International Love Scamming Syndicate Busted in Surabaya, Four Foreign Nationals Arrested

A joint team from the Surabaya Immigration Office, the East Java Police Cybercrime Directorate, and the Sidoarjo Police have dismantled an international online fraud syndicate operating a love scamming scheme. Four foreign nationals from Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria were arrested alongside one Indonesian citizen. The network is known to have deceived dozens of victims, causing total financial losses estimated at IDR 1.1 billion. The operation began with surveillance at an apartment in Surabaya, where three foreign nationals were initially detained. A subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the suspected coordinator, a Ghanaian national, at a hotel in Surabaya. Authorities seized mobile phones, laptops, SIM cards, and victim contact data used to perpetrate the fraud. Police revealed the suspects used fake social media identities to build romantic relationships with victims before promising to send luxury gifts, subsequently requesting payments for various fictitious fees. The foreign nationals also face severe immigration sanctions for violating their residence permits, with one suspect having overstayed by 579 days.