TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police in Indonesia received assistance from Taiwan in detaining 48 suspects in a fraud ring counting four Taiwanese nationals as its victims, reports said Saturday (Nov. 13).
The group, consisting of 46 Chinese and two Vietnamese, defrauded the Taiwanese to the tune of NT$6 million (US$215,800) over three months, CNA reported. Police in Jakarta explained the case at a news conference in the presence of the suspects and of a Taiwanese police representative in the Indonesian capital.
According to the police explanations, the suspects used social media to target potential victims in Taiwan and China, later switching to messaging apps like WeChat and Line. They would set the victims up for a honey trap, record footage and then blackmail them, police said.
The fraud ring targeted residents of Taiwan from August to October before turning its attention to China in October and November. While only four victims in Taiwan had initially been located, more were contacting the authorities.