Hanoi - Police in Vietnam arrested five Malaysian men accused of using fake credit cards in a 38,000-dollar holiday shopping spree at a Louis Vuitton shop, police said Monday. The men were arrested Saturday while shopping at the luxury fashion and leather goods store in the Metropole hotel in Hanoi, said Tran Van Hoa, head of the High-Tech Crime Department under the Public Security Ministry.
"They were using credit cards, using stolen credit card numbers and names," Hoa said. "Many foreigners have been arrested in Vietnam for using fake credit cards recently."
Two of the men were identified as Tan Wel Hong, 24, and Cham Tack Chol, 23, both of Malaysia, according to the local newspaper Nhan Dan.
Police seized 22 fake credit cards, nine Louis Vuitton bags, one cap, two wallets and one digital camera from the men.
The men had apparently been into the Louis Vuitton store earlier in the week and used a fake credit card to pay for goods. A shop manager called the police when they returned, the Nhan Dan newspaper said.
"We are still holding the men, and they will face charges of stealing property," Hoa said.
According to Vietnamese law, theft of property is punishable by prison terms of 12 years to life.
