Notorious TikTok ‘Benefit Queen’ Jailed After Flaunting Life Abroad
Ellis Matthews, a 32-year-old British mum from Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, has been detained in Thailand after a police raid at her home in Pattaya. Matthews, who gained notoriety on TikTok, where she shared tips on how to claim UK benefits while living abroad, now finds herself in a detention center in the Southeast Asian country.
Matthews, who has over 16,500 followers on TikTok, became known for posting videos explaining how she funds her £2,300-per-month lifestyle through British taxpayer-funded benefits. In one of her viral clips, Matthews claimed to receive this amount due to being diagnosed with six mental health disorders. She explained that without in-house treatment and hospitalization, her prognosis would be poor, and therefore, her ongoing treatment costs needed to be covered by the NHS.
Before her TikTok fame, Matthews appeared on the reality TV show Judge Rinder, where she was reportedly featured after squandering £6 million. Now, she lives in a one-bedroom bungalow in Thailand with her 3-year-old son, Cairo, but has been vocal about leaving her older children in the UK, referring to them as “surrogacies”, reported the Mirror.
Her TikTok videos regularly rack up tens of thousands of views, with her most recent viral video posted on February 28, where she discussed how she pays rent in Thailand. She shared details about her financial situation and how her benefits from the UK help support her lifestyle.
Matthews has now claimed that she has been detained for overstaying her visa in Thailand. Visitors who overstay their tourism visa in the country are fined about £11.40 for each day they remain there beyond their allowed stay. In a recent TikTok post, Matthews showed the bleak conditions of her detention center, writing: “I don’t care about me but please pray for my son”, reports MailOnline.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Matthews, raising £155 of the £1,500 goal. The fundraiser, initiated by Kama Clark, was started without Matthews’ permission and aims to support both her and her son Cairo while they navigate their situation in Thailand.
The UK government’s guidelines on benefits while abroad state that it may still be possible for citizens to claim some benefits while living outside the country. However, claiming benefits fraudulently while abroad, such as failing to report a change in circumstances like buying property or working, is considered a serious violation of the rules.