Surabaya (ANTARA) - The East Java Regional Police\u2019s Cyber Crimes\nDirectorate has arrested a syndicate issuing illegal subscriber identity\nmodule (SIM) cards that used other people\u2019s personal data for selling\none-time password (OTP) codes for various digital applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cData has become a highly valuable strategic asset. The development\nof communication technology not only changes the way humans interact but\nalso shapes patterns of social, economic, and security life,\u201d said the\nHead of Public Relations for the East Java Regional Police, Commissioner\nJules Abraham Abast, during a press conference at the East Java Police\nHeadquarters in Surabaya on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Jules stated that the threat of personal data misuse can cause\nwidespread harm to society, both psychologically and materially.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting personal data is not just a technological issue, but also\nconcerns the basic rights of citizens to safety and privacy protection,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The Director of Cyber Crimes for the East Java Regional Police,\nSenior Commissioner Bimo Ariyanto, said the case was uncovered after\ninvestigators detected suspicious activity from the FastSim website\nselling cheap OTP services.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround April, the Cyber Directorate sniffed out a website called\nFastSim selling SIM cards at very low prices,\u201d Bimo said.<\/p>\n
Investigators then arrested three suspects with initials DBS, IGVS,\nand MA in Bali and South Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
DBS is known to have created the FastSim website and managed the\nmodem pool to produce and sell OTP codes using SIM cards registered with\nother people\u2019s data.<\/p>\n
IGVS acted as admin and customer service, controlling the website and\nOTP service stock, while MA was responsible for registering SIM cards\nusing other people\u2019s identities.<\/p>\n
In uncovering the case, police seized 33 modem pools, 11 laptops,\neight boxes of SIM cards, three monitors, two PCs, two mini PCs, and\n25,400 SIM cards suspected of being registered using public personal\ndata.<\/p>\n
Bimo explained that the perpetrators had been running the OTP sales\nbusiness since September 2025 to access various digital applications\nsuch as WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, and Shopee.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuspect DBS has been creating OTP codes for several applications\nincluding WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Shopee, and other social media\nsince September 2025,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to him, buyers do not receive physical SIM cards because\nafter payment via the FastSim website, customers immediately receive OTP\ncodes for digital account activation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they buy through FastSim, they are then given OTP codes and can\ndirectly access social media, for example WhatsApp and so on, without\nreceiving a physical SIM card,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
OTP codes were sold from Rp500 to Rp8,000 per code, with the\nsyndicate\u2019s total profits estimated at Rp1.2 billion since December\n2025.<\/p>\n
The East Java Regional Police suspect the service was used to support\nvarious cybercrimes such as online fraud, phishing, money laundering,\nillegal online loans, SIM swapping, and creating fake accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strongly suspect these are SIM cards used by scammers and other\ncyber criminals,\u201d Bimo said.<\/p>\n
Investigators are also probing the origin of the personal data used\nfor SIM registration and suspected involvement of mobile operator\npersonnel.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonal data was taken from an application called script. We are\nstill investigating who entered the personal data into that\napplication,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For their actions, the suspects are charged under Article 51\nparagraph (1) in conjunction with Article 35 of Law Number 11 of 2008 on\nElectronic Information and Transactions as amended by Law Number 1 of\n2024 on ITE.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey face a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison and fines up to\nRp12 billion,\u201d Bimo said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-arrest-syndicate-issuing-illegal-sim-cards-using-personal-data-1778568876", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }