Jakbar Immigration Arrests Four Foreign Nationals in Online Fraud Posing as a Payment Application
Jakarta Barat’s Class I Special Non-TPI Immigration Office arrested four Chinese nationals at a residence in West Jakarta on Monday, 18 May, who were suspected of online fraud conducted under the guise of a payment application.
The four foreigners — LY, 34; QZ, 42; ZZ, 32; and WJ, 24 — were arrested in the West Jakarta area. Ronald Arman Abdullah, head of the Jakarta Barat Immigration Office, said the disclosure began from information about suspicious activity by foreigners in West Jakarta. “Based on surveillance and investigations, we secured four Chinese nationals suspected of conducting online fraud disguised as a payment-application operation at a residence in West Jakarta,” he said at a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.
During screening, it emerged that LY held a Limited Stay Permit (ITAS) as a Worker in the position of General Manager; ZZ held ITAS as Worker as Technical Manager; QZ as Marketing Manager; while WJ entered Indonesia using a Visa on Arrival (VoA) through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Officers also confiscated evidence including four Chinese passports belonging to LY, QZ, ZZ, and WJ, plus two anonymous Chinese passports, 41 mobile phones, 13 laptops, and five computer monitors.
From examining electronic devices, officers found data including lists of malicious advertising websites (malvertising), websites for registering deposit-scam accounts, user identity photos, group chats related to deposits, and withdrawal evidence pointing to online fraud under the guise of a payment application.
The four foreigners admitted that their activities involved online fraud against users of the payment-app websites they managed. Victims were asked to deposit money, but could not withdraw funds for various reasons allegedly fabricated by the group. Some also claimed that the recipient account was not their own.
“They also admitted carrying out the activities under the instruction of a person with the initials TS, believed to be in China. All four foreigners are currently detained at Jakarta Barat Immigration Office for further examination,” Ronald said.
For their actions, they face Administrative Deportation and Banishment under Article 75(1) of Law No. 6 of 2011 on Immigration. In addition, they are suspected of violating their residence permits under Article 122A relating to misuses of residence permissions.
Next, the Jakarta Barat Immigration Office will coordinate with the Director General of Immigration, specifically the Directorate of Monitoring and Enforcement of Immigration, for follow-up actions regarding the four foreigners.
Pamuji Raharja, Head of the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Immigration for the DKI Jakarta Special Capital Region, praised the swift action of the West Jakarta Immigration Office in uncovering the alleged online fraud by the foreigners. “I appreciate the performance of personnel at Jakarta Barat Immigration Office for moving quickly in monitoring and enforcing against foreigners suspected of immigration violations and activities that harm the public. This is a tangible demonstration of the Immigration’s commitment to maintaining order and security in the region,” he said. He urged the public to actively report suspicious activities or disturbances caused by foreigners in their neighbourhoods.