Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The  Bali Regional Police Directorate of Cyber Crime announced  on Wednesday (16/10/2024) that a cybercrime syndicate in Denpasar had purchased 300,000 personal data entries from the dark web for Rp 25 million. 

Cyber Crime Director Superintendent Ranefli Dian Candra, revealed that the data includes National Identification Numbers (NIK) and Family Cards (KK).

He explained that the mastermind, known as DBS, initiated operations by illegally registering SIM cards and selling One-Time Password (OTP) codes in early 2022. Initially, DBS and two associates used phones with NIK obtained from the dark web. 

As their operations grew, they acquired laptops and modems to increase capacity, eventually expanding to 168 modems that could handle multiple SIM cards simultaneously.

Currently, twelve suspects have been detained, but investigators are pursuing additional individuals who remain at large. 

Chief Ranefli said that the group aimed to process 3,000 cards every 24 hours through a shift system.

To attract clients, DBS and his team created four promotional websites, allowing customers to download apps and choose services for illegal card registrations. The police suspect that many victims were individuals seeking accounts for various applications, which could potentially facilitate other criminal activities.

“Their admissions suggest the data was intended for community members needing illegal cards for account creation, though we suspect broader illegal circulation,” Chief Ranefli said, as quoted by antaranews.com. 

The mastermind, a vocational school graduate, is believed to have ties to potential online gambling operations.

(mg/inp/pr/nm)