Indonesian Police have arrested five suspects for scamming Singapore’s Kingsford Huray Development via a fraudulent email scheme.
The Cyber Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police (Dittipidsiber) has apprehended five individuals for defrauding Singapore’s Kingsford Huray Development through a business email compromise (BEC). They used a fake email address to impersonate the company, leading to a loss of IDR 32 billion (SGD 2.69 million, USD 2.36 million).
Brigadier General Himawan Bayu Aji, Director of Cyber Crime at the Indonesian Police, revealed the identities of the suspects as:
1. CO aka O (Nigerian National)
2. EJA (Nigerian National)
3. DM aka L (Indonesian National)
4. YC (Indonesian National)
5. I (Indonesian National)
Modus Operandi
The suspects created a fake company called PT Huttons Asia International and sent fraudulent emails to Kingsford Huray Development. They altered the email address by changing or adding letters to closely resemble the legitimate PT Huttons Asia.
Bank Account Manipulation
The suspects provided a fake bank account (018801XXX) in Indonesia to receive funds, successfully deceiving Kingsford Huray Development into transferring IDR 32 billion (SGD 2.69 million, USD 2.36 million).
Key Roles of the Suspects
CO/O: Mastermind, recruited accomplices and instructed his wife (DM/L) and EJA to find new directors for the fake company.
DM/L & EJA: Recruited YC and I to act as directors.
YC & I: Served as directors of PT Huttons Asia International, earning 5-10% of the defrauded funds.
The police seized various pieces of evidence, including:
IDR 32 billion (SGD 2.69 million, USD 2.36 million)
4 passports
12 mobile phones
1 laptop
1 flash drive
5 bank account books
20 ATM cards
Read More: Massive $2.2 Billion Money Laundering Scandal Shakes Singapore
Legal Consequences
The suspects have been charged under the following laws:
Article 51 (1) of the Information and Electronic Transactions Law (UU ITE)
Article 378 of the Indonesian Penal Code (KUHP)
Article 55 (1) of the Penal Code
Articles 82 and 85 of the Funds Transfer Law (UU No. 3 of 2011)
Articles 3, 5 (1), and 10 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law (UU No. 8 of 2010)
They face a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.”
This incident highlights the importance of vigilance in online transactions and verifying the authenticity of communication channels. Singaporean businesses and international visitors should stay cautious and adopt cybersecurity measures to avoid falling victim to such scams.
Indonesian Police arrested five suspects involved in a fraudulent email scheme that scammed Singapore’s Kingsford Huray Development, resulting in a loss of IDR 32 billion (SGD 2.69 million, USD 2.36 million). The scammers impersonated PT Huttons Asia International and manipulated email addresses to resemble the real company. They face up to 20 years in prison for email fraud, money laundering, and cybercrime.
Source: Media Center, CNN Indonesia (2024)
