Beware Of Catut Fraud The Name Of The Natuna Police Chief, The Treasurer Of PWI Kepri Becomes A Victim

Illustration of fraud via cellular (Pixbay)

TANJUNGPINANG - The name of the Natuna Regency Police Chief, AKBP Nanang Budi Santosa was used to deceive a Treasurer of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) of Riau Islands Province (Kepri), Ady Indra Pawennari.

"That's right, I was suddenly called by a person claiming to be the Natuna Police Chief, asking for help with his wife's accommodation in Jakarta," said Ady Indra Pawennari as reported by ANTARA, Sunday, January 14.

According to Ady, the attempted fraud began with a message from the PWI Natuna management WhatsApp (WA), Ramayulis Piliang, who reported that the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Natuna Police would contact him and send him his cell phone number, Saturday afternoon.

Shortly after that, said Ady, a WhatsApp message entered his cell phone on behalf of the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Natuna Police, IPTU Apridony and asked Ady to contact the Natuna Police Chief.

"Because the profile photo uses the Bareskrim Tipidter Unit and the number is the same as the one sent by the Natuna PWI management, I am so sure that the person who contacted it was the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Natuna Police. I then asked for the Natuna Police Chief's phone number," he explained.

Shortly thereafter, Ady immediately contacted the cell phone number of the Natuna Police Chief [phone] which was sent by the person claiming to be the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of the Natuna Police.

In the conversation, he continued, the Natuna Police Chief asked for assistance in the cost of his wife's accommodation from Jakarta - Batam.

"From the word accommodation, I began to suspect that a police chief could not distinguish accommodation from transportation. However, I still serve it because the profile photo is the Natuna Police Chief, AKBP Nanang Budi Santosa," explained Ady.

Ady then agreed to help with the cost of accommodation for the wife of the Natuna Police Chief. However, he was a bit offended because the person who claimed to be the Natuna Police Chief asked how much money he would help.

"I said that I could only help make it easy. Before long, he sent BNI account number 1811517113 on behalf of Emilia Siuk Nahas," he said.

When he was about to transfer to that account number, Ady thought of checking the truth of the Natuna Police Chief's phone number through the Chairman of PWI Natuna, Muhammad Rapi.

Once he got the Natuna Police Chief's phone number from Rapi, Ady became suspicious because of the difference in the numbers and profile photos used. He also asked the Deputy Chairperson of the Riau Islands PWI, Henky Mohari to confirm the truth of the phone number in question.

"Through tracking using a trusted application, it was revealed that the cellphone number [phone], the person claiming to be the Natuna Police Chief, did not deserve the truth. Once the person called again asked to send proof of transfer, I didn't respond anymore," he said.

Separately, the Natuna Police Chief, AKBP Nanang Budi Santosa admitted that he was not the owner of the telephone number [phone] as stated by the PWI Riau Islands Treasurer, Ady Indra Pawennari.

"No. It's a fraud, bro," he said briefly.