Investigation: criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar, where tens of thousands of people are enslaved, are using Starlink to get online
A WIRED investigation reveals that criminals who make billions from scam compounds in Myanmar—where tens of thousands of people are enslaved—are using Starlink to get online. Bluesky: @malwarejake , @lhn , @mattburgess1 , @jesspish , @dell , @hypervisible , and @couts Forums: r/worldnews , r/TrueReddit , and r/politics Bluesky: Jake Williams / @malwarejake : There's no question in my mind that Starlink is enabling cybercrime and human trafficking. There's zero question in my mind that they could be doing more to identify it. [embedded post] Lily Hay Newman / @lhn : Scam researchers and survivors of forced work in compounds in certain regions have been mentioning for awhile that scam operations are increasingly relying on Starlink for internet access @mattburgess1.bsky.social goes deeper to expose the scope and scale of the problem www.wired.com/story/starli... Matt Burgess / @mattburgess1 : NEW: Elon Musk's Starlink is being used at scam compounds that have fleeced billions from people around the world, a @WIRED investigation shows — Between November 2024 and Feb, hundreds of phones at eight scam compounds in Myanmar logged 40,000 uses of Starlink, mobile data shows Jessica Pishko / @jesspish : I urge people not to think it's funny to respond rudely to pig butchering scam texts. The people texting are basically indentured servants. (You can just ignore them!) — www.wired.com/story/starli... Dell Cameron / @dell : NEW: A WIRED investigation reveals that Elon Musk's Starlink is serving internet to scam compounds in Myanmar where tens of thousands of human beings are enslaved. — By @mattburgess1.bsky.social: — www.wired.com/story/starli... [image] @hypervisible : “...criminals running multibillion-dollar empires across Southeast Asia appear to be widely using the satellite internet network. At least eight scam compounds based around the Myanmar-Thailand border region are using Starlink devices, according to mobile phone connection data reviewed by WIRED.” Andrew Couts / @couts : NEW: Between November 2024 and the start of February, hundreds of mobile phones logged their locations and use of Starlink at known scam compounds more than 40,000 times, according to phone connection data reviewed by @wired.com. @mattburgess1.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/starli... Forums: r/worldnews : Elon Musk's Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online r/TrueReddit : Elon Musk's Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online r/politics : Elon Musk's Starlink Is Keeping Modern Slavery Compounds Online Expand More For Next Unexpand More For Next