Black Hat, White Hat: The Legendary Hacker Hieu PC

EST Media

Hieu was one of the world’s most prolific and hunted criminals from 2007 to 2013, when he operated a massive international identity theft scheme from his home in Vietnam. His method was to steal personally identifiable information (names, Social Security numbers, bank account data) and sell it to become rich. 100,000 USD a month rich; 900 x the average Vietnamese monthly salary at the time. Hieu was pursued relentlessly by the Secret Service, until his eventual capture in Guam in 2013. After years in prison, he was granted early release, returning him to his family in Saigon. In that time he transformed, in spirit and ethics, which led to his current role with the Vietnamese government capturing criminals just like his former self. This is his story, and his incredible redemptive arc.  Produced by EST Media Booncha Studio  Executive Producer Bao Nguyen  Directors Paul Vi Minh Keshia Hannam  Cinematographers Ha Hoang Truong Trong Tan  Producers Paul Vi Minh Tram T N Pham  Production Manager Khoi Nguyen  Production Assistants Cham Nguyen Ha Phan Phan Van Chiem  Gaffer Phan Van Chiem  Camera Operator Dang Thinh  Focus Puller Huy Phung  Assistant Cameras Vo Hien Cuong Nguyen Hoang Ly Hoai Nhon Phan Duc Anh  Grips Dinh Hoang Duy Nguyen Nhat Khoa  Sound Nguyen Ngoc Hung Nhanh Tran  Location Manager Phi Cao Shooting Co., Ltd  Equipment TL Production Bau House  Make Up Artists Vu Thi Nguyen Trang Emj  Transport Hai Minh  Editor Quang Vu  Colorist Truong Quoc Phuong (Erik)  AI Illustration Composer Lam Vinh  Animators Ho Sy Minh Tobe T Nguyen  Editor in Chief Keshia Hannam  Head of Production Stephanie Tangkilisan  Post Production Coordinator Skolastika Lupitawina  Assistant Editor Rendy Abi  Audio & Music Supervisor Mike Pham  Music Producer & Composer An Nam - Thao Mess  Special Thanks Doan Quynh Huong Dex Nguyen Mai Huong Gia Huy Duc Hieu Nguyen Boi Quynh Ngo Trong Can

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:03 I used to steal identities.

00:19 I didn't see myself as a criminal.

00:22 Native NPI reporting this evening

00:23 that cybercriminals are targeting

00:25 more and more Americans.

00:26 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

00:31 Too young, and nobody tell you what's right and what's wrong.

00:34 I was so proud of myself.

00:38 But when I caught caught, it's totally different story.

00:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:01 The first time I saw a computer,

01:05 I remember that was kind of like, you know,

01:09 I found gold or something like that, you know?

01:14 Or diamonds, something like that.

01:17 I just got hooked to that.

01:21 I'm not like other kids.

01:23 They love games.

01:24 They love entertainment.

01:26 They don't like just go on Google and Yahoo,

01:31 trying to search how to build software, how to build website.

01:35 I look at the school is not the place for me.

01:41 Very boring to me.

01:43 So I try to finish everything at school as soon as possible,

01:47 and then got into the computer.

01:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

01:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:06 I met another friend, another guy.

02:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:13 We partner.

02:14 Partner in crime.

02:17 He showed me how to make money by using my skills.

02:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:26 I hack into like e-commercial website,

02:29 stealing credit card and bank account,

02:31 and use those information to purchase stuff online.

02:37 And then I resell it.

02:38 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:41 I'm back in the game.

02:43 Everything's caliphili.

02:45 Nobody care.

02:47 We make money.

02:48 Nobody get caught.

02:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:04 When I went to New Zealand, I just want to study.

03:08 At first, everything, you know, everything OK, everything fine.

03:13 But then my money gets smaller and smaller.

03:18 And I started to hack in again.

03:21 This time, I hack e-commercial website in New Zealand.

03:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:29 I went to the bank, withdraw some cash.

03:32 But then suddenly my debit card got--

03:38 and the police called me.

03:40 So I said, well, so it's time to run.

03:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:55 My mom, she's very sad.

03:59 She had to cut on her hair, this and that.

04:03 So I feel like a very bad kid.

04:09 I promise that I'm not going to be a hacker again.

04:12 Try to be a good person.

04:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:17 Then, you know, just six months.

04:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:25 Around 2010, I just focused on stealing US identities.

04:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:32 First name, last name, date of birth, social security number,

04:37 and driver's license.

04:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:47 So, you know, I checked around which company

04:52 controlling those database.

04:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:56 I fake documents to be a private investigator

05:00 based in Singapore.

05:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:03 And I used those fake documents to apply for a legit account

05:08 at Code Rancher.

05:09 So this company controls and sells US identities.

05:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:18 I make up to $100,000 a month.

05:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:30 From 2010 to 2012, I always feel like I

05:37 need to get out of that business and do something better,

05:41 something more legit so I can build a family

05:45 with my girlfriend at that point.

05:47 Eventually, the police will find out everything.

05:52 But I couldn't stop my greediness.

05:54 [MUSIC PLAYING]

06:04 I feel completely shut down.

06:08 I have to go on plan B. I have to do something more legit.

06:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]

06:16 I have to come out.

06:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]

06:20 I remember the guy named Mark who had sent a few emails,

06:27 you know, trying to interview about his business.

06:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]

06:33 He can connect me with UFK database and US database.

06:39 Mark told me that he will open a big party for me,

06:43 a welcome party.

06:45 And after that, we can make money.

06:48 I feel like, yeah, this time I will

06:50 become a young, very successful businessman.

06:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]

06:58 Nobody can judge me anymore.

07:01 Nobody have any tough question for me anymore.

07:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:08 I was feeling suspicious about this guy,

07:11 you know, something wrong.

07:13 You know, it's not too good to be true.

07:16 But at the same time, my mind still told me that, yeah,

07:21 just go, just go.

07:22 Everything will be fine.

07:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:27 Then I contacted him.

07:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:31 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]

07:44 When we are on the plane to fly to Guam,

07:50 I have so many nightmares.

07:53 I feel anxious.

07:56 When we got to the security gate,

07:59 the custom officer, he interviewed me,

08:04 checked my tail work.

08:07 And he, you know, he escort me to the office.

08:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:16 At that point, I just think simple that the police

08:20 tried to investigate me.

08:23 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:27 I didn't know that behind was US Secret Service.

08:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:37 Man, that's it.

08:40 The US Secret Service investigated about me

08:43 like more than a year.

08:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]

08:48 They told me that they already know everything already.

08:52 They pinpoint so many locations, like Singapore, New Zealand,

08:56 Vietnam.

08:59 But they just want to confirm.

09:01 My body was there, but my spirit is gone.

09:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:07 Emptiness, the emptiness, you know.

09:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:12 The first two weeks, I couldn't eat anything.

09:19 I was so disappointed at myself, you know,

09:21 like feeling like nothing--

09:25 like I have nothing to--

09:27 you know, nothing more in this world.

09:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:50 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]

09:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:03 I was going to the bedroom and trying to hang myself,

10:11 trying to finish everything and get it over with,

10:13 you know, get so tired, you know.

10:15 Luckily, you know, I got through that.

10:21 Other inmates, they confirm me.

10:24 They give me more spirit.

10:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:31 At first, the US prosecutor, he recommended

10:35 me 15 years in prison, 15 years.

10:41 But then the judge saw all the things

10:43 that I have done in my rehabilitation,

10:48 so he reduced two years.

10:50 I got a 13-year sentence.

10:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]

10:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:02 I got the news from my lawyer that I

11:06 will got released from prison.

11:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:11 My soul is gone.

11:16 But this time, the feeling different, so happy,

11:20 very, very, very happy.

11:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:31 But then, you know, the surprise is not there yet,

11:34 you know.

11:34 I got released the end of 2019.

11:40 And then a month or two later, COVID.

11:42 [MUSIC PLAYING]

11:45 So I was in quarantine for 28 days.

11:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]

12:00 28 days to be like--

12:02 like two and a half day, I guess.

12:06 I'm still doing the same thing when I was in prison--

12:08 reading, walking out.

12:11 When I got home, I'm happy that my parents still there.

12:14 They still healthy.

12:17 And they happy to welcome me back.

12:19 They've been waiting for me.

12:23 A few months later, I agreed to work for the National

12:27 Cybersecurity Center as a threat hunter.

12:30 [MUSIC PLAYING]

12:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]

12:38 [MUSIC PLAYING]

12:42 All my life, everything has happened.

12:44 It's not for nothing.

12:47 It's happened for a reason.

12:50 I was regretting so much already.

12:54 And I see that it just waste my time.

12:57 It's time to do something bigger.

13:01 I plan to go back to prison as a speaker

13:05 to share my story with other prisoners

13:08 so they can stay positive and believe in themselves.

13:13 No matter where you are, if you have a good spirit,

13:17 you can do a lot of things.

13:20 That's the true meaning of a person's life.

13:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:26 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:36 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:44 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:54 [MUSIC PLAYING]

13:57 [MUSIC PLAYING]

14:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]

14:05 (upbeat music)

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