2 Perpetrators Of Theft And Abuse Of Personal Data Arrested By Police, Here's The Mode

Bogor City Police showed evidence of theft of population data that occurred in their area. (ANTARA)

Bogor City Police arrested two perpetrators of theft and misuse of population data from residents of Bogor City and its surroundings, which were used to register sim cards for one of the providers or telecommunications service providers in Indonesia.

Bogor City Police Chief Kombes Pol Bismo Teguh Prakoso revealed that the two perpetrators with the initials P (23) and L (51) worked at a company called PT Nusa Pro Telemedia Persada, which collaborated with providers to sell sim cards with a target of 4,000 cards per month.

However, Bismo said, these cybercriminals were only able to sell sim cards in real terms at 500 to 1,000 pieces of cards in one month.

"To meet this target, the perpetrators use methods that violate the law, namely stealing data belonging to others through the Handsome application," he said.

The data obtained by the Handsome application, said Bismo, is population data from BPJS and the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Bismo said the perpetrators carried out the action starting from inserting a new sim card into their cellphone. Then after an order appears to register, the perpetrator uses the Handsome application to obtain data such as NIK and KK.

"Then the data that appears automatically is used by the perpetrators for registration. That's what the perpetrators do to meet the sales target," he explained.

In one month, Bismo said, one perpetrator made a profit of Rp. 25.6 million because he managed to sell 4,000 sim cards illegally.

From the results of the police investigation, he said, the two perpetrators who acted in the Kayumanis area, Bogor City coordinated with PT Nusa Pro in Jakarta. Currently, the Handsome application previously used by the perpetrators cannot operate, allegedly controlled remotely.

"Later we will make a call to the parties who collaborated with the two suspects. And we have installed a police line at the TKP in Bogor City," said Bismo.

He said the evidence confiscated by the police from the perpetrator's office included computers, monitors, CPUs, tens of thousands of sim cards and provider vouchers, and 200 sim cards that have been registered with data on cybercrime results.

The two perpetrators were charged with Article 94 in conjunction with Article 77 of the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 24 of 2013 concerning Population Administration and Article 67 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 65 Paragraph (1) and Paragraph (3) of Law Number 27 of 2022 concerning Personal Data Protection.

"The penalty for violating the Population Law is six years in prison, while the violation of the Personal Data Protection Act is five years in prison," Bismo explained.