Inp.polri.go.id - Surabaya. The Surabaya City Sub-regional Police have uncovered an online scam operation run by 10 foreigners in a luxury home in Villa Central Raya, Surabaya, East java.

The Surabaya Police Head of Criminal Investigation, Superintendent Aris Purwanto, said  on Tuesday (24/9/2024) that the group entered Indonesia on tourist visas and rented the house since March 2023 to operate online scams using smartphones daily from 10 am. to 10 pm.

“We arrested 10 suspects—nine from China and one from Vietnam—during the raid. They ran an elaborate scheme, selling low-cost products online but never delivering them after receiving payments,” he explained, as quoted by antaranews.com..

The group advertised items ranging from Rp10,000 to Rp 2 million on platforms like TikTok, WeChat, and Douyin. They also ran love scams and extorted Chinese officials in legal trouble by pretending to be law enforcement officers, demanding money transfers. 

Each member earned between Rp 5 million and Rp15 million per month from these activities.

The suspects face up to six years in prison under Article 378 of the Criminal Code and the Information and Electronic Transactions Law.

(mg/inp/pr/nm)