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View all search resultsSeven foreigners detained in North Sumatra over alleged online dating scam operations
The syndicate allegedly operated through various social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and Threads, where members used fake identities to approach and deceive victims overseas.
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An illustration of online scams (Shutterstock/NONGASIMO)
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uthorities in Medan, North Sumatra have arrested seven Chinese and Vietnamese nationals, along with 31 Indonesians, for their alleged involvement in an international online dating scam syndicate.
North Sumatra Immigration Office head Parlindungan said the suspects were apprehended following coordinated raids by immigration officials and the North Sumatra Police at three locations across Medan.
"During the first raid on June 23 at a commercial building in the CBD Polonia area, we arrested a Chinese national and 31 Indonesian citizens. The following day, officers conducted raids at a housing complex in Royal Sumatera and a local hotel, where they detained six additional foreign nationals suspected of being involved in the network," he said at a press conference on Monday.
The syndicate allegedly operated through various social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and Threads, where members used fake identities to approach and deceive victims overseas.
"Specifically, the suspects targeted Japanese men as their victims," Parlindungan said.
He explained that the scammers' first step was to build emotional connections with their targets before moving conversations to the Line messaging application. At that stage, the suspects would carry out various deception schemes to persuade victims to transfer money.
"Once they had obtained the victims' money, they immediately cut off communication to erase their tracks," he said.
