Authorities in Nghe An province, working with the Criminal Police Department of Viet Nam’s Ministry of Public Security, have opened a criminal investigation and initiated proceedings against seven suspects in a large-scale online fraud and money-laundering case involving the purported AI livestream shopping app Tatao Live. The case involves approximately 40,000 Vietnamese participants. According to the People’s Public Security newspaper (CAND) on October 22, 2026, participants paid a total of VND407 billion, approximately US$16 million, into the system.
According to investigators, the group was directed by foreign individuals and is suspected of money laundering and using computer networks, telecommunications networks and electronic devices to appropriate property. In June 2025, those involved established two front companies, Tatao Vietnam Technology Co. Ltd. and Livestream AI Market Development Co. Ltd., and subsequently used the tataovn.com website and social media to promote Tatao Live.
The platform claimed users could buy a lifetime AI Livestream package for VND2.9 million, approximately US$115, open the app to watch a video for 30 seconds to one minute, and then close it. After around two to four hours, their in-app wallets would show a credit. It advertised daily returns of VND30,000–50,000 for smaller packages and VND900,000–1.5 million for larger ones. Users could request a withdrawal to a bank account once their balance reached VND200,000. Initially, participants did receive payments within around one to seven days, building trust and encouraging them to recruit new members for higher commissions.
Investigators found that Tatao Live had no shops, shopping carts, product catalogues or order information. Payments to earlier participants came from later participants’ package purchases, rather than genuine sales revenue. By April 2026, after collecting substantial funds, the platform began freezing withdrawals, with requests showing only “processing”. The teams were subsequently disbanded and offices closed. Those involved destroyed documents, moved money through multiple accounts and showed signs of transferring assets abroad. By Rithy.
