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Police unveil love scam targeting US nationals in Bali
The scammers allegedly gathered personal data from their victims after luring them using female photos and fake information, before the data was forwarded to their partners in Cambodia, according to the police.
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Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Daniel Adityajaya (center) holds pieces of evidence during a press briefing about an alleged love scam at police headquarters in Denpasar, Bali, on June 11. (JP/Ni Komang Erviani)
T
he Bali Police have arrested 38 people allegedly involved in an international romance scam ring that targeted personal information from United States nationals.
The arrested suspects, all of whom were Indonesians, were suspected to be part of a transnational syndicate operating from Indonesia, Cambodia and the US. The ring has allegedly stolen personal data from thousands of people.
They were working from at least five houses they rented across Denpasar, said Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Daniel Adityajaya.
“They allegedly broadcast text messages on the Telegram messaging application targeting accounts owned by US nationals,” Daniel said during a press briefing in Denpasar on Wednesday.
The scam ring is allegedly controlled by American nationals, as all suspects received payment in Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency. Each person is paid 200 USDT per month, with an extra bonus of 1 USDT for one victim they get. 1 USDT is worth around US$1, according to CoinMarketCap’s data on Thursday.
Daniel said that investigators suspected that five people previously working for the same syndicate in Cambodia started the operation in Bali in 2023. They later recruited other people to join the scam ring.
