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CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Dozens arrested for Indonesian love scam ring targeting American men
DENPASAR: Indonesian police have arrested dozens on the popular resort island of Bali for allegedly running a love scam syndicate targeting American men, they said on Wednesday (Jun 11). Police made the arrests after being tipped off about suspicious activity at a rented home in Denpasar, the island's capital. A total of 38 suspects, seven of them women, were arrested. "The suspects arrested worked as operators whose job is to find the love scam victims; they targeted Americans who have a Telegram account," Bali police chief Daniel Adityajaya told a press conference. "They pretended to be women by using women's pictures and fake identity to ensnare their victims." The suspects confessed they were working for someone who controlled the business from Cambodia to lure American men to hand over sensitive information, Daniel said. They chatted up their victims through the Telegram messenger app and sent them fake links. The suspects were paid US$200 each per month to steal the victims' data and information, Daniel said. Police initially detained nine suspects together, leading to the arrest of the others accused of a role in the syndicate. The suspects, all Indonesians, face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty of violating the country's electronic transaction law. Police had previously said many scammers had moved to Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries after China cracked down on domestic networks. In 2019, Indonesian police arrested 85 Chinese nationals and six Indonesians over an online scam that tricked victims out of millions of dollars. In 2023, they arrested 88 Chinese nationals in Batam, in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands, for running a syndicate that had scammed hundreds of victims in China by luring them into sexual acts and then blackmailing them with video footage.
Malay Mail
14-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Penang police bust foreign-led fake gift card scam operating out of posh Alma condo
BUKIT MERTAJAM, May 14 — Penang police have busted an online scam syndicate run by foreigners, which offered fake gift card deals through a call centre operating from a luxury condominium at Alma here. State police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the operation was carried out by a team from the Seberang Perai Tengah District Police Headquarters (IPD SPT) and the Penang Commercial Crime Investigation Department after several days of surveillance and intelligence gathering. 'During the raid, police found four local individuals, including a woman, aged between 18 and 28, who admitted to working as call centre operators for the past week. They were paid RM2,600 a month. 'Also at the premises were a foreign man and woman, aged 23 and 38, who entered Malaysia on May 1 using social visit passes. Both are believed to be the main masterminds of the syndicate,' he said in a statement today. Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate scammed victims by offering fake prizes via the Telegram app. They used a group called 'Malay Telegroup 875' to collect personal details from victims. Hamzah said the scammers would call victims, offer them fake prizes, and ask for personal details. These details were then sent to a third party, believed to be a Telegram administrator based in Kuala Lumpur, who would later contact the victims again and ask them to pay certain fees to claim the fake prizes. Police seized various items from the premises, including four monitors, eight mobile phones, three WiFi modems, four keyboards, an access card, internet cables, three folding tables, four chairs, four headphones, RM5,000 in cash, a house key, and four purchase receipts. All suspects have been remanded for three days until May 16 to assist in investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. — Bernama
