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Chinese, Taiwanese arrested for cybercrime
The National Police arrested 35 Chinese people and 21 Taiwanese people in Batam, Riau Islands, and Semarang, East Java, over their alleged involvement in a cybercrime network that targeted public officials and taxpayers in China
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he National Police arrested 35 Chinese people and 21 Taiwanese people in Batam, Riau Islands, and Semarang, East Java, over their alleged involvement in a cybercrime network that targeted public officials and taxpayers in China.
The police's economics and special crime investigations director, Brig. Gen. Kamil Razak, said that the suspects were arrested on Saturday.
'The suspects claimed to be investigating tax evasion cases. The victims could hear the sound of typewriters on the background, as if the suspects made the phone calls at a government office,' he said in a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.
Aside from impersonating government officials, the suspects also pretended to be bank officials to gain confidential information. The suspects also blackmailed public officials over alleged extramarital affairs.
According to Kamal, the suspects ordered taxpayers to give them money to halt the tax evasion investigation. The money was handled by middlemen in China.
After a week-long investigation, the police found that the group operated in six cities, however only the groups operating in Batam and Semarang were apprehended.
It appears that the group rented luxurious, spacious houses for between Rp 30 million (US$2,583) and Rp 40 million per month as 'office space'.
The group allegedly cooperated with locals to organize the house and Internet supply, of which payments were in cash.
The police have not named any Indonesian suspects as of late Monday.
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