'Calculated' con man jailed after posing as builder

Perth Now

14-05-2025

A con man who posed as a tradie on social media and swindled almost $500,000 from victims has been jailed.
Hong Thanh Dang Tran pleaded guilty in Brisbane District Court to 30 fraud charges on Wednesday.
Dang Tran, 45, defrauded people between April 2022 and November 2023 after offering building and renovation services via Facebook, prosecutors told the court.
He used different names and phone numbers, on some occasions even using business cards belonging to licensed builders, the court was told.
The Vietnamese-born Australian citizen received payments from 30 people and either did not complete promised work or begin it entirely.
In some instances, Dang Tran introduced complainants to his family to build a rapport.
On other occasions he made "vague" threats asking for further money when challenged by victims, prosecutors said.
Dang Tran received $452,000 from his victims and made some partial repayments just shy of $42,000.
He was arrested on November 17, 2023 and has been in custody since, appearing in court for Wednesday's sentencing.
Prosecutors asked Judge Tony Moynihan for six years' imprisonment which defence counsel did not contest.
Counsel representing Dang Tran said the severity of his offending was not lost on him and he accepted it was "calculated and egregious" in nature.
In sentencing remarks, Judge Moynihan said Dang Tran was not qualified or insured and that his advertisements were misleading.
"You deployed tactics to encourage the complainants to trust you," he said.
"You are, at the end of the day, a con man."
Dang Tran was jailed for six years.
He will be eligible for parole on November 16, 2025 after 544 days time served in pre-sentence custody.