Thai YouTuber caught in Indonesia after failing to sing national anthem, was on the run for 2 years over forex scam

A Thai YouTuber and former aspiring singer, who fled to Indonesia after defrauding people of over 2 billion baht (S$78 million), was captured on Oct. 18 when she reportedly failed to sing the national anthem.

The 31-year-old, Natthamon Khongchak, tried to pass herself off as a local while trying to apply for a passport but aroused suspicion due to her accent.

Authorities had asked her to sing the national anthem, but she was not able to do so, reported South China Morning Post.

The arrest

Several of Natthamon's victims had filed complaints on Aug. 24, 2022, with the help of lawyer Phaisal Ruangrit.

According to Ruangrit, Natthamon exploited her popularity to "lure victims with the promise of high returns in a short time".

Through collaboration between Thai and Indonesian police, as well as regional authorities, Natthamon and her mother were apprehended for illegal entry on Oct. 18 in Dumai, Riau province, Sumatra, according to a Facebook post by Thai police.

South China Morning Post reported that Natthamon had attempted to obtain an Indonesian passport to travel abroad.

Immigration officials, noticing her foreign accent, asked her to sing the Indonesian national anthem and recite the country’s constitution.

When she failed, her true identity was uncovered.

The extradition

On Oct. 25, Natthamon and her mother were extradited to Thailand and handed over to Thai authorities, reported Bangkok Post.

Before being escorted away, Natthamon reportedly told the media she wanted to apologise to all her victims.

However, she and her mother declined to comment further on the case.

Colonel Wissanu Chimtrakul, deputy director-general of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation, revealed that assets worth 16 million baht (S$624,115) had been seized from Natthamon.

Authorities plan to investigate the money trail to confiscate more assets.

Who is Nutty

Also known as Nutty, the woman is no stranger to the spotlight.

Her YouTube channel, "Nutty’s Diary", where she posted mainly dance videos, garnered over 800,000 followers.

A few years after finding YouTube fame, she revamped herself as an forex investment guru, allegedly scamming fans along the way.

Before that, she also had a stint in the K-pop world, and was affiliated with South Korean label Dream Cinema in 2015.

The scheme

According to Bangkok Post, Natthamon promised high returns to over 6,000 people, many of whom later complained about not receiving any payouts.

She would apparently invite people to deposit money in her account, promising 25 per cent returns for three-month contracts, 30 per cent for six-month contracts, and 35 per cent for 12-month contracts.

She then pledged to pay returns every month.

However, by April 2022, complaints began to surface about missed payments.

This was followed by two Instagram posts in May 2022 by Natthamon, who claimed to have lost all of her investors' money after making a mistake while trading.

However, she promised to repay her investors as soon as possible and asked them for some time.

Nearly a month later on Jun. 24, 2022, Natthamon announced that she was being sued in two cases and would not be able to repay other investors if she was jailed.

The escape

In July 2022, Natthamon fled Thailand with her mother and their secretary, Nichaphat Rattanukrom.

Police Lieutenant General Thawatchai Piyaneelabut told the Bangkok Post that the trio crossed into Malaysia through a natural border in the south, then illegally entered Indonesia by boat.

Thai police issued 13 arrest warrants for Natthamon, and two for her mother.

Rattanukrom remains at large.

Top photos from Nutty's Diary/YouTube and Thai Police TV/Facebook