- Scam operations in Myanmar are allegedly using Starlink satellite internet to avoid recent crackdowns by Thai authorities.
- Satellite imagery shows a rapid rise in Starlink dishes after efforts to cut power and internet to these compounds in early 2025.
- The compounds, some the size of small cities, house thousands of forced laborers engaged in online scams targeting global victims.
- U.S. officials estimate Americans lost over $10 billion in 2024 due to Southeast Asia-based scams; the U.S. government is investigating Starlink‘s involvement.
- Authorities have freed hundreds of workers from scam centers, with equipment seizures reported in both Thailand and Myanmar.
Authorities report that scam compounds in Myanmar’s Myawaddy border region now use Starlink satellite internet, bypassing Thai efforts to disrupt their operations earlier this year. After Thai officials cut electricity, internet, and fuel supplies in February, satellite images showed a sharp rise in Starlink dishes at the compounds.
According to AFP, these criminal complexes have rapidly expanded, with some reportedly as large as small cities. Seizures of Starlink equipment, meant to be smuggled to these locations, have been documented by both Thai and Myanmar news sources. APNIC internet registry data placed SpaceX-Starlink at the top of Myanmar’s list of providers from July to October 2025, holding a 12.37% market share, second only to Myanmar Country Co.
Thousands of laborers, often deceived by job offers and forced to stay after losing their passports, work in the compounds’ scam operations. These scams, known as romance fraud and “pig-butchering,” target victims online by convincing them to send money to people posing as romantic partners or promising investments.
In 2024, The U.S. Treasury estimated that American citizens lost over $10 billion to scams based in Southeast Asia, according to official figures. An investigation by The Guardian reported that a U.S. congressional committee is now examining how the American-owned Starlink network facilitates these activities in Myanmar. Senator Maggie Hassan has called on Elon Musk to prevent criminal groups from using the company’s satellite services.
The compounds have faced raids and shutdowns. Following power cuts by Thai authorities, over 300 laborers were rescued. In another major action, authorities freed 1,200 people from the KK Park site after tracing $100 million in USDT cryptocurrency to the group operating there.
These investigations and ongoing enforcement suggest continued international concern over the role of satellite technology in enabling cross-border crime.
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