Surabaya Man Arrested in Denpasar for Mobile Phone Scam Using Fake Transfer Receipts

A man from Surabaya, identified by the initials GF, 33, has been arrested by South Denpasar Police for allegedly defrauding a mobile phone shop using a fake transfer receipt. The incident, which went viral on social media, began on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, at around 10:45 a.m. local time at the RA Gadget 2 shop on Jalan Tukad Pakerisan, Panjer, South Denpasar, Bali. The victim, 22-year-old shop employee Ni Ketut Meldarani, had advertised an iPhone 11 for sale on Facebook Marketplace. GF contacted her via WhatsApp and agreed to purchase the phone for IDR 3.7 million. He then sent a manipulated image of a bank transfer as proof of payment. Believing the transaction was genuine, the victim handed the iPhone to a motorcycle taxi driver sent by the suspect. The shop owner later discovered that no funds had been received and GF subsequently blocked the victim’s WhatsApp number. Later that evening, GF attempted the same scam by ordering another phone through a colleague of the victim. Recognising the modus operandi, the victim and her colleagues devised a trap. They followed the motorcycle taxi driver to a house in the Pemogan area, where GF had requested the package be hung on the fence. When GF emerged to collect the package, which had been replaced with an empty box, he was apprehended by the group and handed over to the police. During the investigation, officers seized an Oppo mobile phone believed to have been used to edit the fake transfer receipt. It was also revealed that the iPhone 11 obtained in the scam had been pawned for IDR 2.5 million at a pawnshop on Jalan Tukad Pakerisan. GF admitted to learning how to edit the transfer images himself and to targeting sellers on Facebook Marketplace. He claimed the money from pawning the phone was used to pay debts and cover daily expenses. The case is currently being handled by the Criminal Investigation Unit of the South Denpasar Police, who are also investigating the possibility of other victims.