Vietnamese Beauty Queen Arrested for Fraud Over Fake Fibre Gummies

Former beauty queen and socialite Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien has found herself on the wrong side of the law over her endorsement of new Kera Supergreens Gummies after the firm behind the product was accused of falsely advertising it as high-fibre and healthy. She advertised the gummies, which she marketed with influencers Pham Quang Linh and Hang Du Muc, as having the same amount of fibre as a plate of vegetables in each one.

However, when the product was sent to a lab by a consumer for independent testing, tests found that each gummy only had 16mg of fibre in them – well below the 200mg advertised. This finding was widely attacked and precipitated government inquiries.

Testing by authorities found they were made from poor quality ingredients which contained none of the promised fibre. It also did not specify the true fibre content, or reveal high levels of the laxative ingredient sorbitol.

Sales Ban Would Affect Many Others, Too

Sales of the gummies previously topped 100,000 boxes before the scandal and a halt to sales. All three influencers were fined and given public apologies in March. Pham Quang Linh and Hang Du Muc, executives with their company and with the manufacturer of the gummies, were arrested by Vietnamese authorities in April.

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien was also detained on Monday for producing goods in violation of standards and such that it could mislead consumers, and for allegedly swindling money.

Investigators said the supplement was produced through a collaboration between Ms Nguyen and the company that the two other influencers founded.

Fall from Fame

Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien became a celebrity when she won Miss Grand International contest in Bangkok in 2021. Since then, she has starred in several reality TV shows and received praise from Vietnam's prime minister and Communist Party.

Her arrest is a stunning fall from grace and has sent shock waves through many fans of the country, where she was once seen as a trusted public figure.

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