Immigration Authorities Uncover Love Scamming Case in Semarang, Four Chinese Nationals Arrested
The Semarang Immigration Office, in collaboration with the Central Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration, has uncovered an alleged online fraud case involving ‘love scamting’ tactics in Semarang. Four Chinese nationals involved in the case have been detained.
The Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, emphasised that this exposure is an implementation of the ‘selective policy’ which serves as the foundation for immigration supervision in Indonesia. Hendarsam stated that Immigration will continue to increase supervisory activities, strengthen immigration intelligence functions, and expand synergy to suppress transnational crime networks.
“Immigration will not provide any space for foreign nationals who abuse stay permits or utilise Indonesian territory as a base for illegal activities. Immigration supervision will continue to be strengthened to maintain national security, order, and sovereignty,” Hendarsam said in a statement on Sunday (7/6/2026).
The case was uncovered during an immigration supervision operation conducted on Thursday (4/6/2026) at 23:30 WIB in the Puri Anjasmoro area, West Semarang. The four Chinese nationals detained, identified by the initials HJ (40), HK (44), HY (44), and TW (37), are suspected of abusing their stay permits in Indonesia.
This discovery is the result of intensive immigration intelligence activities conducted over two weeks by the Immigration Intelligence and Enforcement Team (Inteldakim) of the Semarang Immigration Office. Based on observations, officers found indications of suspicious activities carried out by several foreign nationals in a house within a residential area in West Semarang.
In addition to the four Chinese nationals, two Indonesian citizens, identified as DS (26) and E (26), were also detained to investigate their involvement in the case.
“This exposure is the result of continuous immigration intelligence work and strong synergy between the Semarang Immigration Office and the Central Java Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration. We will ensure that every suspected immigration violation is processed in accordance with applicable legal provisions,” said the Head of the Semarang Immigration Office, Ari Widodo.
During the search, officers found a significant amount of electronic evidence allegedly used to support the online fraud activities. The evidence included 604 mobile phones of various brands, 11 laptops, 10 all-in-one (AIO) computers, 1 printer, 1 hard disk, 1 projector, 1 portable wireless device, hundreds of SIM cards, three passports from the People’s Republic of China, and several other documents that are currently undergoing further analysis.
The foreign nationals allegedly conducted love scamming activities by utilising various digital communication platforms, including the DingTalk and DingDing applications. They approached potential victims using false identities and profiles, exploiting trust to gain financial advantages.
From initial investigations, it was discovered that the victims and targets were located outside of Indonesia. All detained foreign nationals are currently undergoing interrogation.
The foreign nationals are suspected of violating Article 122, letter a of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration regarding the abuse of stay permits. Furthermore, for one foreign national who could not produce valid and current travel documents, officers are also investigating the potential application of Article 119 of Law Number 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration.