Police in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam have arrested three Iranian men on suspicion of fraudulently exchanging banknotes and stealing money and assets from local stores.

The trio included Sabri Bejandi Mehdi, 45, Aslrosta Maddi, 43, and Salehi Rad Hossein, 41.

Two of the suspects visited a store inside the cultural post office of Quang Thang Ward, Thanh Hoa City in the namesake province at about 3:30 pm on April 24, police said on Thursday.

They gave a US$100 banknote to the store owner and asked for change.

At some point during the exchange, the two managed to steal VND100 million ($4,291) and flee the scene.

Local police then arrested the two suspects and their accomplice while they were fleeing to Ho Chi Minh City.

The three declared that they had entered Vietnam as travelers and used fake passports to stay in the country.

They regularly changed their accommodations in Vietnam, mainly staying at local hostels, and did not register temporary residence.

The men stole money and assets in Vietnam by pretending to buy goods and demanding various kinds of commodities to distract store owners.

They later asked for cheap products, used banknotes with high face values or foreign banknotes to make payments, and took advantage of preoccupied store owners' neglect when giving them change to fraudulently exchange banknotes and steal money.

Thanh Hoa police officers have called on local business households to be vigilant against such new ruses and call for help from neighbors to catch suspects.

Owners of lodging facilities were asked to comply with regulations on the registration of temporary residence for foreigners.

Like us on Facebook or  follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!