Suspected Indonesian Research Fraud Scandal Sparks Online Outcry as Researchers Identified
Allegations of fake Indonesian research at the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD) conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 17-21 May 2026 have sparked online outrage.
The suspected research scandal was uncovered by Indonesian epidemiologist Wa Ode Dwi Diningrat, who attended the academic conference representing Oxford University in the UK.
Dwi’s suspicions began when a colleague invited her to a session featuring two Indonesian presenters named ‘Dimas’ and ‘Riana’. Initially, she only skimmed the abstracts, but upon closer inspection, she noticed numerous irregularities. Her doubts intensified after consulting fellow researchers and her supervisor about the data and graphs presented.
One major red flag was the claim of collecting primary data in Peru’s Andes highlands without any local collaborators—a near-impossible feat in international research practice.
‘They were collecting data in the Andes without any local collaborators in that country. It’s impossible to conduct such research abroad without local partners. That’s one of the most glaring anomalies,’ she told Detikcom on Thursday (28 May 2026).
Beyond the research content, the presenters’ identities raised questions. In one session, a woman presented research titled ‘Urban Heat Islands and Ageing Lung Vulnerability: Mapping Pneumococcal Pneumonia Risk and Climate-Exposed Older Adult Hotspots in LMIC Megacities’ under the name ‘Riana Dwi Kurniawati’.
Approximately 10 minutes later, in a different session, the same woman appeared again, having changed her hijab and using a different identity: ‘Dimas Fajar Prasetyo’. She presented research titled ‘AI-Fused Satellite Climate, Urban Heat and PCV Uptake to Prioritise Pneumococcal Booster Strategies for Frail Older Adults in LMIC Megacities’, introducing herself as ‘Dimas’, according to Dwi.
The presenter was later identified as Prihantini, whose name did not appear as an author on either of the presented studies. ISPPD’s official website shows Prihantini submitted four research titles in collaboration with Rifaldy Fajar and Rini Winarti.
Both Prihantini and Rifaldy listed their affiliation as AI-Biomedicine Research Group, IMCDS Biomed Research Foundation in Jakarta, while Rini Winarti used the Department of Biology at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY).
Further investigation revealed that Prihantini, Rifaldy Fajar, Rini Winarti, and Riana Dwi Kurniawati all graduated from UNY. Prihantini is a 2015 Mathematics graduate, Rifaldy from the same department in 2014, Rini from Biology in 2014, and Riana from Indonesian Language and Literature Education in 2015.
Rifaldy and Rini previously won gold medals at the Egyptian International Invention and Innovation Exhibition (EGYPTINVENT) 2016 in Cairo, according to UNY’s website. Rifaldy, Prihantini, and Riana also formed part of UNY’s Student Creative Development Department team that secured gold at the 2nd World Invention and Innovation Forum (WIIF) in Foshan, China, in November 2017.
UNY’s Academic Vice Rector, Prof Nur Hidayanto, stated the university is currently investigating alumni involved in the case, as reported by detikJogja. Meanwhile, detikEdu has been unable to confirm directly with the parties involved. Previously, Rifaldy had posted a statement on his Threads and Instagram accounts saying he and other researchers were preparing a clarification, but the posts were later deleted after his social media accounts were closed.