Nearly three weeks ago, Vu Van Thanh discovered he was listed as the legal representative for a business with overdue tax debts of over 4,1 million dong. However, he stated he had never established or operated a business.

Upon checking the National Business Registration Portal, he found he was also listed as the owner of another company he was completely unaware of.

"I did not provide, sign documents, or authorize any individual or organization to register a business", he affirmed.

Thanh requested the tax authority to verify and address the issue, and he filed a report at the Hanoi Department of Finance. He mentioned that the documents were received by the authorities, but no resolution has been provided yet.

A similar situation occurred with Pham Long Vu from Hanoi when he submitted an application to register a household business and was rejected due to "the system recording duplicate information". After checking with the tax authority, Vu learned that his citizen identification card (CCCD) had been used to register a tax code and establish an optical shop in district 3 (formerly), Ho Chi Minh City (TP HCM) in 2023.

He stated he had never lived or conducted business at that address, nor did he have expertise in eye examination. After reporting the incident, he was advised to contact the managing authority in TP HCM—where the household business was registered—and report the unauthorized use and appropriation of personal information to the police.

During this time, Vu's household business registration process could not be completed. "The registration rights are still pending in the system, and I have to spend time figuring out how to prove I did not establish that household business previously", he said.

Situations like those faced by Thanh and Vu are common recently. The Tax Department reported receiving many cases where individuals were fraudulently named as legal representatives, despite being unaware or not involved in managing or operating the businesses.

Le Van Tuan, Director of Keytas Tax Accounting Company, believes that simple business registration procedures and the lack of owner authentication are loopholes enabling fraudulent activities.

According to Tuan, previously, business establishment procedures only required a copy of personal identification documents (identity card, CCCD) and a business registration application. People submitted applications directly to the Department of Planning and Investment (now the Department of Finance), and later, an online submission channel was added via the National Business Registration Portal.

Previous regulations also did not mandate authentication of the actual business owner. Therefore, someone obtaining a copy of another person's CCCD or personal identification could exploit it to create documents for opening a business.

He gave an example that this situation often arises when people's CCCD information is exposed when applying for jobs or completing administrative procedures. Tuan suggested that it is possible some individuals might create fake recruitment notices to collect personal documents and then fraudulently establish businesses or falsely declare salary expenses.

People checking information on eTax Mobile. Photo: Phuong Dong

Regarding the process for handling identity theft, lawyer Nguyen Thanh Ha, Chairman of SBLaw Law Firm, recommends that people take simultaneous steps immediately upon discovering they have been impersonated.

First, people need to gather supporting documents, then send a written notice to the Business Registration Office where the business was established to report the incident. They also need to report to the police and tax authorities to request an investigation into the unauthorized use of personal information and guidance on removing the fraudulent information.

"This is an important basis for state agencies to consider and resolve the issue, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the impersonated person", Ha told VnExpress.

Lawyer Ha advised people to immediately report to the authorities when they discover identity theft. Delays can lead to additional transactions, tax obligations, and more complex resolution.

However, he notes that resolving cases of identity theft is often time-consuming. This is because the business registration authority only reviews the validity of documents and does not have the investigative function to authenticate signatures or identities of registrants. Therefore, adjusting or revoking business registration information must await the verification results from investigative agencies.

"This process is necessary to ensure objectivity, but it prolongs the resolution time for cases", Ha said.

Currently, business registration procedures are tightened to limit identity theft. According to Decree 296/2026, online business registrants must authenticate through their VNeID account and cross-reference with the National Population Database. At the same time, the new regulation prohibits acting as a nominee for others to establish or contribute capital to a business, and requires the founder to be responsible for the veracity of the documents.

Lawyer Nguyen Thanh Ha proposes that management agencies increase high-level electronic authentication through identification accounts, biometrics, and improve the legal framework for personal data protection. He also recommends that operators develop an automatic alert mechanism, immediately sending notifications to VNeID accounts, email, or registered phone numbers for business establishment or changes in legal representatives.

Additionally, business registration agencies, police, and tax authorities could establish a fast-track processing mechanism to reduce verification time for people when there are signs of identity theft.

From a management perspective, the tax authority advises people to regularly check information on the National Business Registration Portal. People must not lend, rent, or allow others to use their CCCD or personal information to establish businesses or household businesses.

The Tax Department stated that the eTax Mobile application will soon add a function to check businesses and household businesses registered under an individual's name, allowing people to proactively check and detect early signs of identity theft for timely resolution.

Phuong Dung - Phuong Dong