PHNOM PENH, September 17, 2026: Vorapak Tanyawong, a former Thai deputy finance minister, along with 25 other individuals and two companies, has been named in a request by US lawmakers for the US government to investigate alleged involvement in large-scale online scams. 

Vorapak and the 25 other individuals are suspected of being linked to online financial scams operating through networks across Southeast Asia, not only in Thailand. Among the 26 individuals, Vorapak is the only Thai national, while the other 25 are of different nationalities, including Zhong Baojia, who is Chinese, and businessman Benjamin Mauerberger, who is South African.

On September 16, 2026, two senior US lawmakers, Brian Mast and John Moolenaar, sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting an investigation into the 26 individuals and two companies and asking the US government to determine within 180 days whether they meet the legal criteria for US sanctions.

The lawmakers alleged that the individuals and companies may be linked to scam networks, human trafficking, forced labour and other serious abuses in Southeast Asia. Vorapak has previously denied any involvement in scam networks or transnational crime. 

Vorapak is a finance professional who previously served as a senior executive at Krungthai Bank. He served briefly as deputy finance minister for one month in 2025 and then resigned following allegations that he had links to scam networks.