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Indonesian authorities on Friday said they have detained more than 200 foreign nationals over an alleged online investment fraud operation discovered near the island of Sumatra.
Immigration officials said raids carried out at an apartment complex in Batam, Riau Islands Province, on Wednesday led to the arrest of 210 suspects and the seizure of hundreds of computers and mobile phones believed to have been used for scam activities.
According to immigration authorities, those arrested included 125 Vietnamese nationals, 84 Chinese citizens and one Myanmar national. Officials said 47 women were among the suspects.
Immigration chief Hendarsam Marantoko said preliminary investigations indicated the group was operating an online investment scam network targeting victims outside Indonesia.
Another immigration official, Yuldi Yusman, said analysis of the confiscated devices suggested the syndicate was involved in fraudulent online trading and investment schemes, with most victims believed to be located in Europe and Vietnam.
“The victims were mostly located in Europe and Vietnam,” Yusman said.
“The suspects are being held at an immigration detention centre and face deportation and a ban from Indonesia,” he added.
Secretary of Interpol’s Indonesia bureau, Untung Widyatmoko, said Indonesia had become an attractive destination for scam operators relocating from countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.
He said authorities were determined to prevent Indonesia from becoming a safe base for international fraud networks and pledged continued enforcement against such operations.
Indonesian officials noted that fraud syndicates have increasingly shifted operations to parts of Southeast Asia following crackdowns by Chinese authorities.
