Brian Jeffrey
Recently, the technology scene in Vietnam has been buzzing with two significant stories: a new scam threatening credit card data and the near launch of Meta AI in the country.
The Information Security Authority has alerted users about a fraudulent scheme that targets credit card information.
This scam, similar to recent cases in the U.S., involves con artists stealing credit card details from transactions on online shopping sites.
Scammers trick potential victims by advertising enticing deals and discounts, which prompt them to share personal and banking details to finalize their purchases.
They create fictitious e-commerce sites and share links in promotional posts, directing victims to only make payments via bank cards, which leads victims to submit their card numbers.
Afterward, victims receive messages stating that their payment failed because their card was denied, encouraging them to attempt the transaction again using a different card.
This often results in victims providing information from another card or borrowing from relatives, allowing the scammers to harvest more financial data undetected.
On October 1st, during the 2024 Vietnam Innovation Day, Meta’s Global Affairs President unveiled the company’s plans for Vietnam.
He revealed that, by the year’s end, Meta will launch an AI virtual assistant for Vietnamese businesses, integrated into the Messenger app to boost efficiency.
Additionally, he announced that Meta’s Quest 3S VR glasses would be produced in Vietnam in partnership with local manufacturers, fostering over 1,000 new jobs and positioning the nation at the forefront of the metaverse industry.
Vietnam is expected to be among the first nations to implement Meta AI, preceding several European nations.
This follows disruptions earlier this year affecting three out of five international undersea fiber-optic cables operated by local carriers, with incidents recorded on March 15, May 23, and June 13.
According to a representative from an Internet Service Provider, the capacity of the IA submarine cable has been fully restored, with issues regarding the S1 and S5 branches resolved by mid-July and late September, respectively.
Partial restoration of capacity for the APG undersea cable took place by the end of August, and repairs on the S1.9 branch near Malaysia are set to finish by early October.
Similarly, issues in the S1H3 branch of the AAE-1 cable toward Hong Kong have been addressed, with repairs on the S1H5 branch anticipated to be completed by October 26.
With these repair timelines, full internet connectivity from Vietnam to international networks is expected to be restored by October 2024.
