Residents in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh city distressed by repeated fake delivery orders
Residents of Alley 20, Ben Nom Street, Rach Dua Ward have been suffering for nearly a year because some unknown person or persons constantly use their addresses to place fake online orders.
Residents of Alley 20, Bến Nôm Street, in HCM City’s Rạch Dừa Ward have been suffering for nearly a year because some unknown person or persons constantly use their addresses to place fake online orders.
Residents said the constant arrival of delivery drivers at all hours, ringing doorbells, knocking on gates, calling phones, idling motorbike engines, and even yelling out, stresses them.
“With mostly elderly people living in the alley, the constant disturbances severely affect their daily lives,” one said.
Initially, the residents believed the fake delivery orders for food, beverages, clothing, and various other items were just misunderstandings due to wrong location.
But later they discovered it was a deliberate effort by one or more people to mentally harass one of the households in the alley.
According to delivery drivers, the unidentified harassers place orders for a few hundred thousand đồng and provide a random address in the alley.
When the driver arrives, the caller’s phone number is either unreachable or has blocked incoming calls.
The scammer is believed to use multiple disposable SIM cards to avoid detection.
In some cases, the scammer initially gives a nearby address before directing the driver into the alley.
The scam has also affected other services such as door repair, home maintenance, passenger transport, gas delivery and even emergency ambulance services.
“Around the Lunar New Year, many ride-hailing and taxi drivers were called to pick someone up here, but the number was turned off or the address was fake,” a resident in the alley said.
In response, locals have put up multiple warning signs to alert drivers.
While local authorities have launched an investigation, incidents continue to occur.
Some online driver communities have started sharing warnings about the alley to help others avoid falling victim to the scam.
Viet Nam News – July 18, 2025