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As fraudulent vehicles In Southeast Asia continues Set billions of dollars on fire In funds stolen from victims around the world, US law enforcement aims to cut off the scammers at the source by issuing seizure orders for the Starlink satellite internet terminals that provide the cybercriminals with connectivity. Two US arrest warrants and affidavits seen by WIRED detail how cybercriminals allegedly used Starlink devices running fraudulent aggregators in Myanmar.
A warrant issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Harvey authorized the seizure of nine Starlink stations and two Starlink accounts allegedly used in fraudulent pools in Payathonzu, near the Three Pagodas Pass on the Myanmar-Thai border. A related affidavit, written by FBI investigators, alleges that Starlink devices and accounts played a “substantial role” in an alleged money laundering and wire fraud operation targeting US citizens — saying Starlink’s parent company SpaceX should “disable service” to the devices. It also claims that at least 26 Starlink dishes appear to be located on the roofs of several buildings forming one scam center out of several in the Three Pagodas Pass area.
The second memo and affidavit — which was not released to Starlink but focused on the seizure of websites used in the scam — also alleges that “at least” 79 Starlink dishes appear on the rooftops of Myanmar’s notorious Tai Chang complex, which U.S. officials say is controlled by the Karen Democratic Benevolent Army, an armed group in Myanmar that has been punished By the US government this week. The arrest warrant was signed Monday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh.
Both sets of legal documents point to an investigation conducted by WIRED earlier this year, which revealed this Myanmar scam vehicles use Starlink To access the Internet. Starlink, owned and operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is a high-speed satellite internet service available in more than 150 countries around the world.
The action comes as part of a new US law enforcement initiative known as the District of Columbia Fraud Center Strike Force Announce By the Justice Department, FBI and Secret Service on Wednesday. The effort is intended to combat cryptocurrency-related scams targeting Americans, specifically fraud that arises from an ecosystem of organized fraud that has developed in several Southeast Asian countries and is often linked to Chinese organized crime. The “Strike Force” is already operational, and the Department of Justice says it has so far seized nearly $400 million in cryptocurrencies stolen in scams.
“The Department of Justice will not stand idly by while Chinese organized crime harms Americans and drains the hard-earned investments of American citizens,” Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a news conference. “We have seized websites used by these aggregators in Southeast Asia that are being used to harm Americans. We are seeking court orders to see the satellite stations and accounts the perpetrators are using to connect to the Internet.”