Tangerang Immigration Arrests 19 Foreigners Suspected of Love Scamming
Jakarta — The Tangerang Class I Special Immigration Office for Non-TPI arrested 19 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in online fraud using the love scam modus operandi, conducted from an apartment in Teluknaga District, Tangerang Regency.
Of the 19 foreign nationals detained, 15 were Chinese nationals, one was from Taiwan, one from Malaysia, one from Vietnam and one from Cambodia, who were arrested on Friday (8 May),” said Hasanin, head of the Tangerang Class I Special Immigration Office for Non-TPI, accompanied by the head of the Intelligence and Immigration Enforcement Division, Bong Bong Prakoso Napitupulu, in Jakarta, on Wednesday.
Hasanin said the arrests were carried out after Tangerang Immigration received intelligence regarding suspicious activities by a group of foreign nationals potentially disrupting public security and order. After receiving the information, officers gathered evidence and statements. After confirmation, officers promptly responded by moving to the target location.
“We coordinated with the management and local security authorities to enable immigration surveillance,” he said.
He stressed that the arrests were based on the selective policy principle and the provisions of Article 75(1) of Law No. 6 of 2011 concerning Immigration.
The 19 foreign nationals are suspected of engaging in activities that could threaten public security and order.
After coordinating with the Directorate General of Immigration and the Kanwil Ditjenim (Directorate General of Immigration) in Banten, the 19 foreign nationals were subjected to administrative immigration actions comprising deportation and entry ban, carried out on Tuesday (19 May).
Meanwhile, Bong Bong Prakoso Napitupulu said that from field checks, the 19 foreigners were suspected to be linked to an online scam syndicate that previously operated in Cambodia. “We found travel histories in the passports of the 19 foreigners from Cambodia and WhatsApp group chats indicating online scam practices,” he said.
Additionally, based on checks of the immigration database, 16 foreign nationals were found to be using pre-investment visiting permits. Two foreigners used a visa on arrival (VOA) and one person used the visa-free visit facility.
He said that Tangerang Immigration also checked the guarantor companies for the foreign nationals; information indicated that several guarantor companies were fictitious and not operating in accordance with registered data.
Officers seized evidence including 19 foreign passports, 32 mobile phones, three laptops, 28 Cambodian Foreign Worker Cards, and a lease agreement for a shop/retail unit believed to be used as an operational base. In addition, dozens of transaction records or internet access bookings and numerous electronic devices were seized, believed to support the scam activities.
Based on examinations of the 19 foreigners and the seized evidence, their earlier activities in Cambodia are believed to have involved online fraud.
Hasanin said Cambodia is currently tightening access and closing opportunities for scammers, forcing perpetrators to seek new footholds in Indonesia.
To run their operations in an organised manner, the perpetrators were directed not to travel in groups, not to be conspicuous, and to avoid checks by Immigration or police. They were also prohibited from disclosing their actual residential addresses and the purpose of their presence in Indonesia.
“This was evidenced by text conversations observed by Immigration officers at the location during surveillance,” he said.