Man seized in $900 billion treasure scam   Nguyen Thanh Chon forges this “immunity” card on which his name, photo and his position as “member of the central strategic advisory board” were printed. Tuoi Tre Police from the Ministry of Public of Security have arrested a man who was a member of a swindling ring that claimed to possess treasures worth as much as US$900 billion as a bait to cheat others off money. The man, Nguyen Thanh Chon, was arrested at his home in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, on Wednesday on charges of “swindling to appropriate assets,” said Colonel Nguyen Xuan Mung, deputy head of the Ministry of Public Security’s Security Investigation Agency. The ring, which operated nationwide, ‘founded’ the so-called Hoa Mai Hoi (Apricot Society), a bogus organization that the ring claimed was controlling hundreds of treasures at home and abroad, including US dollars and ancient coins worth an astronomical US$900 billion, Mung said. The ring’s members told their potential victims that the treasures were located at sacred and secret lands and were put under the care of a number of reputable elderly persons. The swindlers said the year 2013 is an ideal time for exploiting three treasures and called on others to contribute large amounts of money to the Hoa Mai Hoi organization as “diplomatic expenses” so that it can contact Vietnam’s highest ranking officials to ask for permission to tap into these treasures. The swindlers promised that those who contributed money would be paid back handsome rewards. In order to persuade their victims to pay them billions of dong (VND1 billion = US$48,000) as “contributions to tapping into the treasures”, Chon even forged an “immunity” card on which his name, photo and his position as “member of the central strategic advisory board” were printed. He also showed their victims other fake papers like letters of recommendation issued to him by the said board. In one document, Chon was introduced as a member of a special unit. The ring was even successful in persuading high-ranking officials to give them money. One of Chon’s victims was a man identified as C. who lives in HCMC’s Binh Chanh District, who paid Chon more than VND2 billion ($96,000). Another victim was a woman named L, also in HCMC, who handed Chon over VND3.2 billion. As a way to convince his victims, Chon arranged for them to meet an elderly man whom Chon introduced as one of the treasure keepers. After investigation, police discovered that the old man Chon introduced was a farmer tending ducks in HCMC’s Can Gio District.  Police are expanding investigation into the swindling ring. TUOITRENEWS