Indonesian police have arrested 88 Chinese citizens for involvement in a cross-border telephone and online romance scam syndicate after receiving a tip from the Chinese security ministry, they were arrested on Batam island, next to Singapore.
Indonesian police explain the details of the case:-
Most of their targets appeared to be fellow Chinese who were called over the internet and tricked into transferring money after the callers manipulated the “human emotion” of the victims.
A preliminary investigation showed the gang had been operating since early this year, ensnaring hundreds of victims in China, but it is unclear how much money they had collected.
We are still investigating this case, including whether any Indonesians among the victims, adding that none of the suspects can speak or write the Indonesian language. “If there are none, we would deport all of them immediately.
Members of the syndicate had come from China to Indonesia for three months at a time since January, using tourist visas, and they were committing the crimes from Indonesia after China cracked down on their networks.
Indonesian police are working closely with immigration officials and China’s Ministry of Public Security in dealing with the suspects.
The United Nations issues a report on fraud in Asia:-
The United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights said criminal gangs have forced hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia into participating in unlawful online scams, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.
The report shed a new light on cybercrime scams that have become a major issue in Asia, with many of the workers trapped in virtual slavery and forced to participate in scams targeting people over the internet.
From “credible sources” at least 120,000 people in strife-torn Myanmar and roughly 100,000 in Cambodia “may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams”.
In 2017, Indonesia arrested 419 Chinese and Taiwanese citizens who were involved in a telephone fraud and online investment scam syndicate. They were repatriated to face charges in their homeland after spending two months in Indonesian jails and being fined $770 for violating their tourist visas.
In 2019, Indonesian police arrested 85 Chinese citizens for involvement in a similar case.
