A well-known Twitter personality with over 30,000 followers was recently arrested for impersonating a relative to steal 50,000 baht. The arrest occurred on December 5, following her return from Malaysia.
Mathurin, a 27-year-old woman from Maha Sarakham province, was apprehended at the Sadao Immigration Checkpoint in Songkhla. The arrest followed a warrant issued by Thonburi Criminal Court on November 25.
The scam began on April 22, when a 20-year-old victim named Natorn reported the incident to the Phetkasem Police Station. Natorn claimed that a woman, pretending to be his relative, contacted him from the number 061-980-xxxx. She explained that she had left her phone at home and asked to borrow money for purchases, promising to repay it once she returned.
Trusting the woman, Natorn transferred 38,000 baht (about US$1,115) and an additional 12,000 baht (US$352) to the bank account provided. After contacting his real relative, Natorn realized that the request had never been made, and he had been scammed. Upon calling back the number, it was disconnected. Realizing the deception, Natorn filed a police report.
Further investigation led authorities to Jariya, the individual connected to the bank account used in the scam. Jariya had been previously arrested for her role in the fraud. The police traced the mobile number 062-115-xxxx, which was used for banking transactions, to Mathurin.
During questioning, Mathurin admitted that she had been contacted by the scammers and instructed to provide OTP codes for bank transactions. She claimed she was promised a small fee of 100 baht (about US$3) for each code, and she sent the codes twice. However, Mathurin stated she never received the 200 baht (US$6) she was promised, and when she tried to follow up, she was blocked.
Mathurin also revealed that her trip to Malaysia was to assist her aunt by babysitting her niece. Upon her return to Thailand, she was arrested by the authorities.
Reports confirmed that Mathurin, who operates under the Twitter alias “Level Sore,” is a popular figure on the platform with a following of over 30,000 people.