TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Police Cyber Crime Investigation Agency unveiled an international online scam network operated from Dubai. "There are three suspects, one foreign citizen, and two Indonesian citizens," said Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji.

They use part-time job vacancies shared via social media, such as Telegram and WhatsApp to scam people. The three suspects are ZS, a foreign citizen and the suspected coordinator, M who played the role of a recruiter, and H, who acted as the operator working in Dubai.

M recruited Indonesian citizens by offering them jobs as computer operators in Dubai, while in reality they were hired as online scammers. M was tasked with arranging the departure of Indonesian citizens on ZS’ orders.

Meanwhile, suspect H acted as a scammer operator working in Dubai. "(H) deceived Indonesian citizens on ZS's orders," said Himawan.

The police are still investigating whether someone else ordered ZS to carry out the online scam network. These three suspects not only carried out online scams in Dubai but also operated in India, China, and Thailand.

This case was discovered after a Consul General reported the repatriation of citizens employed as online scammers in Dubai. After further investigation, the police then submitted a red notice to the International Police Organization (Interpol) in Dubai for ZS.

Himawan said their accomplice, NSS, was previously sentenced to 3.5 years in prison by the Central Jakarta District Court. NSS acted as a translator from Mandarin to Indonesian.

JIHAN RISTIYANTI

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