Police, FBI Bust Major Online Scam HQ in Solo

Reporter

Amelia Rahima Sari

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Central Java Regional Police have uncovered an international online scam syndicate targeting foreign nationals in the Solo Raya area, Central Java.

The Director of Cyber Crime Investigation of the Central Java Regional Police, Commissioner Himawan Sutanto Saragih, stated that this case was uncovered through cyber patrols. Further investigations led authorities to several locations in Sukoharjo Regency and Surakarta City.

"From the findings, officers found a total of seven crime scenes," Himawan said in a press conference on Monday, June 1, 2026, at the Central Java Regional Police Headquarters, Semarang, as quoted from a press release.

One of the crime scenes was an office building, while the other six were boarding houses located in Surakarta and Sukoharjo.

Hidden Global Operations in Local Boarding Houses The office was owned by PT Digi Global Consultants, located in the Solo Baru area, Sukoharjo. The police suspect that the office was used both to recruit employees and as the main operational center. However, several perpetrators carried out activities from boarding houses to obscure their operations.

Police have named 39 people as suspects. Twenty-eight of them are Indonesian citizens, while seven are Nepalese citizens and four are Myanmar citizens.

In this operation, the Indonesian police collaborated with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as the victims were from the United States. The police also involved the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) to track the flow of bank funds and cryptocurrency, and coordinated with the Directorate General of Immigration regarding the handling of the arrested foreign nationals.

This scam syndicate has been operating from July 2025 to May 2026. The perpetrators frequently moved and used four different offices before being raided in the Solo Raya area.

During the operations, they amassed a profit of US$2,327,625.85, or around Rp41.1 billion, from 133 victims. Specifically, the perpetrators targeted American citizens.

Romance Scams and 'Pig Butchering' Schemes Himawan stated that the modus operandi of this scam is "pig butchering", which literally means slaughtering pigs. "The perpetrators carried out this scam under the guise of building romantic relationships with the victims, then persuaded the victims to invest in fake investments or cryptocurrency," he said.

To execute their schemes, the perpetrators used various online dating applications such as Tinder, Puff, and Boo, as well as social media platforms like Facebook. After the victim responded, communication was directed to private messaging applications and developed into a close and trusted relationship.

To strengthen their deception, the perpetrators used fake identities when creating social media accounts. They also prepared photos and videos of women to persuade victims.

Hierarchical Structure and Manipulated Cryptocurrency Platforms Based on the investigators' findings, this syndicate operated with a clear structure with clear division of roles, ranging from leaders and models to marketing staff and marketing assistants. Of the 39 suspects, 33 acted as marketing staff, with 11 of them being foreign nationals and 22 being Indonesian citizens. Their task was to persuade victims on dating applications using fake identities.

The deceived victims were directed to invest on a cryptocurrency trading page at crypto coverts.net with the address www.livetradingcrypto.com. The page was manipulated so that all of the victims' funds went directly into the perpetrators' network.

"In addition to marketing staff and marketing assistants, there is a crucial role of the leader in providing communication equipment, giving tactical directions once the target is set, assisting in marketing operations, and fully controlling the trading platform to lock the funds deposited by the victims and prevent them from being withdrawn," he added.

The police also arrested an individual identified as ASC, who acted as a provider of facilities, equipment, and infrastructure for the crime.

Confiscated Evidence and Legal Charges Authorities also confiscated several pieces of evidence, including one PT Digi Global Consultants signboard, one bundle of Notary Lease Agreement, one market guidebook, two screenshots of the cryptocurrency website interface, 140 mobile phones, 123 computer/PC units, two laptops, 78 monitors, 54 keyboards, four TVs, and one motorcycle, along with its vehicle registration certificate.

In handling this case, investigators applied various charges against the marketing staff, marketing assistants, models, and leaders under Article 51 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 35 or Article 45A paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 28 paragraph (1) of the Information and Electronic Transactions Law (UU ITE), or Article 492 of the Criminal Code, with a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison.

Meanwhile, for suspect ASC as the provider of facilities and equipment, the charges are covered by Article 607 paragraph (1) letters a, b, or c of Law Number 1 of 2026 concerning the Adjustment of Criminal Law to the Criminal Code, with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Source : https://en.tempo.co/read/2106408/police-fbi-bust-major-online-scam-hq-in-solo