SpaceX disables 2,500 Starlink terminals at Myanmar scam compounds

SpaceX said on Wednesday it has disabled more than 2,500 Starlink satellite terminals being used at suspected online scam compounds in Myanmar, after an investigation found a sharp rise in the devices’ presence across sprawling fraud hubs along the country’s borders. The move targets networks that investigators and officials say have been running large-scale romance and investment scams from purpose-built compounds near the Thai and Chinese frontiers since Myanmar’s 2021 coup.

Lauren Dreyer, vice president for Starlink business operations, wrote on X that "In Myanmar, for example, SpaceX proactively identified and disabled over 2,500 Starlink Kits in the vicinity of suspected scam centers." The company did not specify when the devices were disabled. The action follows reporting that Starlink receivers had been installed en masse on compound roofs and a regional internet registry’s finding that Starlink became Myanmar’s most active network from early July through October.

United Nations estimates put the scale of cyberfraud across Southeast Asia at as much as $37 billion in 2023. Investigations and officials say the compounds operate like small industrial parks, employing...