Vietnam police dismantle 404 billion VND AI livestream fraud ring

The Ministry of Public Security has dismantled a major fraudulent scheme involving the TATAO LIVE AI livestream platform, which misappropriated approximately 404 billion VND from investors. Authorities have prosecuted seven suspects in connection with the operation.

Between June 2025 and October 2026, the suspects operated through two entities: TATAO Vietnam Technology Co., Ltd., represented by Hoang Trung Kien, and LIVESTREAM AI Market Development Co., Ltd., represented by Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tram. The group used social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Zalo, and Zoom to promote the application, claiming it utilized artificial intelligence to deploy virtual characters for automated livestream sales on major e-commerce sites like TikTok, Shopee, and Lazada.

To build credibility, the group displayed official business registrations and organized online conferences and prize draws. However, the application was not available on official stores like Google Play or the App Store; instead, users were required to download files via direct links. Participants were coerced into purchasing various AI livestream packages, with prices ranging from 2.9 million VND to over 84.9 million VND. Investigators have successfully recovered more than 8.6 billion VND so far.