East Java Police dismantle international 'love scamming' syndicate

Surabaya - East Java Police have dismantled an international love scamming syndicate that defrauded 53 Indonesian citizens across various regions, with total losses reaching Rp1.1 billion through a fake romantic relationship modus operandi on social media. “Today, we from the East Java Police Cyber Directorate, in collaboration with immigration officials and Sidoarjo Police, have successfully uncovered an alleged online fraud case involving a romance modus, known as love scamming,” said East Java Police Cyber Director, Senior Commissioner Bimo Ariyanto, in Surabaya on Monday. In this case, the East Java Police Cyber Directorate named two foreign nationals and one Indonesian citizen as suspects for playing active roles in the online fraud network. The syndicate targeted female victims aged 45 to 60 through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, building emotional relationships akin to romantic partnerships before executing the fraud. Once a relationship was established, the perpetrators promised to send high-value gifts, but the victims were later contacted with claims that the package was held at customs or faced administrative hurdles, prompting requests for money to release the goods. Based on the investigation, there were at least 53 victims across Indonesia, with 22 victims from East Java spread across areas including Surabaya, Gresik, Madiun, Pacitan, and Sampang. “This case has been ongoing since August 2025. From tracing bank accounts, investigators discovered a flow of funds amounting to approximately Rp1.1 billion suspected to be proceeds from the fraud,” he stated. One of the foreign perpetrators used the false identity of Haji Kamal Zaki to convince victims through intensive communication, including repeated video calls, phone calls, and instant messages. East Java Police urged the public to be more vigilant against romance-based fraud modus operandi on social media that leads to requests for money under various pretexts, particularly regarding the shipment of goods from abroad. The Head of the East Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, Novianto Sulastono, revealed that his agency assisted in uncovering the case through foreigner surveillance and enforcement against immigration permit violations by the foreign nationals involved. “The collaboration between East Java Immigration, the East Java Police Cyber Directorate, and Sidoarjo Police resulted in the discovery of four foreign nationals and one Indonesian citizen involved in the syndicate,” he said. Of the four foreign nationals, two were proven to have committed immigration violations in the form of permit misuse and overstaying, with one overstaying by 885 days.