Kontrolnews.co – West Java | The West Java Regional Police (Polda Jabar) have uncovered two fraudulent trading investment schemes, with total victim losses reaching IDR 4.86 billion.
During the disclosure, police arrested two suspects who used different methods to trap their victims.
Head of Public Relations for the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan, stated that both cases followed a similar pattern: enticing victims with high investment returns before eventually absconding with their money.
The first case involved a suspect with the initials ZAM, who targeted a victim from Cirebon. The perpetrator initially made contact with the victim on social media using a fake identity featuring a photo of an attractive woman a method commonly known as a love scam.
After establishing a relationship, communication continued via WhatsApp.
"The perpetrator then persuaded the victim to join a trading investment, which turned out to be a fraudulent platform," Hendra said at the West Java Regional Police Headquarters on Monday, July 27, 2026.
Director of Cyber Crime Investigation at the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Fian Yunus, stated that the victim initially made a profit, gaining their trust and prompting them to continuously inject more investment funds. However, once the investment amount grew significantly, the perpetrator fled with all of the victim's money.
The victim suffered losses totaling IDR 860 million. Police revealed that ZAM is an Indonesian citizen who learned the love scam method from a criminal network based in Cambodia.
Meanwhile, the second case involved a suspect with the initial E, who was apprehended in Jakarta. The suspect, a resident of Riau, offered a trading investment via a website link to a victim from Bandung.
"The victim then joined the investment and deposited funds in stages, eventually reaching IDR 4 billion," he explained.
However, the promised profits could never be withdrawn, and the victim's funds were ultimately stolen by the perpetrator.
For their actions, both suspects are charged under Article 45A Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 28 Paragraph (1) of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, facing a maximum penalty of six years in prison and/or a maximum fine of IDR 1 billion. Additionally, they are charged under Article 51 in conjunction with Article 35 of the ITE Law, carrying a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison and/or a maximum fine of IDR 12 billion.