A 59-year-old barber turned on a free security setting after a scam call

A 59-year-old barber in Dong Nai city, Vietnam, turned on two-step login for his Zalo messaging account after a scam call. The caller claimed to be from the electricity company. He said a bill was unpaid and demanded personal details, or the power would be cut off. The barber, Mr. Dung, checked with his son, who told him it was a scam.

What happened

Mr. Dung runs a small barbershop in Tam Hiep ward. He uses Zalo to keep in touch with his two children and to take bookings from customers. His son pays the electricity bill for him, so the call did not add up. He phoned his son before doing anything. After that, he began reading the warnings Zalo shares about fraud.

The wider picture

Mr. Dung is not alone. The Criminal Police Department of Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security counted 24,295 online fraud cases from 2020 to 2025. They followed more than 45 common scenarios and caused losses of nearly 40 trillion VND. Victims are mainly middle-aged and older people.

In early August 2026, Zalo and Google launched a Safety Center web page as part of a campaign against online fraud. It gathers advice and tools in one place. After three months it had nearly 130,000 visits. Mr. Dung read it and followed the guide to two-factor authentication.

How the setting works

With two-factor authentication on, logging in on a new device needs a one-time code as well as the password. So a stolen password alone is not enough to get in. Mr. Dung linked his email, switched the feature on and received a verification code. The whole process took less than two minutes on his old phone. The option sits in the Account and Security section of the app.

Zalo also points users to two other tools. Report Abuse lets people flag accounts or messages that look like fraud, impersonation or harassment. Privacy settings let users choose who can find them by phone number, who can message them and who can see their activity log. Zalo reports more than 82.6 million monthly active users as of the end of September 2026.

What to do

The story comes from Zalo's own campaign, so it is promotional in tone. The advice itself is sound and easy to act on. It does not say whether the scam call reached Mr. Dung through Zalo or by regular phone.

• Turn on two-step login in any messaging app you use, especially one tied to your business.
• Be wary of any caller who threatens to cut off a service unless you hand over details.
• Check with a family member before sharing information, as Mr. Dung did.
• Use the report and privacy tools to limit who can contact you.