Bareskrim Uncovers Global Phishing Network Targeting 34,000 Victims and Causing Rp 350 Billion in Losses
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Cyber Crime Directorate of Bareskrim Polri has uncovered a case involving the production and distribution of phishing tool software, affecting a total of 34,000 victims in various countries and causing losses of US$20 million or approximately Rp 350 billion.
Director of Cyber Crime at Bareskrim Polri, Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji, stated that the revelation of this case resulted from cyber patrols that identified illegal activities on several websites selling phishing scripts.
“Data on approximately 34,000 identified victims was obtained for the period from January 2023 to April 2024,” Himawan said during a press conference at the Bareskrim Polri building in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/4/2026).
From the analysed samples, 53 percent of the victims were from the United States, with the remainder from various countries, including Indonesia.
From the investigation results, police identified that the sites were connected to Telegram accounts used for communication, transactions, and distribution of the software to buyers.
To confirm the suspicions, investigators even conducted an undercover buy or disguised purchase using cryptocurrency assets.
Tests conducted with IT experts showed that the sold software was indeed designed for phishing and breaching security systems, including multi-factor authentication.
Additionally, cryptocurrency wallets used to hold the proceeds of crime were identified, along with patterns of converting funds to Indonesian rupiah.
In this revelation, Bareskrim Polri, together with Ditreskrimsus Polda Nusa Tenggara Timur, arrested two suspects in Kupang City.
The suspect with initials GWL (24) acted as the main perpetrator who produced, developed, and sold phishing tools since 2018.
He is known to have a vocational high school background in Multimedia and learned script creation self-taught.
“Both suspects have been detained since 9 April 2026 at the Bareskrim Polri detention centre,” he revealed.