This article takes us back to the notorious border scam centres, again. It's become a feature of TNT coverage, partly because it's SUCH a big story and also because we want to continually alert and warn you about the nefarious means these scammers use to extract money from YOUR pockets.
And after last year’s big crackdowns, you’d think scam centres were on the run. But the opposite is true.
Whilst the focus this year has been the rise and proliferation of the Cambodian scam centres, following a few highly publicised raids along the Thai/Burmese border last year, there has been a lot of renewed activity along that Burmese border, with some disturbing new features.
One is a new type of scam, that directly targets the people trapped in these scam centres, often deceived into working there and kidnapped. And their families. The other emergent problem is the use of the US company Starlink’s satellite-based internet technology.
Whilst the US government, NGOs and inter-government investigations have estimated that the Cambodian scam centres have contributed a staggering 40-60% to the country’s GDP, in recent years…. Yes, around half of the country's total annual GDP.
It’s been much more difficult to accurately trace the flow of money in the Burmese operations, many along the border, north and south of the township of Myawaddy, just across from Thailand's western border.
However it has been very easy to trace the extensive growth of new scam centre operations and infrastructure along the Thai/Burmese border, and the way they’ve been able to regroup after last year’s pesky interruptions by the Thai and Chinese governments.
Even more disturbing is how an essential technology for these scammers - access to the internet - is coming from a US company, Starlink. This pivot in scam operations, after Thai authorities cut access to Thai broadband and 5G services earlier this year, has been the secret sauce to their re-emergence. A satellite stream of fast and reliable internet services, one of the main components of the industrial scale scam operations.
Before we look at the direct connection to Starlink, a quick refresher why all this matters and why we keep talking about it.
Firstly, these scam centres are a lucrative industry - a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report estimates that hundreds of industrial-scale scam centres in East & Southeast Asia generate “just under US$40 billion in annual profits”.
Scam centres in Cambodia, alone, are creating half of that money. And where is a lot of that US$40 billion coming from? People like you and me who could get sucked into an online scam - in some cases stripping thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars from individuals with elaborate and very convincing romance or investment scams.
Secondly, there are several layers of victims in these scams. Besides the eventual victim emptying their pockets, there’s also the actual scammers who are, in many… but not all cases… victims too. Often tricked and trafficked into these border cities with lucrative job offers.
These trafficked victims are virtual slaves, working under duress, threatened with torture and regular beatings. Some escape with their harrowing tales… with bruises and injuries to remind them of their time inside.
Thai authorities last year estimated some 100,000 people trapped as slave labour in these border scam centres. Other independent investigations have estimated up to 700,000 people… it’s impossible to check for a more accurate number.
These scam centres, sometimes scam towns, are heavily fortified and patrolled by armed guards. The fortifications are designed to protect the operations from prying eyes, and keep the people inside… inside.
The other victims are the families and friends who go to extreme, and often very expensive lengths, to seek the freedom of their loved ones from these scam centres. The business of contacting and tormenting families, demanding ransoms, and often just taking the ransoms with no release of the victim, has, too, become a lucrative income for the scam operations.
And, in recent months, there’s been the growth of fixers and intermediaries, whose role is to contact the families, negotiate a ransom and act as the middle man… often touting their independence, or even claiming their operating for various NGOs or even governments… when in fact they are just another arm, a very lucrative and deceptive arm, of the scam centre operations.
But, now to the pressing and disturbing links with the US company Starlink. Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, is a satellite-based internet provider. Very popular for people who are unable to tap into broadband services or wifi, or in remote areas, or travellers. It’s not available everywhere in the world… including, for now, both Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand.
And the recent revelations about the use of Starlink telecommunication products and services, uncovered by an extensive AFP report, poses a lot of questions - questions that are currently seeking official responses.
Because Starlink isn’t dependent on local ISPs or cabling, it allows these compounds to continue operations even during blackout or shutdowns. Starlink is the perfect product if you’re running a scam centre and want to protect yourself from outside disruptions.
Satellite imagery and detailed reports show hundreds of Starlink dishes going up on rooftops of these compounds, especially in big centres like Myawaddy, Schwe Koko and KK Park. In some cases, nearly 80 Starlink dishes are visible, just on one compound roof.
Yes, there have been seizures: Thai police have successfully intercepted Starlink dishes being smuggled into Myanmar, often hidden in crates or disguised among legitimate goods.
So how do these scam operators utilise the Starlink services and can the owners of Starlink actually do anything to stop them?
Firstly, has Elon Musk and Starlink been alerted about the use of their technology in these scam compounds?
Yes. One big name is US Senator Maggie Hassan who, in July this year, sent a letter to Elon Musk urging SpaceX to block access by transnational criminal groups using the Starlink technology.
Thai officials have also flagged the issue, aware of the proliferation of Starlink dishes in compounds. Thailand’s NBTC have reported to the government about Starlink being used as a new workaround for the vital internet connections.
Erin West, a noted US cybercrime prosecutor, has also reached out to Space X back in July 2024 with evidence about Starlink being used at the Tai Chang compound. Up to now, she has received no reply.
And in Thailand, MP Rangsiman Rome has publicly tagged Elon Musk on his X platform to draw attention to the misuse of Starlink, asking for collaboration. Again, no response from Mr. Musk.
According to Wired and Communications Daily, whether Starlink is actually monitoring misuse in these border regions, or whether SpaceX has internal processes that detect terminals being used in fraud centres, is not clearly known.
However SpaceX has in its own fine print that it may deactivate or terminate service for users involved in fraudulent or unauthorised activities, and for terminals in unauthorised locations.
For their part, the US Treasury and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has provided data to Space X indicating how much money is being lost by Americans in these scams. But there's no public statement at this stage that the US has forced Starlink or Space X to do anything about it.
The requests and further evidence appear to be piling up, but no public confirmation from Space X or Elon Musk of large-scale deactivation of the implicated terminals.
We now have the satellite images, people escaping the scam centres have confirmed the use of the technology, and Thai police have boxes of Starlink dishes intercepted on their way into Myanmar, where Starlink isn’t even available for the country.
Bottom line, Starlink has gone from not even being listed as an internet provider in Myanmar at the start of this year, to becoming Myanmar's biggest internet provider, every day from July 3 to October 1, this according to data from the Asian regional internet registry.
So questions, serious questions, remain and Starlink, Space X, Elon Musk and the US government need to provide answers about their unwitting involvement in the success and proliferation of the SE Asian scam centres. The internet connectivity of these operations is so central and essential, action from these people would go a long way to limiting their operational stability.
But what can WE do about all this?
Firstly, if you are a US citizen or Space X shareholder or enthusiast, please, ask questions and pile on the pressure for them to close down the use of their Satellite services to these scam centres.
Secondly, as online consumers, keep vigilant and do everything you can to keep these scammers out of your pockets. Don’t answer phone numbers you don’t recognise, don’t answer unsolicited messages sent to you on social media… Facebook, Messenger, Line, Telegraph and especially dating apps where these scum lurk to turn your expectations of hook ups and romance into a highly profitable encounter.
And if you do suspect scammers on the other side of your conversation, just stop responding and report the conversations to your service provider.
There are plenty of other online scams around, but these industrial scale scam centres are not only still in operation but building new compounds, and finding new people to sit behind the screens and contact you.
They’re also winding up the use of AI to automate the sending of messages so that one operator can be sending out thousands of messages every second, engage in initial conversations and start grooming new victims.
Remember, these scams exist because there are still plenty of victims and the investment into new compounds, satellite dishes and infrastructure is well-rewarded. Don’t let their next victim be YOU.