US senator wants Musk to block use of Starlink by financial fraud groups in Southeast Asia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A Democratic senator on Monday urged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to block transnational criminal groups in Southeast Asia for using Starlink satellite internet service to commit fraud against Americans.

Senator Maggie Hassan cited recent reports that Starlink is being used to facilitate fraud against Americans by a broad range of transnational criminal organizations operating “scam compounds” in Southeast Asia. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network said these groups defrauded Americans out of billions of dollars, she added. “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,” Hassan wrote.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Toby Chopra)