Senator Maggie Hassan is demanding action from Elon Musk as Starlink’s internet, originally meant to connect the world, is now fueling massive criminal fraud against Americans in Southeast Asia—while SpaceX remains silent and scam syndicates only grow bolder.
At a Glance
- Starlink satellite internet is being used by criminal organizations in Southeast Asia to perpetrate large-scale scams against Americans.
- Senator Maggie Hassan is publicly pressuring Elon Musk and SpaceX to cut access for these fraud groups, citing billions in losses.
- Despite mounting evidence and international outcry, there has been no public action from SpaceX to address the abuse.
- Experts warn that the unchecked use of Starlink by criminals could set a dangerous precedent for technology companies’ accountability worldwide.
Starlink: From Promise to Problem as Criminal Syndicates Exploit Satellite Internet
Senator Maggie Hassan’s recent public demand for Elon Musk to block Starlink access for scam syndicates in Southeast Asia is long overdue. Americans have every right to be furious that the same technology designed to close the digital divide is now being weaponized—right under the noses of tech elites who seem more interested in profits than people. The so-called “scam compounds” along the Myanmar-Thailand border, now notorious as global scam capitals, are using Starlink to bypass government crackdowns and continue fleecing hardworking Americans. Thai authorities and international organizations have been raising alarms since 2024, but Starlink’s seamless, untraceable service has only made these criminal operations more resilient and lucrative.
A Democrat senator on Monday urged Elon Musk to block transnational criminal groups in Southeast Asia from using Starlink satellite internet service to commit fraud against Americans. https://t.co/HW0duJ8TK5
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 28, 2025
Data doesn’t lie. Between November 2024 and February 2025, over 40,000 Starlink logins were traced to known scam centers. After Thai authorities tried to cut these fraudsters off by severing internet cables, criminals simply switched to Starlink and doubled down on their schemes. And with the Biden administration’s legacy of ignoring border chaos and letting criminals run wild—here we are, Americans footing the bill for failed leadership and Silicon Valley’s blind eye to abuse.
Senator Hassan Calls Out Musk as Pressure Mounts on SpaceX
Senator Hassan, joined by a chorus of frustrated lawmakers and international watchdogs, is finally calling for accountability from Musk and SpaceX. In her words, “Scam networks in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, however, have apparently continued to use Starlink despite service rules permitting SpaceX to terminate access for fraudulent activity.” Law enforcement, NGOs, and even Thai parliamentarians have echoed these calls, warning that as long as Starlink stays switched on, the scam industry stays in business. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s official response? Deafening silence.
The fact that Musk—who can tweet about the most trivial nonsense—hasn’t found time to address Americans losing billions to scam syndicates using his own network is infuriating. Criminal organizations have outpaced both regulators and authorities, exploiting every loophole and technological blind spot. There’s no excuse for a U.S.-based company to let its groundbreaking technology be hijacked by the world’s worst actors while American citizens pay the price.
Scam Victims, Law Enforcement, and Industry Experts Demand Action
Victims of these scams are not just data points—they’re everyday Americans whose life savings are vanishing while tech billionaires and bureaucrats dither. Authorities in Southeast Asia, facing their own jurisdictional nightmares, can’t keep up as Starlink’s satellite internet lets criminals operate above the law. Expert voices like Benedikt Hofmann of the UNODC and U.S. prosecutors leading anti-scam task forces have warned that Starlink is openly marketed as the ultimate solution for online criminals. And yet, the U.S. government and SpaceX have failed to implement basic access controls, even as the pressure mounts from all sides.
The longer this goes on, the greater the damage—not just in lost dollars, but also in eroding public trust and setting a precedent for how Big Tech handles criminal abuse. If SpaceX and other satellite providers can’t—or won’t—police their own products, Americans will keep paying the price for Silicon Valley’s reckless disregard for consequences. And with no sign of action from Musk, the responsibility to demand real accountability falls to those who still value common sense, the rule of law, and the safety of American families.
Sources:
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
