East Java Police Uncover International Love Scamming Syndicate with Losses of Rp1.1 Billion

The Cyber Directorate of the East Java Regional Police (Polda Jatim) has uncovered an international online fraud syndicate operating a romance scam, or ‘love scamming’, which resulted in 53 Indonesian victims losing a total of Rp1.1 billion. Director of Cyber Crime for Polda Jatim, Senior Commissioner Bimo Ariyanto, stated that the revelation was the result of intensive collaboration with immigration officials and the Sidoarjo Police. Three individuals have been named as primary suspects in the case. ‘We have successfully uncovered an alleged criminal case of online fraud using a romance mode. We have designated two foreign nationals and one Indonesian citizen as suspects who played active roles in this network,’ Bimo said in Surabaya on Monday. The syndicate operated in a highly organised manner across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp, specifically targeting women aged 45 to 60. The perpetrators cultivated intense emotional relationships to convince their victims, with one foreign suspect using the alias ‘Haji Kamal Zaki’ to build trust through repeated video calls and instant messages. Once victims were emotionally entangled, the suspects promised to send luxury gifts from abroad, subsequently requesting money transfers under the pretext of customs clearance or administrative issues. The Head of the East Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, Novianto Sulastono, added that his office had taken action against the foreign nationals involved for immigration violations. Investigations revealed misuse of residence permits and significant overstays. ‘Two of the four foreign nationals detained were proven to have violated their residence permits. One of them had overstayed by as long as 885 days,’ Novianto explained. Polda Jatim urged the public not to easily trust new online acquaintances who promise gifts or goods from abroad, especially if they lead to requests to transfer money to personal accounts.