Vietnamese Influencer Arrested for Promoting Fraudulent Fibre Gummies

The arrest follows a public backlash over her promotion of gummies falsely advertised as being rich in fiber, revealing a significant discrepancy between claims and actual contents.

Vietnamese authorities have taken action against Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, a prominent beauty queen and social media influencer, after she was implicated in a consumer fraud case concerning counterfeit fiber supplements. The former winner of the Miss Grand International pageant, Tien heavily promoted Kera Supergreens Gummies on her social media platforms, claiming they provided an abundance of dietary fiber. However, subsequent testing by an independent lab revealed that each gummy contained only 16mg of fiber—far below the advertised 200mg.

The outrage from consumers prompted an investigation, which uncovered that the gummies were manufactured using sub-par ingredients lacking the promised fiber content. Additionally, the product packaging failed to specify the actual fiber amount and omitted warnings about high sorbitol levels, a substance commonly found in laxatives.

Ms. Tien was part of a marketing team that included fellow influencers Pham Quang Linh and Hang Du Muc, both of whom faced fines in March for their involvement in the promotion of these fraudulent products. Following an extensive inquiry, they were arrested alongside officials from the manufacturing company, facing charges of producing counterfeit goods and consumer fraud.

On Monday, authorities announced the arrest of Ms. Nguyen, alleging she deceived the public and exploited her celebrity status to sell more than 100,000 boxes of the problematic gummies before the sales ceased due to the backlash. Since her victory at the 2021 Miss Grand International event, Tien rose to fame, capturing the attention of Vietnamese brands and appearing on numerous reality television shows.