YouTuber arrested for financial scam after remaining ‘wanted’ for 2 years: Who is Nutty?

Thai YouTuber Natthamon Khongchak, known by her screen name ‘Nutty', has been arrested in Indonesia after evading capture for over two years.

Nutty and her mother, Thaniya Khongchak, faced several arrest warrants in Thailand for their alleged involvement in a financial scam.

Local media reports indicate that the 31-year-old influencer and her mother were arrested in Indonesia's Dumai town of Riau province on 18 October 2024.

The pair had been fugitives since July 2022.

Who is Nutty?

Nutty gained popularity through her YouTube channel, ‘Nutty’s Diary’, where she showcased her dancing and singing talents, particularly recreating popular scenes from Blackpink and BTS.

At the time, with more than 8,00,000 subscribers, she leveraged her online popularity to position herself as an investment guru, according to The Bangkok Post.

In July 2022, Nutty launched a forex investment scheme. In her scheme, the YouTuber promised her followers high returns of 25 per cent in three months, 30 per cent in six months, and 35 per cent in a year, with monthly payouts. 

However, investors reported that they never received the promised returns, prompting Nutty and her mother to flee Thailand along with their secretary, Nichaphat Rattanukrom.

Over 6,000 investors lost nearly 2 billion baht (approximately $59 million) in the failed scheme. 

To explain the discrepancies, the influencer claimed that the funds were lost due to errors in trading strategy before she fled the country.

How were the Khongchaks caught after 2 years?

According to the South China Morning Post, the Khongchaks tried to blend into Indonesian society. However, immigration authorities grew suspicious of them being non-locals due to their Thai accent, which ultimately led to their arrest.

During questioning, Nutty was asked to sing the Indonesian national anthem but was unable to do so. This led the officials to investigate further and uncover her true identity.

The mother-daughter pair were deported back to Thailand and landed at the Don Mueang airport in Bangkok on 25 October, where they were handed over to the local police.

Natthamon Khongchak faces 13 arrest warrants from Thailand's Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau for her alleged role in the investment scam, while her mother is wanted in two related cases. Both are extensively charged with fraud and misleading the public.

Upon arriving at the immigration bureau, the influencer, Nutty, apologised to her victims but did not elaborate on the case, as reported by The Bangkok Post.