Senator Hassan Calls on Elon Musk to Combat Starlink's Role in Southeast Asian Scam Surge

U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recently urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to take action against Southeast Asian transnational crime groups exploiting the Starlink satellite internet service for fraudulent purposes. In her letter dated July 28, Hassan highlighted reports indicating that these criminal organizations are using Starlink to defraud American citizens, with the U.S. Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network estimating losses reaching into the billions of dollars.

Despite service agreements that allow SpaceX to terminate network access in cases of fraudulent activities, it appears that scam networks based in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos are continuing to utilize the Starlink service. Senator Hassan emphasized SpaceX's responsibility to prevent the misuse of its service that enables these scams targeting Americans.

According to a report from the United Nations, criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of individuals into scam operations throughout Southeast Asia over the years, including locations along the Thailand-Myanmar border. Victims within these hubs are coerced into participating in illegal activities associated with online fraud.

Senator Hassan remarked on the uptick in scam messages, calls, and emails, acknowledging that many might be unaware of the role Starlink plays in facilitating such scams from halfway across the globe. Despite the increasing prevalence of these issues, SpaceX has yet to respond to calls for intervention.

Earlier this year, Thai authorities began cutting off electricity, internet, and fuel supplies in border regions like Myawaddy to combat the growing threat that these scam centers pose to regional security, aiming to disrupt the operations sustained by illicit activities.