Hundreds of Foreign Nationals Arrested in Batam Over Online Fraud

The Directorate General of Immigration conducted a raid related to an international online fraud network involving hundreds of foreign nationals (WNA) at Baloi View Apartment in Lubuk Baja District, Batam City, Riau Islands (Kepri). The raid targeted scamming activities involving online stock and forex trading schemes. The activities of these hundreds of foreign nationals had been ongoing for four weeks or more than a month. Their victims were people in Europe and Vietnam. Officers also seized various pieces of evidence, including 131 desktop computers, 93 laptops, 492 mobile phones, 52 monitors, networking devices, a money-counting machine, and 198 passports. “To detect any involvement of Indonesian citizens, but this does not close the opportunity for us to continue investigating so that in the future we will pursue whoever the perpetrators involved in this crime, whether foreign nationals or Indonesian citizens, this will develop further,” said the Head of Immigration Batam, Wahyu Eka Putra, during a press conference on Friday (8/5). Furthermore, Eka said that during the raid, suspicion arose regarding the involvement of a luxury Alphard vehicle parked at Baloi View Apartment. This is currently under surveillance by officers and still in the development process. He mentioned that officers faced challenges in examining the foreign nationals, particularly in terms of language communication, as most of the hundreds of foreign nationals are from Vietnam. “Regarding the two Alphard vehicles, that is already under our surveillance and is in the development process,” he stated. He added that the hundreds of foreign nationals conducting criminal activities in Batam partly entered through international ports in Batam via ferry ships. Additionally, some entered via domestic airports outside Batam City. Separately, the Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, said there were 210 foreign nationals (WNA) operating the online stock and forex trading scam. These hundreds of foreign nationals are known to originate from Vietnam, China, and Myanmar. In detail, the foreign nationals consist of 125 from Vietnam, 84 from the People’s Republic of China, and 1 from Myanmar. Of this number, 163 are male and 47 are female. “Early detection was carried out and around 210 people were obtained, this is related to investment fraud scammers,” he said while leading a press conference on Friday (8/5). He added that the results of examinations by officers showed that the foreign nationals used various types of stay permits, namely 57 using Visa-Free Visit (BVK), 103 using Visa on Arrival (VoA), 49 using Visit Visa Index D12/B12, and 1 using Limited Stay Permit for Investors. He stated that foreign nationals conducting criminal activities in Batam will be processed administratively in accordance with Indonesian regulations in the form of deportation and blacklisting. However, if criminal elements are found in accordance with the Criminal Code, they will be handed over to the police. “If later it is found that there is also suspected criminal acts in accordance with our Criminal Code, we will prosecute and hand them over to the police,” he said. Meanwhile, the Secretary of the National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol Indonesia, Brigadier General Pol Untung Widyatmoko, said that the uncovering of this case adds to the success of Indonesian law enforcement in mapping the distribution of cybercrime perpetrators. He mentioned that the cybercrime uncovered in Batam is related to those previously revealed by a joint team from the Directorate General of Immigration and the National Police in Denpasar Bali, Surabaya East Java, Surakarta Central Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, and in Bogor and Sukabumi West Java. “Actually, this crime is related to what we have done previously with the Directorate General of Immigration, namely in Denpasar Bali, Surabaya East Java, Surakarta Central Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, and in Bogor and Sukabumi West Java,” he said. He noted that based on information, there have been arrests of 300 foreign nationals in similar cases in the Jakarta area. According to him, this cybercrime phenomenon shows a pattern of dispersal of scammers from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam spreading to Indonesia. “Scammers from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam have finally spread, one of which to Indonesia as a new destination, and we do not want our country to become a safe haven for these scammers,” he said. These foreign nationals are suspected of violating Article 75 paragraph (1) of Law Number 6 of 2011 on Immigration. Based on these regulations, Immigration Officials are authorised to impose Immigration Administrative Actions (TAK) against foreigners who engage in dangerous activities, disrupt public order, or violate laws and regulations. Currently, the violators have been placed in detention rooms to undergo further processes in the form of deportation and blacklisting.