At the Ignite on Tour Vietnam 2026 event in Hanoi on June 11, Mr. Hoang Quang Huy, Country Director of Palo Alto Networks Vietnam, stated that scam groups are increasingly using AI, particularly deepfake technology, in more sophisticated ways. However, users can recognize and avoid deepfake scams based on two common signs.
According to him, a common feature of deepfake calls is the pressure of time. Scammers often create emergency situations, such as a family member being in an accident or a serious incident occurring, to push the listener into a panic state, forcing them to “make an immediate decision.”
Another sign is that they tend to avoid impersonating people who are very close to the victim, such as spouses. Instead, they often impersonate friends or acquaintances. The images and voices can be generated by AI to closely resemble real people, but the way they communicate or behave often shows unusual signs.
According to the Country Director of Palo Alto Networks Vietnam, simply not allowing oneself to get caught up in an emergency situation, while also paying attention to the caller’s behavior and words, “can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of deepfake calls by up to 50%.”
Adding to this, Mr. Siddharth Deshpande, CTO for the Asia-Pacific and Japan region of Palo Alto Networks, mentioned that dealing with deepfakes needs to rely on human factors, processes, and technology. People need to develop the habit of verifying information rather than automatically trusting everything they see or receive. The lesson from scams using deepfake technology is that “many people are too quick to click on links or take action immediately upon receiving a request.”
A mobile user making a video call. Photo: Duc Hung
A mobile user making a video call. Photo: Duc Hung
The 2025 cybersecurity survey report conducted by the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA) found that the number of victims of online scams in Vietnam has decreased compared to the previous year. Specifically, one in every 555 survey participants reported being a victim of a scam, accounting for 0.18%. In 2024, this rate was one in 220 people, equivalent to 0.45%.
This is the first time the number of online scam victims in Vietnam has recorded a decrease after many years. According to the NCA, this result is due to the decisive measures taken by authorities, along with activities to promote awareness and knowledge about identifying scams among the public.
