BANGKOK — Nuttamon Kongjak or “Nutty”, a 31-year-old Thai YouTuber and influencer, is the latest social media celebrity facing fraud charges. She allegedly deceived over 6,000 victims through a stock trading scheme, causing damages worth more than 2 billion baht ($60 million).
She and her mother, Thaniya, age 66, were issued arrest warrants by the Criminal Court on September 12, 2022, on charges of public fraud and entering false, distorted, or fraudulent information likely to cause damage to others or the public. Nutty alone had 13 arrest warrants for the same charges, while her mother had 2 warrants.
Both fled to Indonesia in July 2022 through natural routes in southern Thailand, heading to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then smuggling themselves by boat to Indonesia.
They worked illegally as food delivery workers to make a living while hiding to avoid arrest by Indonesian police for illegal entry. On October 2, 2024, they were caught by Indonesian police in Dumai, Riau Province, on Sumatra island, and were extradited to Thailand on October 25.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) then took both to detention at the Ratchada Criminal Court from October 26 to November 6, opposing bail because they were accused of defrauding many people, affecting the economic system. There were concerns they might flee again if released temporarily.
Notably, neither relatives nor lawyers appeared to file bail requests with assets. Prison officials therefore took Nutty and her mother to the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok.
Police Lieutenant General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, said the mother and daughter were prosecuted by Indonesian police for illegal entry before being sent back. Police are still hunting for Nutty’s female secretary, believed to be abroad. The DSI will investigate those who helped the three suspects while they were fugitives abroad.
A 2014 appearance on Channel 3’s variety show ‘At Ten’ may provide authorities with answers, as the mother-daughter duo discussed their time in Malaysia during the program.
Nutty, identified in legal documents as Suchada, said her mother – formerly known as Saranya but now going by Thaniya – once had wealth from running a karaoke business in Chiang Mai, earning 2 million baht ($60K) monthly and dreaming of saving tens or hundreds of millions. However, when she invested in stocks, the family faced financial problems.
Thaniya brought Nutty to Malaysia, where she negotiated a deal with a 48-year-old tycoon who would provide 2 million baht in exchange for marrying her then-13-year-old daughter. She claimed she set the condition of “marriage in name only” with no sexual relations, but later the tycoon tried to have relations with Nutty.
When she saw Nutty becoming stressed and suffering from migraines, the mother took her daughter to escape to Pattaya. After saving over 2 million baht, they returned the money to the Malaysian tycoon and filed for divorce in the Malaysian juvenile court, ending that chapter.
After returning to Thailand, Nutty became a YouTuber with the channel “Nutty’s Diary,” creating various content including singing, playing, dancing, traveling, and Korean dance covers, before turning to teaching stock trading, enticing people with promises of hundreds of thousands to millions in profits.
She then started accepting investments from others, claiming high returns like 25% profit in 3 months or 35% in 12 months. People could apply through an application with minimum investments of 5,000 baht up to 5 million baht per bill, with no limit on the number of bills per person. This attracted many investors, making Nutty successful on social media.
In April 2022, people began exposing on social media that they were deceived by Nutty, who allegedly used the money for personal extravagances and couldn’t return it when needed. Out of 6,000 victims, 445 people have filed complaints, with total damages exceeding 2 billion baht.
Nutty was hunted during a time when Thailand was experiencing major fraud cases from direct sales business The iCon Group, involving CEO “Boss Paul” Waratthapon Warutthaworakun, age 41, and celebrities like Min Peechaya Wattanamontri, a 35-year-old nationally famous actress, and Gun Kantathavorn, a 38-year-old host and actor, who all displayed luxurious lifestyles with watches and brand-name goods while presenting images of building wealth through online business.
But eventually, reality emerged, similar to other fraud cases like Forex 3D, which evolved from Ponzi schemes, and online gambling cases, where celebrities and influencers with suspiciously wealthy and luxurious lifestyles are being held accountable.
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