As scam operations in Southeast Asia continue to generate billions in stolen funds from victims worldwide, U.S. law enforcement is working to cut off these scammers at the source. They’ve issued seizure warrants for Starlink satellite internet terminals, which provide cybercriminals with much-needed connectivity. Two U.S. warrants and accompanying affidavits obtained by WIRED describe how Starlink devices are allegedly being utilized by scammers operating in Myanmar.
One warrant, issued on Wednesday by U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey, permits the seizure of nine Starlink terminals and two accounts believed to be associated with scam operations in Payathonzu, located near the Myanmar-Thai border at Three Pagodas Pass. An affidavit from FBI investigators claims that the Starlink devices and accounts have played a “substantial role” in a money laundering and wire fraud scheme targeting U.S. citizens, urging Starlink parent company SpaceX to “disable service” to these devices. The affidavit also notes that at least 26 Starlink dishes were spotted on the roofs of various buildings housing one of the scam centers in the area.
The second warrant and affidavit, which focuses on seizing scam-related websites rather than directly targeting Starlink, states that “at least” 79 Starlink dishes have been identified on buildings at the infamous Tai Chang compound in Myanmar. U.S. officials report that this compound is under the control of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, an armed group recently sanctioned by the U.S. government.
Both sets of legal documents reference a WIRED investigation from earlier this year that exposed how scam compounds in Myanmar are using Starlink for internet access. Starlink, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, offers high-speed satellite internet in over 150 countries.
This action is part of a new initiative known as the District of Columbia Scam Center Strike Force, announced by the Justice Department, FBI, and Secret Service on Wednesday. The effort seeks to tackle cryptocurrency scams aimed at Americans, particularly fraudulent operations that have emerged from a wider ecosystem of organized scamming in several Southeast Asian nations, often linked to Chinese organized crime. The Strike Force is already active and has seized around $400 million in cryptocurrency stolen through these scams to date.
“The Department of Justice will not stand by while Chinese organized crime victimizes Americans and drains their hard-earned investments,” stated Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, during a press conference. “We have seized websites being used by these Southeast Asian compounds to exploit Americans. We are pursuing warrants to seize satellite terminals and accounts being utilized by the perpetrators to connect to the internet.”
