JAKARTA - The National Police is aware of the shift in the operating area of cross-border online fraud perpetrators (scammer) into Indonesia, by strengthening joint surveillance collaboration with related agencies such as the Directorate General of Immigration.
The Secretary of the National Central Bureau (NCB) of Interpol Indonesia, Brigjen Pol. Untung Widyatmoko said that the police had carried out preventive and preventive efforts, but there were still gaps that were used by cross-border scammer perpetrators to enter Indonesian territory.
"We have made preventive and preventive efforts, but thanks to the alertness and awareness of immigration assisted by the regional unit, we can get more than 200 foreign nationals who try to commit the crime of scamming," Untung said in a press conference for the arrest of 210 foreign nationals suspected of being scammers in Batam, Riau Islands, quoting Antara.
Untung explained that the arrest of 210 foreign nationals suspected of committing investment scammers in Batam was the result of collaboration between the Directorate General of Immigration and supported by the Kepri Regional Unit.
The disclosure adds to the list of successes of the Indonesian law enforcement apparatus in mapping the spread of cyber criminals.
He revealed that the arrest of 210 foreign nationals suspected of being scammers in Batam was related to the disclosure of similar cases that had been carried out by the National Police together with the Directorate General of Immigration such as Denpasar, Surabaya, Surakarta, Sentul Bogor, and Sukabumi West Java.
The last information obtained was that a similar arrest had been made in the Jakarta area involving hundreds of foreign nationals.
"This phenomenon shows a pattern of shifting operating areas (cross-border scammers) as known as the dissolution of scammers in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam eventually spread to Indonesia as a new destination," he said.
Untung emphasized that the National Police would not stand idly by against cross-border scammers who tried to make Indonesia a safe haven.
He said the NCB of the Indonesian Interpol, together with the ranks of investigators from the Directorate General of Immigration and the regional units (police), synergized and collaborated to carry out prevention and enforcement of laws.
In preventing cross-border scammers from taking advantage of the loophole to enter Indonesia to run their businesses, Interpol Indonesiaa helps provide data and cooperate with interpol from the countries of origin of scammers.
The National Police is also investigating the possibility that the scammer targets Indonesian citizens as victims to investigate his criminal acts.
Untung explained that although a number of disclosures had been made, almost all victims were abroad. Including 210 foreign nationals who were perpetrators of investment scammers in Batam targeting victims in Europe and Vietnam.
"We will consider the criminal aspects that this foreign national has committed in Indonesia. Whether there are victims from Indonesian citizens or not, of course we will continue to work hard to fight transnational crimes and international crimes including scammers," said Untung.
"This is to prove that there is no safe place in Indonesia for perpetrators of crimes and cybercrime practices in Indonesia," he said.
It is known that 210 foreign nationals who were arrested by Immigration in Batam, Riau Islands, based on the results of electronic device checks, found indications of online investment fraud (scam trading) activities targeting foreign nationals, especially in the European and Vietnamese regions.
The modus operandi used includes promotion through social media, followed by intensive communication, to direct victims to invest funds in a fictitious investment platform with the promise of high profits.
In addition to arresting 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, network devices, cash 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 residence permits, namely 57 people using Free Visit Visa (BVK), 103 people using Visa on Arrival (VoA), 49 people using D12/B12 Index Visit Visa, and 1 person using Limited Residence Permit Investor.
The type of residence permit from the majority of foreign nationals secured cannot be used for work activities or business operations.
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