Police on Guard Against Shift in Operations of Transnational Scammers into Indonesia
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Police (Polri) are on alert for the shifting operational territories of transnational online fraudsters (scammers) entering Indonesian territory, by strengthening collaborative oversight with relevant agencies such as the Directorate General of Immigration.
Secretary of the Indonesian National Central Bureau (NCB) Interpol, Brigadier General Police Untung Widyatmoko, stated that Polri has undertaken preemptive and preventive prevention efforts, yet gaps remain that are exploited by transnational scammers to enter Indonesia.
“We have already carried out preemptive and preventive prevention efforts, but they still manage to enter. However, thanks to the vigilance and awareness of immigration, assisted by regional units, we have apprehended more than 200 foreign nationals attempting to commit scamming crimes,” said Untung during a press conference on the arrest of 210 foreign nationals suspected of being scammers in Batam, Riau Islands, monitored online from Jakarta on Friday.
Untung explained that the arrest of the 210 foreign nationals suspected of conducting investment scams in Batam was the result of collaboration between the Directorate General of Immigration, supported by regional police units of the Riau Islands Regional Police.
This revelation adds to the list of successes by Indonesian law enforcement in mapping the spread of cybercrime perpetrators.
He revealed that the arrest of the 210 foreign nationals suspected of scamming in Batam is linked to similar cases uncovered by Polri together with the Directorate General of Immigration in Denpasar, Surabaya, Surakarta, Sentul Bogor, and Sukabumi in West Java.
Most recently, information was received of a similar arrest in the Jakarta area involving hundreds of foreign nationals.
“This phenomenon indicates a pattern of shifting operational territories (of transnational scammers), as it is known that the disbandment of scammers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam has led to their spread, including to Indonesia as a new destination,” he said.
He stated that the Indonesian NCB Interpol, along with investigators from the Directorate General of Immigration and regional police units (Polda), are synergising and collaborating to prevent, take action, and enforce the law.
To prevent transnational scammers from exploiting gaps to enter Indonesia and conduct their business, Indonesian Interpol assists by providing data and cooperating with Interpol from the scammers’ countries of origin.
Polri is also investigating the possibility that scammers are targeting Indonesian citizens as victims to pursue their criminal acts.
Untung explained that although from several revelations that have been made, almost all victims are located abroad. Including the 210 foreign national scammers involved in investment scams in Batam, who targeted victims in Europe and Vietnam.
“We will consider the criminal aspects committed by these foreign nationals in Indonesia. Whether there are victims from Indonesian citizens or not, we will certainly continue to work hard to combat transnational crimes as well as international crimes, including scamming,” said Untung.
“This is to prove that there is no safe place in Indonesia for criminals and cybercrime practices in Indonesia,” he stated.
It is known that the 210 foreign nationals arrested by Immigration in Batam, Riau Islands, based on examinations of electronic devices, revealed indications of online investment fraud activities (scam trading) targeting foreign victims, particularly in Europe and Vietnam.
The modus operandi used includes promotions via social media, followed by intensive communication, up to directing victims to invest funds in fictitious investment platforms with promises of high returns.
In addition to arresting the 210 suspected perpetrators, Immigration also secured evidence in the form of hundreds of electronic devices consisting of 131 computers, 93 laptops, 492 mobile phones, 52 monitors, networking devices, money counting machines, and 198 passports.
Director of Supervision and Enforcement of the Directorate General of Immigration, Yuldi Yusman, said that the 210 foreign nationals used various types of stay permits, namely 57 people using Visit Visa-Free (BVK), 103 people using Visa on Arrival (VoA), 49 people using Visit Visa Index D12/B12, and 1 person using Limited Stay Permit for Investors.
The types of stay permits held by the majority of the secured foreign nationals cannot be used for work activities or business operations.