Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Directorate General of Immigration discovered a fraud and extortion syndicate operating under the guise of a love scam perpetrated by foreign nationals from China.
Acting Director General of Immigration, Yuldi Yusman, said the case was revealed during an investigation by officers at an elite housing complex in Tangerang in early January 2026.
"We conducted immigration surveillance operations in various areas of Tangerang from January 8 to January 16, 2026," he spoke during a press conference in South Jakarta, on Monday.
According to him, the arrest began during an investigation of a house in the Gading Serpong housing complex after receiving a report of suspicious activity by a foreign national in the area. Based on the report, officers monitored the house and ultimately conducted a search on January 8.
"At that time, the team arrested 14 foreign nationals, consisting of 13 Chinese citizens and one Vietnamese," Yusman continued.
On January 10 and January 16, the team arrested another 7 foreign nationals and 4 Chinese nationals in two different locations.
The investigation found that the foreign nationals were running a fraudulent scheme, targeting mainly South Korean citizens living outside Indonesia.
Yusman explained that the perpetrators contacted their victims via the Telegram app and then engaged in video calls, intending to show private body parts or perform sexual acts. During these calls, the perpetrators secretly recorded the victims.
The recorded videos were then used to blackmail the victims into sending money.
"Our team has arrested the perpetrators and seized evidence, including hundreds of mobile phones, dozens of laptops, PCs, monitors, and network installations, including Wi-Fi setups, to assist them in carrying out their crimes," Yusman said.
He added that so far, there is no evidence of Indonesian victims. However, the foreign nationals violated their stay permits and immigration regulations.
The suspects are currently detained and undergoing intensive investigation. They face severe sanctions for stay permit violations and cybercrime offenses.
Yusman confirmed that officers are continuing efforts to track other network members who are believed to still be hiding in Indonesia.
