Authorities have detained 27 foreign nationals as an effort to crack down on an international romance scam syndicate in Tangerang, exposing the use of artificial intelligence and cross-border financing.
The Directorate General of Immigration of the Republic of Indonesia, through its Directorate of Immigration Surveillance and Enforcement (Pengawasan dan Penindakan Keimigrasian or Wasdakim), has dismantled an international cybercrime syndicate operating under a love-scamming scheme. A total of 27 foreign nationals suspected of involvement in the online extortion network were arrested in the Gading Serpong area of Tangerang, Banten.
Acting Director General of Immigration Yuldi Yusman said the operation was the result of in-depth analysis and profiling of several locations deemed suspicious.
“On the 8th of January, a team from the Directorate of Immigration Surveillance and Enforcement deployed to the first location in the Gading Serpong area. There, our team secured 14 foreigners, consisting of 13 citizens of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and one Vietnamese national, while they were engaged in suspicious activities,” Yusman said in a recent statement to the press.
At the location, officers confiscated various items of evidence, including scattered computers and mobile phones, as well as two PRC passports under the names HJ and ZR.
Investigators revealed that the syndicate operated in a highly organised manner and made use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. The perpetrators identified victims via social media platforms and initiated conversations using the AI tool “Hello GPT” to ensure interactions appeared natural, engaging and convincing. Subsequently, the suspects sent explicit images to lure victims into participating in video calls.
“At that moment, the perpetrators recorded the session to perform blackmail. They threatened to disseminate the recordings unless the victims transferred a specific sum of money,” Yusman explained.
Following the initial arrests in Gading Serpong, the investigation expanded to several other locations. On the 10th of January, officers apprehended a Chinese national identified as MX at an apartment in the BSD area of South Tangerang. The individual was found to have overstayed by 137 days. On the same day, the team conducted another operation in the Curug Sangereng area of Gading Serpong, where six Chinese nationals were arrested after attempting to resist officers.
“Two of them had overstayed and attempted to deceive officers by using forged documents,” Yusman revealed.
Further developments in the case led officers to another location in Gading Serpong on the 16th of January, where four additional Chinese nationals were detained.
The investigation uncovered that the syndicate was controlled by a transnational network. In addition, authorities suspect that 105 other Chinese nationals may be connected to the cybercrime network and have placed them on the Subject of Interest (SOI) list. Two of these individuals have already been detained while transiting through an airport and are currently undergoing further examination regarding their potential involvement.
To date, all 27 foreign nationals have been transferred to the Directorate General of Immigration for detention and intensive questioning.
“The Directorate General of Immigration will continue to maintain strict surveillance over the presence and activities of foreign nationals in Indonesia. We will not tolerate activities that violate the law and threaten public safety. This operation demonstrates our seriousness in eradicating transnational crime, particularly the rising trend of cybercrime,” Yusman concluded.