Police Arrest Perpetrators Of Online Market Site Gift Mode Fraud

TRENGGALEK - The Trenggalek Police Satreskrim team, East Java, arrested a young man from Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra, with the initials YP, a fraud perpetrator with the mode of offering gifts from an online market site.

"We uncovered this case after the victim, who is a resident of Trenggalek, reported that he had become a fraudulent newspaper and his ATM was burglarized by the perpetrators," said Trenggalek Police Chief AKBP Dwiasi Wiyatputera, quoted by Antara, Friday, January 28.

There are two Trenggalek residents who are trapped in YP's fraud scheme. Both of them were tempted by the lure of the cash back prize program that was delivered by the perpetrators under the pretext of representatives from an online market.

Once attracted by the perpetrator's offer, the two victims unknowingly provided the account number along with the on-time password (OTP) code.

“So that YP is free to break into the contents of their personal accounts. The total loss is estimated at more than Rp. 20 million," continued the Police Chief.

The perpetrator first contacted the victim's number which he obtained randomly by breaking into an online market site account.

To the two victims, YP claimed to be a representative of an online market site to provide gifts or promos.

"And said that the victim got 'cash back' worth Rp. 2 million from that (online market site) earlier. Then the perpetrator directed where the money would be transferred," he added.

Dwiasi said it was only the YP mode. After asking for the victim's account number, YP secretly accessed it from his home illegally.

"So that the account (online market site) and mobile ATM transactions can be controlled by the perpetrators. Then the money in the account until the account (online market site) is made for personal use," said Dwiasi.

In addition, it seems that the victim's data that had been burglarized by the perpetrators was used for a contract to borrow money from an online loan so that the two victims suffered losses of tens of millions of rupiah.

"We immediately moved quickly and secured the perpetrator at his house. He admitted that he was self-taught and was still in action for about a month, but we are still investigating it. We urge the public to increase their vigilance against all forms of crime," said the Police Chief.