Beware Of Online Dating, This Woman Is Deceived Until Rp.15.8 Billion In Money Disappears

Release of cases at Polda Metro Jaya (DOK.ANTARA)

JAKARTA - A woman with the initials IE lost Rp. 15.8 billion as a result of being cheated by a gang of con artists with online dating methods involving criminals abroad.

"The fraud case and money laundering offenses which occurred in April from someone's report, lost more than Rp15 billion," said Head of Public Relations of Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Yusri Yunus at Polda Metro Jaya, quoted by Antara, Friday, November 27.

Yusri said, of the six suspects in the case, five had been arrested and one suspect was still abroad.

The suspects are HIT (30) BHT (21), R (40) and WH (36) as well as an African foreigner with the initials AF (40). Meanwhile, one suspect who is still abroad is known to have the initials F (40).

Yusri explained that these actors had different roles. WH counts the money proceeds from their fraud, while HIT and HIP are the collectors for the money transferred from the victim.

Perpetrator R as the collector of money from fraud and HF (foreign nationals) who deposited money to F as the leader of this group.

The mode used by this group is dating someone using social media. The group's action began when F searched for IE on social media.

In carrying out his action, F used fake social media with photos of other people and claimed to be in England. After the victim began to be persuaded, perpetrator F began to take action.

Initially the perpetrator argued that he had borrowed money to take care of his parents' insurance. At that time, the victim was promised that the money he borrowed would be replaced immediately if his parent's insurance ran out.

Not only that, the victim was also persuaded to invest in a company owned by his parents.

"Until Rp15.8 billion was used up, the victim just realized and finally he reported it to the police," he said.

From the hands of the perpetrators, the officers confiscated Rp60 million in cash, several account numbers to collect the results of the fraud and also several cell phones.

The suspects were threatened with articles 55, 56 KUHP and 378 KUHP as well as articles on the crime of money laundering (TPPU) with the threat of 20 years imprisonment.