31 Taiwanese nationals were arrested in Indonesia on April 12 after a raid by local police brought allegations of their involvement in cyber fraud.
The arrests took place in an upscale residential area in Balikpapan, Kalimantan, where 42 suspects, including 31 Taiwanese, were taken into custody. According Jeffri Dian, the police chief, hardware and Balikpapan devices that were likely to be used in an operation to defraud Taiwanese and Chinese nationals were also seized.
According to police, the suspects were found to have entered the country on April 3, and only 12 of them had valid passports and visas.
The Indonesian police suspect fraud ring was directed by a Taiwanese national, using Indonesia as a base for cybercrime against Taiwanese and Chinese citizens.
Purpose Taiwan reports that according to a Taiwanese manager based in Indonesia, there have been many cases of Taiwanese and Chinese nationals entering Indonesia to engage in telecommunications fraud.
In August, the application of Indonesian law, in cooperation with the Taiwanese and Chinese police busted an international fraud ring based in Indonesia, which resulted in the arrest of 82 Taiwanese suspects. In this raid, Rp.10 billion (US $ 762,994) in cash were seized.
A Taiwanese responsible in Indonesia said in recent years there has been an increase in the number of young Taiwanese adults being recruited to telecommunications fraud, with leaders with high salaries and bonuses their employees successfully. Most women arrested during the raid application to ignore that they were engaged in cyber fraud, instead claiming job description just announced take phone calls.