TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese health supplement company is under investigation in Vietnam for allegedly operating a pyramid scheme involving mushroom-based products.
Vietnamese police arrested 12 individuals connected to Ame Healthy Global Intl., a company headquartered in Kaohsiung, VN Express reported. Ame Global, which sells health supplements and traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, is accused of running a multi-level marketing operation across Vietnam that defrauded investors.
On May 21, Vietnamese authorities conducted coordinated raids in Lang Son Province in the north and in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai Province in the south, Vietnamnet Global reported. An estimated 9,000 people are believed to have been affected by the scheme.
The company’s chair, identified as 47-year-old Taiwanese citizen Huang Wen-yen, is the main suspect and is currently being sought by Vietnamese law enforcement.
Ame Global reportedly partnered with a local affiliate, WIN ALL Trading Company, to promote a mushroom-based supplement called Nguu Chuong Chi. The product was marketed in online forums to attract investment, with authorities saying the scheme may have raised tens of millions of US dollars before being shut down.
Investors were asked to contribute an initial amount of US$550 (NT$15,000) to receive product samples and join the business. The scheme reportedly had 20 levels, with top-tier investors promised up to 10% of company sales.
Among the 9,000 affected individuals, around 7,700 are Vietnamese citizens. The rest are primarily Taiwanese, Chinese, and Malaysian.
