Starlink shutdowns reported after AFP expose on use in Myanmar-Thai scam centers
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Htet Nadi (NP News) - Oct 21
Reports spread that some Starlink connections were being shut down shortly after AFP revealed that Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet services were being used at online scam centers on the Myanmar- Thai border.
Sources say some Starlink internet connections used in the Myanmar-Thailand border area have been experiencing outages since October 16.
“It will be a real crisis for those who use it there. But it will also affect other people who are doing good business using Starlink. The main thing is that we don’t know how widespread the shut-down will be. Initially, it will target to shut down Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko. But after the news that Starlink is linked to the online scam centers came out the other day, they are checking to see if it is being used in other places. So, there may be other places that will be shut down,” an IT technician told The Statesman.
An AFP probe has found that scam centers in Myanmar, accused of defrauding victims worldwide of billions are expanding again only months after a major crackdown. Evidence also suggests they are now making extensive use of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service.
AFP satellite images and drone footage show Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet services being used, and new buildings under heavy security in the Thai-Myanmar border town of Myawaddy, AFP said.
Last February, under pressure from the governments of China, Thailand, and Myanmar, fraudsters released more than 7,000 people, mostly Chinese nationals, who were involved in online frauds.
Workers who have been released from Asia, Africa and elsewhere have shown AFP reporters the scars and wounds they suffered from beatings by online fraudsters, who say they spent hours searching for victims through phone and internet scams.
Satellite images show some buildings being built quickly weeks after a crackdown on online fraud operations along the Thai-Myanmar border, AFP reports.
And after Thailand cut off their internet and power connections across the border, Starlink satellite soon appeared on the rooftops of scam centers. The largest, about 80 Starlink satellites, were spotted on a building in KK Park, AFP reported.
Similarly, California prosecutors in the United States formally warned Starlink in July 2024 that its satellite system was being used by fraudsters, but received no response. Thai and American politicians concerned about online fraud have also warned Elon Musk, and Senator Maggie Hassan has called on him to take action.
The US House of Representatives' Economic Cooperation and Development Committee is currently investigating Starlink's involvement in online fraud centers, Senator Maggie Hassan told AFP. Elon Musk's Space X company did not respond to a request for comment.
Online fraudsters in Southeast Asia are among the main targets of fraud against American citizens, with the fraud rate rising to 66 percent last year, with an estimated $10 billion in fraud being committed, the report said.