According to a recent Xinhua News Agency report from Los Angeles, SpaceX Vice President Lauren Dreyer announced on social media on the 21st that the company had identified and disabled over 2,500 Starlink devices near a Myanmar cyber-fraud park. Dreyer emphasized that the devices were located "around suspected fraud centers," and that SpaceX had proactively cut off their network connectivity. This action follows a crackdown by the Myanmar Tatmadaw. According to official Myanmar media reports on the 20th, the military seized 30 Starlink receivers and accessories from border cyber-fraud parks, including 2,198 individuals involved in the fraud at the KK park in Karen State alone.
Myanmar's cyber-fraud park has long used Starlink devices to evade regulation. Satellite imagery shows that approximately 80 Starlink antennas are densely deployed on rooftops at the KK park, enabling it to maintain communications even after Thailand cut off power and internet access at the border. Data from the Asia-Pacific Network Information Center shows that Starlink's traffic in Myanmar surged from July to September 2025, reaching a 12.37% market share, making it the country's second-largest internet service provider. Although Starlink lacks an official operating license in Myanmar, criminal groups have established a "criminal network" by smuggling equipment, creating a multi-national, technologically-driven fraud operation.
The international community has reacted strongly. The US Congress launched an investigation in July, questioning the systematic abuse of Starlink services. Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan wrote to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, demanding that fraud rings be prevented from using Starlink to defraud Americans—related losses exceeded $10 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, a joint task force between China, Myanmar, and Thailand continues to combat telecom fraud, apprehending 53,000 Chinese suspects by the end of 2024. However, emerging criminal groups continue to resurface by rebuilding their campuses and upgrading security measures.
SpaceX states that its terms of service explicitly prohibit fraudulent activity, but technical experts point out that the wide coverage of its low-orbit satellite network provides a natural barrier to crime. Whether this ban will effectively curb telecom fraud remains to be seen.
