Indonesian police, in cooperation with Taiwanese police, have arrested 46 Chinese and two Vietnamese for suspected cross-border telecom fraud targeting Taiwanese and Chinese.
Jakarta Police spokesman Yusri Yunus announced the results of the joint operation at a news conference in the Indonesian capital on Saturday, during which the suspects were present with their hands bound.
Taiwanese police liaison officer in Indonesia Kang Sun-min (康淳閔) also attended the news conference, where Yusri thanked Taiwan’s police force for its assistance in solving the case.
Photo: CNA
The fraud ring set up four call centers in Jakarta, and allegedly tricked victims through schemes involving bitcoin investment and online dating, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said in Taipei on Saturday.
The suspects established contact with people in Taiwan and China through dating apps and chatted with them through instant messaging apps such as WeChat and Line, Yusri said, citing a police investigation.
They allegedly defrauded four Taiwanese out of more than NT$6 million (US$215,967) through online investment or gaming scams, Yusri said.
The suspects also allegedly blackmailed some of their victims with sexually explicit footage, he said.
Indonesian police said in a statement that the suspects targeted Taiwanese from August to last month, and Chinese last month and this month.
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