Recently, on the evening of September 12, the Vietnam Fatherland Front publicly posted a list of organizations and individuals who supported those affected by Storm No. 3 and flooding through bank money transfer applications.
This action is initially aimed at ensuring transparency, allowing everyone to monitor the support efforts. Currently, the Central Relief Fund has also specifically published a list of organizations and individuals who contributed through bank account numbers from September 1 to September 10, 2024.
However, this published receipt list has revealed that many celebrities and groups, despite posting receipts on their personal pages with donations amounting to several hundred million or even a billion dong, actually contributed only a very small fraction of that. This may simply be for the purpose of “showing off” or even “skimming” from the group.
Specifically, a content creator named Viet Anh Pi Po shared a screenshot of a 20 million donation to support those affected by Storm No. 3 on the morning of September 10. After the Vietnam Fatherland Front announced the receipts, netizens discovered that the actual amount was only 1 million dong. This individual later posted an apology.
Additionally, there have been some individuals representing groups who have contributed with very small amounts, only a few thousand or even tens of thousands, leading many to suspect fraud or suggest that the money transfer was inadvertently “short” due to some confusion.
Those who alter money transfer receipts may face administrative penalties or criminal prosecution
In a conversation with us, Dr. Lawyer Dang Van Cuong (Law Office of Chinh Phap, Hanoi Bar Association) stated that the generosity towards those in disaster-stricken areas varies based on personal circumstances; no one criticizes charitable donations as too much or too little. However, using software to edit money transfer receipts to inflate the amount of charity not only violates social ethics but also constitutes a legal infringement.
According to the lawyer, aiding those affected by disasters is a cherished tradition among Vietnamese people. Depending on individual circumstances, the contributions of citizens may differ.
“No one thinks that someone who donates a lot has a bigger heart than someone who donates less; the amount donated depends on individual circumstances. No one encourages over-contributing beyond one’s capabilities, and sincere individuals never think that donating a large sum makes their heart larger than others,’ lawyer Cuong expressed.
At the same time, the lawyer emphasized that recently there have been instances of small charitable contributions where receipts were altered by adding zeros to increase the donation value.
“This is a serious violation of social ethics, complicating the work of authorities in statistics, distribution, and potentially causing mutual distrust among donors and the money management recipients, leading to negative public opinion. Therefore, such actions are very blameworthy and deserving of condemnation.
The act of altering money transfer receipts by charitable donors is not only a serious violation of social ethics but also a legal infringement. It constitutes document forgery and dissemination of false information.
Depending on the nature and severity of the violation and the consequences, those who alter money transfer receipts may face administrative penalties or criminal prosecution,” lawyer Cuong emphasized.
Lawyer Cuong noted that if the verification results from authorities show that altering charity money transfer receipts posted on social media complicates the operations of the receiving unit, affects the statistics and distribution of charitable funds, or creates negative public opinion, those who commit this act of creating fake receipts and disseminating false information online will be subject to criminal prosecution for abusing democratic freedoms as stipulated in Article 331 of the Penal Code.
In the case where the act of creating fake money transfer receipts and posting them publicly on social media has not resulted in negative consequences or adversely affected social security and order, the individual disseminating false information regarding charitable money transfers will be penalized administratively according to Article 101, Decree No. 15/2020/ND-CP with fines ranging from 10 to 20 million dong for organizations and from 5 to 10 million dong for individuals.
Fines from 10,000,000 to 20,000,000 dong for the act of exploiting social media to commit any of the following acts: Providing, sharing false information, distorting, slandering, or insulting the reputation of agencies, organizations, or the dignity and honor of individuals…
“The action of the Vietnam Fatherland Front publicly disclosing the receipts, account information for money transfers, and details of charitable contributions from organizations and individuals is necessary, demonstrating transparency and aligning with the provisions of Decree No. 93/2021/ND-CP of the Government regarding the mobilization, reception, distribution, and use of voluntary contributions… Therefore, in addition to calling for charitable donations, authorities also need to disseminate and promote legal regulations on charitable activities, specifically Decree No. 93/2021/ND-CP. Organizations and individuals organizing charitable activities and participating in charitable contributions must comply with laws and social ethics,” lawyer Cuong added.