application containing malware that infiltrated their devices. The stolen data was then gathered and transmitted to a server controlled by Son, before being disseminated to five groups on Telegram. These groups facilitated the hijacking of user accounts by other members of the gang.

The high-value Facebook accounts were reportedly sold for profit, while lower-value accounts were utilized to advertise clothing and other items on e-commerce platforms. The accused individuals are said to have pocketed $3.8 million from their illicit operations.

As of April, Vietnam ranked 7th globally in terms of the total number of Facebook users, with a user base of 75.3 million, according to Statista.

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