Kulon Progo Man Arrested for Selling Fake IELTS Certificates for Australian Work

A man with the initials GDZ, a resident of Kulon Progo, has been arrested by police for allegedly selling fake IELTS certificates for work in Australia, with losses estimated at Rp 40 million. The Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Kulon Progo Police, First Inspector Subihan Afuan Ardhi, stated that the suspect offered a service to obtain IELTS certificates without the need to sit the examination. One of these fraudulent acts occurred last May. The victim was asked to pay varying fees, ranging from Rp 3.85 million to tens of millions of rupiah. “The suspect offered the victim that he could help obtain an IELTS certificate as a requirement to work in Australia without taking the test. The victim was then asked to pay an agreed sum of money,” Subihan told reporters on Friday. Subihan explained that the suspect convinced the victim by claiming to have a contact in Bandung who could produce the IELTS certificate. However, after an investigation, it was found that the person in question never existed. “In fact, the IELTS certificate was made by the suspect himself using an application on his mobile phone. The certificate given to the victim was a fake document,” he said. After the certificate was completed, Subihan said, the suspect sent a digital copy to the victim and requested payment as agreed. The suspect also enticed the victim with promises of registration for work at several companies in Australia. “The suspect promised the victims they would be registered for jobs at companies in Australia. Because they believed him, some victims had already processed passports, visas, and other requirements, thus increasing their losses. In reality, the suspect never registered any victim with any company in Australia,” he revealed. Police seized evidence from the suspect, including fake IELTS certificates, proof of money transfers, and an Infinix mobile phone allegedly used to create the false documents. For his actions, the suspect is charged under Article 45A paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 28 paragraph (1) of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law and Article 492 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code related to fraud. “If members of the public wish to work abroad, they should first consult with the Manpower Office or BP2MI to obtain correct information and avoid becoming victims of fraud,” he concluded. Meanwhile, the Head of Unit I of the Kulon Progo Police Criminal Investigation Unit, First Inspector Rifai, explained that this activity had been carried out for a year. “Based on the suspect’s confession and the traces on his mobile phone, he has been carrying out activities like this for several times, almost a year now. The number of victims currently recorded is five people. The victims are mostly located in Central Java,” he stated. Rifai said the amount collected by the suspect was Rp 40 million. In addition, the victims also incurred extra costs to process various requirements for working in Australia, such as passports and visas. “Currently, the total received by the suspect is approximately Rp 40 million. However, the victims’ losses are not only from the money received by the suspect, but also because the victims then undertook other matters such as passport and visa processing, and so on, which added to their losses. So, some victims spent up to Rp 35 million, some Rp 20 million, and so on,” he concluded.