UK TikTok star Ellis Matthews admits her viral videos were all a lie, as she faces deportation from Thailand. The 32-year-old, arrested following child welfare complaints and accused of overstaying her visa, could face 5 years in prison under Thai law.
A young British mother and her child are being held in detention in Bangkok pending their deportation back to the United Kingdom. TikTok influencer and benefits fraud expert Ellis Matthews was arrested by the Immigration Bureau on March 3rd. It followed complaints to the police agency concerning the welfare of her child in Pattaya. Previously, the 32-year-old Ms. Matthews had her visa to stay in the kingdom revoked on February 21st. On Saturday, the young woman told the UK tabloid The Daily Mail that her videos were all a lie. Indeed, she stated that she had never received a penny in welfare payments from the UK government while she lived in Thailand.
A 32-year-old UK woman was visited by UK reporters on Saturday at a detention centre in North Bangkok. The story of Ellis Matthew has been beamed around the world after her arrest by the Immigration Bureau on March 3rd last.
Previously, Ms. Matthews had made a name for herself online. Indeed, her role as a minor online celebrity is understood to have funded her life in Thailand since 2022 when she moved to the kingdom from Turkey.
Indeed, on Saturday, the somewhat bohemian young woman admitted that her persona online was a complete fraud. Not only that, but the young woman may have inadvertently opened herself up to criminal prosecution in Thailand by her admission.
Ellis Matthews could face up to 5 years in prison under Thailand’s Computer Crime Act for false claims
Under Thailand’s draconian 2007 Computer Crime Act, it is a serious criminal offence to input false information into a computer system. In short, to tell lies. However, that is exactly what Ellis Matthew told reporters from the Daily Mail on Saturday.
The offence carries a potential penalty of 5 years imprisonment.
She was referring to her videos on TikTok which earned her 16,400 followers. In them, the young woman and mother of a 4-year-old child claimed she was living in Thailand, allegedly receiving £2,300 a month in benefits. In brief, Ellis claimed she suffered from 6 acute mental disorders.
Indeed, she told TikTok viewers that she had claimed her entitlement since leaving the United Kingdom before the birth of her son Cairo in 2021.
‘These videos were just a joke. The truth is that I never got any UK benefits while in Thailand, not a single penny,’ she told reporters. They had visited her at the Mother and Child detention centre. This is a holding prison operated by the Immigration Bureau in the Bang Khen district of North Bangkok.
Ellis Matthews admits to lying for TikTok followers but says UK people angry at her online fraud
‘I can understand why people in the UK are angry and upset about them, which is why there’s not a lot of sympathy for me. But I was just lying in my videos to get more followers and make some money from my TikTok account. It was all a big hoax, that’s all.’
Last week, officials at the Immigration Bureau confirmed that Ms. Matthews had her visa revoked on February 21st, 2025. Certainly, it is not clear why this happened.
However, there are credible reports that the police agency was the subject of representations from child protection non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Pattaya where she lived.
The colourful young mother had been living in an affluent house complex normally reserved for upper-market expats in Pattaya. Aside from being a hot spot for sex tourism, Pattaya is one of Thailand’s most popular retirement destinations for Brits moving from the United Kingdom.
Certainly, at this time, there are a growing number of British people of all ages fleeing the country. This is due to rampant inward migration and the impossible cost of living.
In the meantime, places like Thailand and Dubai offer sunshine, lower prices and better security.
Ellis Matthews claims women from Lancashire are out to get her as she faces deportation from Thailand
Furthermore, the UK woman claims that there is a cohort of women in Lancashire, where she comes from, who are out to get her.
Ellis has another two children, both sons, in the United Kingdom. One lives with his grandmother while the other is with his father.
She is from Bamber Bridge in Lancashire, 3 miles southeast of Preston.
On Saturday, she admitted she was made aware that her visa was cancelled but at the time could not afford a plane ticket. However, she now claims to have the money for a plane ticket.
‘I’ve got the money for an airline ticket but can’t get to it because they won’t allow me to access my bank account, so what am I supposed to do?’ she asked. ‘My visa was cancelled because some people in the UK have been trolling me and accused me of horrible things like human trafficking and child abuse.
Ms. Ellis was taken into custody by the Immigration Bureau in Pattaya on March 3rd. After that, she was held at a local detention centre.
However, she used her smartphone to make emotional videos. Later, she was transferred to the more secure facility at Bang Khen. At the same time, her photos were removed.
Ellis Matthews faces deportation within days but can’t access her bank account for a flight ticket
At the Bang Khen detention centre, she was informed that she could be deported within days provided she paid for an aeroplane ticket.
However, this is not as easy as it sounds. The ticket must be an expensive one that cannot be cancelled. Furthermore, she is not allowed access to her bank account.
Certainly, this is a common problem among foreigners who find themselves incarcerated by the Immigration Bureau. Nonetheless, Ms. Ellis has been visited by the UK Embassy in Bangkok. Undoubtedly, officials there are concerned for the welfare of her 5-year-old son Cairo.
Indeed, with good reason.
On Saturday, she poured out her anxiety and turmoil to the reporters, particularly about the conditions she has now found herself in.
‘This is hell on earth, it’s the worst prison that you can imagine,’ she declared. Afterwards, she gave a vivid picture of life at the Immigration Bureau facility.
Ellis Matthews describes horrific conditions in detention with rashes, lice, and rats running around
‘My skin is covered in rashes, both me and my son have got lice, terrible insect bites, and there are rats running around. We haven’t even got any access to medication. Nobody is helping me, and I’ve just been left here to rot.’
Ms. Matthews said the women and children were fed three times a day with lumpy rice and rat or pigeon meat.
‘The guards tell us it’s chicken, but I can promise you it’s not. It’s so disgusting that we can’t eat it, so Cairo and I have been surviving on just the rice, which makes you want to vomit.
After that, there’s the environment itself.
‘We can’t sleep at night because there’s so much screaming and shouting,’ she explained. ‘There are 35 women and children in the cell next to ours. It’s unbearable in here, I can’t stop crying and just want to get out as quickly as possible.’
Overcrowded conditions at detention centre, sweltering heat, poor hygiene and lack of basic comforts for inmates
Prisoners at the detention centre are locked up 20 hours a day. Without air conditioning at this time of year, the heat is unbearable. However, there is a fan, but it often breaks down.
Dozens of women and children are forced to share two soiled toilets in the ground and one shower.
All inmates sleep on the floor at night without any comforts such as a pillow.
Despite all this, Ms. Ellis is lucky. The British Embassy has proceeded to assist her. However, she is adamant that she will not return to the United Kingdom. The young mother is fearful of losing custody of her 4-year-old boy.
Nonetheless, according to Thai regulations, that is the only prospect open to her.
‘I want to go to a country where I can be with him. But it’s not going to be the UK, I can promise you that. If I have to, I will renounce my British citizenship because I’m not going to let my son go into the British care system,’ she declared. ‘But if no other country will take me, then I will have to remain in this detention centre, and the thought of that sickens me.’
Ellis Matthews denies receiving £6 million in compensation, clarifies claim of £1.6 million settlement
In the midst of her distress telling on Saturday, she denied that the report of her receiving £6 million from Lancashire’s local authorities was true. This was Ms. Matthews’ claim to fame during a reality TV show that made her well-known in the United Kingdom.
Nonetheless, she now says the amount involved was £1.6 million. In brief, a settlement made in respect of a case brought by her solicitors.
However, media sources in the United Kingdom over the weekend could find no case record. Certainly, it may have been a case that was settled before legal proceedings were launched.
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The basis for the case was abuse or a failure of care by the local authorities to Ms. Matthews when she was younger.
At this time, it seems likely that the young woman will return and resettle in the United Kingdom. Indeed, it may be advisable for Ms. Matthews to depart sooner rather than later. That is before her legal woes grow in Thailand.
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Further reading:
Immigration boss warns that a new crackdown on foreigners flouting Thai laws has begun
