The Thai YouTuber exploited her online fame to deceive her followers out of nearly US$60 million. - Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/IG@nutty.suchataa
BANGKOK: A Thai YouTuber was arrested after spending two years on the run in Indonesia, following an attempt to pass herself off as a local that backfired when she failed to sing the national anthem in front of the authorities.
The 31-year-old Natthamon Khongchak, known by her nickname “Nutty”, was extradited back to Thailand along with her mother, Thaniya, on October 25.
They are now facing a police investigation into the scam they initiated two years ago, which resulted in over 6,000 victims losing a staggering 2 billion baht (US$59 million), as reported by Wissanu Chimtrakul, deputy director general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), to the Bangkok Post.
Khongchak boasted over 800,000 followers on her YouTube channel, where she went viral with her singing and dancing videos covering popular K-pop groups Blackpink and BTS.
She aimed to become a K-pop idol and even made a brief debut in South Korea under the label Dream Cinema.
Subsequently, Khongchak rebranded herself as a successful investor and forex trader.
On a Thai TV show, she and her mother claimed their family was affluent, owning 14 cars and employing 22 nannies.
In 2022, she launched a forex investment scheme promising her supporters exceptionally high returns: 25 per cent in three months, 30 per cent in six months, and 35 per cent in a year, all disbursed monthly.
When the victims failed to receive their returns, Khongchak reportedly told them she had made a trading error.
She threatened that if they reported her to the police, she would face imprisonment, which resulted in her inability to refund their money.
In July 2022, Khongchak and her mother disappeared, along with their secretary, Nichaphat Rattanukrom.
According to DSI officer Thawatchai Piyaneelabut, they crossed into Malaysia via southern Thailand before illegally entering Indonesia by sea.
Disguised as locals, they evaded 13 warrants issued by the Thai police Cybercrime Investigation Bureau for Khongchak and two warrants for her mother.
She reportedly attempted to apply for an Indonesian passport to travel overseas, but immigration officials detected her foreign accent and asked her to sing the Indonesian national anthem and recite the country’s constitution.
When she failed to do so, her true identity was revealed.
Khongchak and her mother were arrested in Riau province, Western Indonesia, for illegal entry on October 18, while Rattanukrom remains at large.
The DSI has seized assets valued at 16 million baht (US$470,000) and is currently investigating the money trail to recover additional funds.
Before being taken by police from the airport, Khongchak expressed her desire to apologise to all the victims but declined to provide details regarding the scam.
“Those who promise high returns in a short period are always scammers,” commented one online observer.
“She was clever enough to scam 2 billion baht, but foolish enough to attempt to deceive immigration officials,” remarked another.
Phaisal Ruangri, a lawyer representing a group of her victims, stated that Khongchak was “using her popularity to deceive her followers,” suggesting that her public fame made it easier for people to fall for her scam.
In Thailand, the maximum prison sentence for fraud is 20 years. - South China Morning Post
