Indonesia Cracks Down on Cross-Border Online Fraud Network

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s efforts to combat transnational cybercrime have uncovered an alleged online fraud network involving 41 foreign nationals accused of targeting victims in Japan and China, following a police investigation in Surabaya, East Java.

The 41 foreign nationals were charged with involvement in a cross-border online fraud syndicate during a trial at the Surabaya District Court on Monday, September 7, 2026.

“The network carried out fraud by using false identities and disseminating false electronic information to convince potential victims,” Public Prosecutor Damang Anubowo said while reading the indictment at the Surabaya District Court on Monday, September 7, as quoted by Antara.

He said the majority of defendants are Chinese and Taiwanese nationals, while several others are Japanese nationals.

The case came to light after the Japanese Consulate General reported the alleged confinement of two Japanese nationals who had lost contact with others in Kertajaya, Surabaya, on April 20, 2026.

Surabaya City Police subsequently launched an investigation and found the two Japanese nationals at a house on Jalan Dharmahusada Permai VII, Gubeng, Surabaya, on April 22, 2026.

A search of the location instead uncovered suspected online fraud activities. Police found work booths, communication devices, and uniforms reportedly resembling Chinese police uniforms.

Further investigations led police to several other locations in Surabaya, including Jalan Embong Kenongo and Darmo Permai area. Police also tracked foreign nationals suspected of ties to the network to Semarang and Surakarta in Central Java.

According to the indictment, the network used various methods to deceive victims. Two victims in Japan, Kimura Miho and Nakamura Noriko, were allegedly defrauded through a scheme in which perpetrators posed as customer service representatives of Rakuten Mobile.

The two victims were then directed to perpetrators posing as police officers. They were subsequently instructed to purchase Ethereum cryptocurrency worth more than 3.8 million yen.

Meanwhile, three victims in China allegedly suffered losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of yuan. The perpetrators allegedly posed as security officials and accused the victims of involvement in money laundering. The perpetrators also allegedly used screen-sharing applications to take control of victims’ devices and access their bank accounts.

For their alleged offenses, the 41 defendants were charged under Article 492 in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code (KUHP). The prosecutors have also prepared alternative charges under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE). ***