Cambodian Love Scam Costs Victims Rp4.8 Billion
The West Java Regional Police’s Cyber Investigation Directorate (Ditressiber) has uncovered a transnational online fraud network operating under the guise of love scams, controlled from Cambodia. In this disclosure, police have named two suspects suspected of being part of an international cybercrime syndicate.
The Director of the West Java Regional Police’s Cyber Investigation Directorate, Senior Commissioner Fian Yunus, stated that the case was uncovered following an intensive investigation lasting approximately four months. Based on the investigation, the victims are believed to be not only from West Java but also spread across various regions in Indonesia.
“It took cyber investigators approximately three to four months to uncover this case. We believe there was more than one victim and they are spread across various regions in Indonesia,” Yunus stated at a press conference at the West Java Regional Police Headquarters on Monday (July 27, 2026).
Police have named two suspects, identified as JAM and ELDAT. Both are suspected of working under a fraud network operating from Cambodia, targeting Indonesian citizens.
One of the victims, ZM, a resident of Cirebon City, initially met the perpetrator through a fake Instagram account using the identity of a woman named Olivia Rosalia. After further communication via WhatsApp, the victim was persuaded to invest in an illegal crypto trading platform called ozcryptoexchange.com.
To convince the victim, the perpetrator initially offered a small return on the initial investment. However, after the victim deposited a larger amount, the perpetrator allegedly began using the victim’s personal data and private photos as a means of blackmail.
As a result of this series of actions, victim ZM suffered losses of up to IDR 860 million before the case was finally solved by the police.
Another victim, identified as S, a resident of Bandung City, is suspected of being targeted by the ELDAT perpetrator. Based on the investigation, the suspect is said to be working under the control of a foreign national from China with the initials AKAI.
The West Java Regional Police revealed that the entire fraud operation was run from Cambodia using several digital platforms, including fake investment websites designed to resemble official crypto asset trading services. The syndicate is also said to have a structured work system, ranging from finding potential victims, building emotional relationships, to managing accounts holding the proceeds of the crime.
“They had a clear division of tasks, from finding targets, establishing communication with victims, to managing the flow of criminal funds,” Fian explained.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the total losses incurred by the two identified victims amounted to approximately IDR 4.8 billion. Police are continuing to investigate the case to identify other possible victims and to hunt down other perpetrators who are believed to be abroad.
