IT Expert Commits Rp1.5 Billion Fraud Using Fake Govt Aid Website

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An IT expert with the initials "RR" was arrested by the Metro Jaya Police investigators for fraud via a fake Government aid registration website.. The suspect, who worked alone, committed fraud by sharing hoax information in WhatsApp and SMS chain messages.

"So the content of the chain message is the registration of government aid worth Rp300,000," said Head of Public Relations of the Metro Jaya Police, Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus at his office, South Jakarta, Monday, July 19 2021.

Via the message, the fraud will direct the victims to a website he made with the Ministry of Social Affairs logo on it. On the fake Social Affairs Ministry website, the victims will be asked to fill out a government aid registration form (BST).

Yusri said that the suspect, RR, had been making the website since November 2020. The high amount of traffic on the website made RR make a profit through the advertisements he posted.

"In total, they have received Rp1.5 billion from website advertisements. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Affairs has never done such a thing," said Yusri.

Even so, Yusri said that until now there have been no reports to the police regarding material losses suffered by the victims. In addition, the police have yet to find the alleged theft of personal data by RR.

In this case of fraud on the government aid registration website, RR was charged with Article 35 Juncto Article 51 Paragraph 1 of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Amendments to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions or ITE. "The sentence is to be 12 years in prison," said Yusri.

Read also: Police Arrest EDCCash CEO over Cryptocurrency Fraud

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH | MAUDEY K. SETYAKUSUMA