The present life of Hieu PC after nearly 3 years of being released from prison: Often threatened, he will tell his children about his past later.

Looking back at the sinful journey

Hieu PC (real name Ngo Minh Hieu, born in 1989, from Gia Lai), was exposed to information technology by his parents from an early age. Having passion, inquisitiveness, and learning, but Hieu engaged in the path of breaking the law.

Around the age of 14-15, Hieu began to learn about programming, computer networking and contact with his predecessors and was lured into the underground world of hackers. Hieu learned many techniques and techniques to attack websites and databases to steal users’ data.

“ At first, I just stole information for fun and then showed it off to everyone that I could do it. I also share stolen information for free.

When I was in 9th grade, 10th grade, I realized that I can do this very easily, but many other people can’t. So I started selling that information, for about 10 – 20 thousand VND/information.

The previous security technology was still poor, so it was easy for me to break in. After that, I also tinkered with writing e-books, sharing basic knowledge with everyone. I’m happy to be known, but I’m also starting to get cocky, thinking I’m at the top. Greed rose up, I sold more and more information every day ,” Hieu recalled.

After a while, Hieu began to realize his mistakes and decided to save money to study abroad, wanting to become a cybersecurity engineer. However, when he went to New Zealand to study for about 6 months, he “got used to the old way”. Hieu was discovered and the school forced him to drop out. He returned to Vietnam determined to become a better person.

Hieu’s parents were heartbroken at that time, and his mother was so sad that she shaved her head. But after only 6 months, Hieu met his old friends again. They gave him other tricks, instead of stealing credit card information, bank cards, they will now steal Americans’ identities and social security numbers.

“I thought it was okay to get those numbers, it was just a number, so I started to learn and hack the US government system, steal information and then sell it to other hackers. Doing so for about 2 years, making money was too easy to make me blind, I kept running until I was arrested in Guam, USA in 2013″, Hieu said about his mistake.

In 2015, Hieu was tried by a US court and sentenced to 13 years in prison. The first days in prison, he was extremely depressed, those were the darkest days of his life.

Everything calmed down when Hieu was taken to prisons like schools, where there were libraries, books, computers, jobs for prisoners to do, and to learn about psychology and morality. Hieu works at the canteen, cleans the kitchen, and is paid 50 USD/month. Going to work, Hieu’s spirit is better, and at the same time, he also learns many things.

During his time in prison, there was nothing but time, so Hieu kept a diary, looked back, and thought a lot about his family, about the sins and consequences he had caused. Hieu lied to his parents too much, and he realized he had to be a better son. Thanks to good rehabilitation, Hieu was released from prison earlier than expected. After 7 years of serving a sentence, Hieu returned to Vietnam in August 2020.

“ Returning to my hometown, I feel like I was born again. During the years in prison, I was restrained both physically and mentally. 2019 is the time when I start to find myself again, feel free of soul. When I returned to Vietnam, I was free in both mind and body. Being able to hug your parents and loved ones in your arms is a wonderful feeling.

When I returned, I also told myself that if I left early but my personality was still the same as before, it would be best to stay there. If I go home early and think and act the same way, I’ll consider myself a person who has left ,” Hieu confided.

Constantly threatened, scoffed, hoping to do many things for society

Not long after returning home, Hieu was fortunate to be accepted to work at the National Cyber ​​Security Monitoring Center (NSCS). A few months later, Hieu and his brothers founded an anti-phishing project, raising awareness for people, preventing fraud in Vietnam, and blocking fraudulent websites.

Every day, Hieu tracks down fraudsters in the strong space and provides information to the authorities. Sometimes, he thought about his old self and felt horrible. That day, he did bad deeds without thinking of others, only thinking of money.

Not long ago, Hieu was invited by the Dubai government to share about cybersecurity. It was his first trip abroad since returning home.

The current job also more or less affected Hieu’s life. He was often threatened, cursed, and poked about his past. Therefore, Hieu limited contact with strangers, doing everything carefully and checking everything.

In addition, the nature of his work also made Hieu appear in the media. For him it was a pressure. But with his responsibility, Hieu wants to help people raise awareness. It is never enough to adopt technology to prevent fraud. It is important that people know how to protect themselves, be able to recognize fraudulent acts so as not to fall into a trap.

Sharing about his current life, Hieu confided: ” Now I think very simply, eating 3 meals a day is fine, I don’t think about making a lot of money like in the past. Before, I thought that having money was happiness. Having money is also fun, but it can only buy happiness for a short time, not for a long time.

My greatest happiness is seeing my parents and relatives healthy. I promise my family that I will continue to try, strive, do many things for the community, never stop. I thank my parents very much for always trusting, loving and never blaming me .”

It is known that Hieu now has a girlfriend. Hieu’s girlfriend is living in Hanoi and he often flies back and forth between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to meet his “other half”. Hieu believes that his girlfriend is a strong person when deciding to date him. The two always understand and sympathize with each other, which is what makes him appreciate. Because he is quite busy and wants to settle down first, Hieu has not considered getting married.

Hieu shared more, in the future, if possible, he will have 3 children with his wife. When the children are knowledgeable and ready, Hieu will tell them all about his past, so that the children will not be surprised about who their father is.

As for work, Hieu will continue to bring his knowledge to improve understanding for people around him and protect more people. He also wants to open a security company, network safety for businesses.

Reminding young people, Hieu confided: ” It’s never too late, the important thing is do you want to stand up or not? In your mind never think that you will give up, no matter how difficult the situation is, be confident that you can do it. Everything comes slowly, nothing is easy! “.

Source: Life Storyteller, Photo: FBNV