DIY Police Chase International Network Hacker Syndicate Who Stole Company Money In Yogyakarta

Illustration:PIxabay

JAKARTA - Ditreskrimsus Yogyakarta Special Region Police (DIY) has dismantled an international-class hacker syndicate that has succeeded in defrauding several companies of up to billions of rupiah. The police also arrested a female perpetrator with the initials MT (46), who was tasked with finding targets in Indonesia.

Direskrimsus Polda DIY, AKBP Roberto Pasaribu revealed, this cyber crime is known as the BEC mode, namely hacking (hacked) emails belonging to companies that are used for correspondence with the victim's company's business activities with parties abroad.

He said that these syndicates then changed the contents of the e-mail as if it were genuine, with the aim of the victim transferring the money payment to an account that had been prepared by the perpetrator.

"This crime syndicate involves several parties and is an international network," Roberto said at a press conference at the Yogyakarta Regional Police, Saturday, September 4.

The former Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation at the Polda Metro Jaya said that in disclosing this case, his party had only arrested MT women with a number of evidences in the form of cars and savings books as well as a number of ATMs.

One of the victims in this BEC practice is PT Pagilaran which has its address in Yogyakarta, PT Pagilaran which is engaged in the export of bulk tea food commodities having its address in Yogyakarta, conducting business relations with foreign parties, namely Good Crown Food/Global Tea, Ltd which is located in Kenya. , Africa since March 2020.

MT hijacked the company's email and transferred the company's supposed money transfer to the targeted company's account worth more than IDR 1.4 billion. From the usual transaction to one account number, it was changed to two different account numbers.

"The transfer to a bank account number in New York, USA, is around Rp. 700 million or USD 48 thousand. Meanwhile, another account uses a bank in Indonesia with a value of Rp. 600 million. We are currently working together to analyze financial transactions with the Criminal Investigation Police, Interpol, and the FBI. From the analysis results, we arrested MT as a suspect, "said Roberto.

His party suspected that MT conspired with the alleged mastermind of the crime with the initials IG, a Nigerian citizen. The two are thought to have known each other since 2003. According to him, IG ordered MT to find target companies in Indonesia and arrange the planned transaction scheme.

“MT will notify IG when the transaction has been made. They obscure transactions or make the company's financial transactions look normal (by hijacking emails)," said Roberto.

Roberto referred to the network as the African Group's international crime network. MT is now being held at the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters. Meanwhile, IG has also been named a suspect and is still at large.

"In addition to ensnaring the Electronic Information and Transaction Law. also uses the Law on the Eradication of the Crime of Money Laundering. The threats are all over 5 years," concluded Roberto.