Indonesia to deport 153 Chinese citizens over US$450 million cyber fraud ring
Syndicate accused of targeting wealthy businessmen and officials on mainland
Indonesia will deport 153 Chinese nationals arrested for their alleged involvement in a multimillion-dollar cyber fraud ring targeting wealthy businessmen and politicians in China.
The syndicate, who ran their operation from abroad to avoid detection by Chinese officials but did not target any victims in their host country, has made around six trillion rupiah (US$450 million) since beginning operations at the end of 2016, Indonesia police said on Tuesday.
The suspects were arrested following a tip-off from Chinese authorities.
“We are conducting an intensive investigation and currently coordinating with the Chinese police to deport them,” said national police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name.
The group, based in several locations across Indonesia, contacted victims pretending to be Chinese police or law officials, promising to help resolve their legal cases in return for immediate cash transfers, Jakarta police said.
The criminal network included IT specialists who would retrieve information on victims and develop communications systems for contacting them, he said.
