US Senator Urges Elon Musk To Stop Starlink Access To Fraud Syndicate In Southeast Asia

United States Senator from the Democratic Party,uranny Hassan (photo: x @DefenseScop)

JAKARTA A US senator from the Democratic Party, Maggie Hassan, urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to immediately block the use of Starlink's satellite internet service by transnational criminal groups operating in Southeast Asia. He accused the internet network is now being used to run various online scams that cost Americans billions of dollars.

In a letter sent directly to Musk and seen by Reuters, Senator Hassan expressed concern over the latest reports showing that crime syndicates in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos are still actively using Starlink to operate fraud complexes' targeting Americans. These complexes are suspected of being the center of various forms of digital fraud, ranging from fake short messages, fraudulent calls, to email scams.

The fraud network in Southeast Asia can still access Starlink services, although in its terms SpaceX has the right to cut services to activities indicated fraud, Hassan wrote in his letter. SpaceX has a moral and legal responsibility to block criminals from being able to use their technology to harm Americans.

Until now, SpaceX has not provided an official response to a request for comment on this issue.

In recent years, international criminal networks have been known to have traded hundreds of thousands of people to digital fraud centers in Southeast Asia, particularly in the border areas of Thailand and Myanmar. According to a UN report, the victims were forced to work on an online fraud scheme under threats and inhumane conditions.

A report from the US Treasury Department of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network states that this syndicate has deceived Americans with billions of dollars in losses. Starlink, which provides high-speed satellite internet access in remote areas, is suspected to be one of the main tools used by criminals to stay connected and run operations globally undetected.

Many may be aware of the increasing number of fraudulent messages, calls and emails they received, but don't necessarily know that the culprit may be thousands of kilometers away and carrying out the action via Starlink's internet connection, Senator Hassan said, quoted by VOI from Reuters.

The Thai government itself has taken steps to suppress the existence of these fraud complexes. Since February 2025, the government has stopped supplying electricity, internet, and fuel to five Myanmar border areas, including Myawaddy, which is known to be the center of syndicate activity.

Global pressure on this practice also increased after the kidnapping case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who had disappeared in Thailand in January 2025. He was found safe by Thai police after being tracked to Myanmar.

The American think tank, United States Institute of Peace, said that this fraud syndicate was mostly controlled by a network of crimes from China, which has now expanded its influence to various Southeast Asian regions.

Hassan asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to immediately investigate this illegal activity and cut off internet service access to the perpetrators. He emphasized that swift and decisive action was needed to prevent more Americans from becoming victims.

"This is not just a matter of technology, but a matter of the company's responsibility to protect the public from organized global crimes," concluded Hassan.