Follower fallout: Thai influencer caught cashing in on gamble posts
Cyber police arrested a popular female influencer with over two million followers for promoting online gambling. The influencer admitted to receiving 2,500 baht per post for sharing gambling links.
Police Major General Athip Phongsiwapai, head of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, directed Police Colonel Chitsanupong Waidee, the Superintendent of Division 3, to take the 26 year old woman, identified only as Bee, into custody. She faces charges of jointly advertising, publicising, or inducing others to engage in unauthorised online gambling for monetary stakes.
Police discovered that the Facebook page แอ๊ค-สะ-เด็ด, with more than 2.2 million followers, was promoting gambling through attached links. Upon investigation, it was found that the account belonged to Bee, leading to a summons for her to meet with investigators and face the charges, reported KhaoSod.
During the investigation, Bee confessed that she had been hired by the owners of online gambling websites to post advertisements in her page’s story section. She disclosed that she received 2,500 baht (US$75) for each post.
In related news, police apprehended a young woman for posting advertisements for Lao lottery sales on Facebook, with bets reaching 30,000 baht per draw. She forwarded these bets to a major bookie, earning a 20% commission over the past six months.
On October 2, police officials, led by Phumiphat Phattharasriwongchai, Bancha Srisuk, and Thapakorn Hanumart, executed a search warrant at a residence in Moo 5, Kradae subdistrict, Kanchanadit district, Surat Thani province. The search led to the arrest of 26 year old Rujirach along with the seizure of a mobile phone.
Police had been investigating social media platforms and came across a Facebook account advertising lottery gambling. The posts were public, accessible to anyone, and encouraged betting on Thai and Lao lotteries. The account owner, a fashionable young woman, also ran a designer dress and brand-name bag rental shop in Surat Thani.
