By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan – Indonesian national police on Monday announced the arrest of a group of alleged con artists said to have scammed Rupiah 20 billion (US$1.9 million) from a Brunei national by impersonating a representative of a prominent Indonesian political party and asking for a donation, Jakarta Globe reported.

The group, most of whom were from South Sulawesi, had been operating since 2006 and made their living by impersonating government officials. They would make phone calls to their victims and ask them to deposit money into various bank accounts.

“Thank God we were able to apprehend them now,” Inspector General Hadiatmoko, deputy chief of the National Police’s criminal investigation department, told a news conference. “We have arrested 13 suspects in different places since last week.” The 13 were in custody in Jakarta, he said, adding that two others, including the alleged mastermind, were still at large.

Hadiatmoko said the group compiled information about high-profile figures from Indonesia and elsewhere via the Internet, newspapers and the White and Yellow Pages. “In their latest effort, for reasons related to the election, this group started to seek out other countries,” he said.

“They called at least 32 foreigners, including the one from Brunei who transferred Rp 20 billion to their account at Bank Mandiri last month.”

Hadiatmoko declined to name the Bruneian or the Indonesian official whom the group had impersonated.

Indonesian presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said the government had told the public to beware of people identifyingthemselves as officials and asking for money.”We’ll be glad if all those people are arrested, because what they’re doing is a crime,” he said. “We already issued (warnings) to the public, and told them to beware and be careful if anyone calls from the (State Palace) asking for money.”

Hadiatmoko said the group would open bank accounts under the names of public figures to convince victims they were legitimate. In one case, he said, they opened an account in the name of Director General of Customs Anwar Supriyadi.

“They made a fake (ID card) with Anwar’s name to open the account,” Hadiatmoko said. With this account, the victim would believe that it was Anwar who called asking them to transfer money. — Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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