Thread by @TomWrightAsia

Earlier this year, Sam Altman rolled out his identification crypto Worldcoin project in Bangkok -- but local authorities had concerns about scanning people's irises for crypto rewards. Enter a mysterious South African criminal called Benjamin Mauerberger to smooth the way. 1/7 👇

2. Altman connected to Mauerberger, who promised to get Thailand's ruling Shinawatra family to support Worldcoin's controversial mission. He delivered: Altman's co-founder took the stage with former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra at a major event. But who was Mauerberger?

3. In reality, Mauerberger was the front for a $1.5B criminal network that forced Asian workers to scam Americans with fake crypto investment schemes. He relied on Thaksin, for whom he supplied a private jet and a Rolls Royce, to give him political cover. Here they are meeting.

4. Altman's goal with Worldcoin is lofty: to scan irises as a way for people to prove their identity online. But in Bangkok, the scans are being carried out by a Thai company secretly controlled by Mauerberger -- raising huge security and data privacy concerns.

5. As, he scanned eyeballs for Altman (at $5 a pop), Mauerberger also secretly partnered with KuCoin, a crypto exchange that was fined $300M last year and banned in the U.S. for money laundering. KuCoin employees took part in the rollout of Worldcoin in Bangkok.

6. KuCoin and Mauerberger's network secretly took over a Thai finance company, giving them a way to move scammed crypto to the regular financial system. What due diligence did Altman and co-founder Alex Blania conduct on their Thai partner?

7. Since we began reporting on Mauerberger, Altman has hired investigators to look into his Thai partner. But this misstep shows the perils of rolling out controversial tech globally without checks. Will Worldcoin stay in Thailand? Read our full series 👇: whalehunting.projectbrazen.com/sam-altmans-wo…