SpaceX has disabled over 2500 Starlink devices in Myanmar that were being exploited by fraudulent networks for cyberattacks and online scams. CNN reports that the U.S. has been concerned about the use of Starlink by criminal organizations in Myanmar for over a year.
The company stated that it monitors violations across all markets where Starlink operates.
“In rare cases where we identify violations, we take appropriate actions, including cooperation with law enforcement globally,” said Lauren Dreyer, SpaceX's Vice President of Starlink Business Operations.
She added that SpaceX independently detected and “disabled over 2500 Starlink kits near suspected fraud centers.”
Dreyer did not disclose the date of the shutdown, but the announcement came after Myanmar’s military junta reported finding 30 Starlink “receivers and accessories” during a raid on one of the fraud complexes.
According to a recent report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, there are about 30 large complexes along the Myanmar-Thailand border specifically built for fraud, costing billions annually, affecting even Americans.
Workers at these fraud centers are often lured with promises of well-paid jobs or fall victim to human trafficking. They are regularly held against their will and forced to conduct online scams in heavily guarded complexes, where beatings and torture are common, CNN reports.