Indonesia arrested at least 88 Chinese nationals over their alleged involvement in cross-border online romance scams, said the police after receiving a tip from the Chinese security ministry.&nbsp;

As per the police, the suspects, including five women, were part of a telephone scam and online love fraud cartel.

Riau Islands police spokesperson Zahwani Pandra Arsyad said that the suspects were operating from a shophouse, a building with mixed commercial and residential use, located in an industrial park.&nbsp;

Primarily, they were targeting fellow Chinese nationals, who as per the reports, were called over the internet and tricked into transferring money. A probe into the matter revealed that the gang had been carrying out such operations since early this year, trapping dozens of victims in China. It is not yet clear as to how much money they have accumulated since then.

“We are still investigating this case, including whether there are any Indonesians among the victims,” Arsyad said, adding that none of the suspects can speak or write the Indonesian language. “If there are none, we would deport all of them immediately.”

Arsyad said that the members of the cartel had come from China to Indonesia for three months at a time since January this year, and were committing crimes from Indonesia as China had clamped down on their networks.

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He then added that the Indonesian police are working closely with immigration officials and China’s Ministry of Public Security in dealing with the suspects.

In the year 2019, the US Federal Trade Commission announced that romance-related fraudulent activities were the ones behind generating more losses than any other consumer scams reported to the agency. In a statement, it had said that in such scams criminals usually trap victims online, via either a dating site or social media.

In a report released on Wednesday (August 30), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the criminal gangs have compelled dozens of people in Southeast Asia into participating in illicit online scams, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

It cited “credible sources” that at least 120,000 people in strife-torn Myanmar and roughly 100,000 in Cambodia “may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams.”&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
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Indonesia arrested at least 88 Chinese nationals over their alleged involvement in cross-border online romance scams, said the police after receiving a tip from the Chinese security ministry.

Indonesia arrested at least 88 Chinese nationals over their alleged involvement in cross-border online romance scams, said the police after receiving a tip from the Chinese security ministry. As per the police, the suspects, including five women, were part of a telephone scam and online love fraud cartel. Riau Islands police spokesperson Zahwani Pandra Arsyad said that the suspects were operating from a shophouse, a building with mixed commercial and residential use, located in an industrial park. Primarily, they were targeting fellow Chinese nationals, who as per the reports, were called over the internet and tricked into transferring money. A probe into the matter revealed that the gang had been carrying out such operations since early this year, trapping dozens of victims in China. It is not yet clear as to how much money they have accumulated since then. “We are still investigating this case, including whether there are any Indonesians among the victims,” Arsyad said, adding that none of the suspects can speak or write the Indonesian language. “If there are none, we would deport all of them immediately.” Arsyad said that the members of the cartel had come from China to Indonesia for three months at a time since January this year, and were committing crimes from Indonesia as China had clamped down on their networks. Also read: US President Joe Biden announces $ 95 million for Hawaii’s electric grid after Maui wildfires He then added that the Indonesian police are working closely with immigration officials and China’s Ministry of Public Security in dealing with the suspects. In the year 2019, the US Federal Trade Commission announced that romance-related fraudulent activities were the ones behind generating more losses than any other consumer scams reported to the agency. In a statement, it had said that in such scams criminals usually trap victims online, via either a dating site or social media. In a report released on Wednesday (August 30), the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the criminal gangs have compelled dozens of people in Southeast Asia into participating in illicit online scams, including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. It cited “credible sources” that at least 120,000 people in strife-torn Myanmar and roughly 100,000 in Cambodia “may be held in situations where they are forced to carry out online scams.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Indonesia arrests 88 Chinese nationals over romance-related scams

Nowadays, everyone knows better than to respond to the emails from "Nigerian princes" asking for "loans", as those cons are yesterday's news. Since then, scammers have had to upgrade to newer scams. One that has come to light is "out of this&nbsp;world".

In Japan, a 65-year-old woman was swindled out of around $30,000 or 4.4 million yen between August 19 and September 5, by a man claiming to be a Russian cosmonaut.

Watch |&nbsp;How cryptocurrency scammers use dating apps to steal your money | Tech It Out

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Kyoto News reports that the woman, who lives in the Shiga Prefecture, got connected to the scammer on a social media website before they started communicating on Line messaging app.

The person, as per police, professed his love for the woman and even proposed marriage multiple times.

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He then started asking her for expenses for a rocket for coming back to Earth from space. She transferred around $30,000 to the man's bank account, but when he kept demanding more money she contacted the police.

As per MSN, the man's profile on the social media site Instagram was full of photos of space and he claimed to be a cosmonaut on the International Space Station.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/the-price-of-love-cryptocurrency-scammers-target-dating-apps-466384">The price of love: Cryptocurrency scammers target dating apps</a>

Police are now investigating him for a "romance scam". These cons are actually very common these days. Fraudsters connect with their targets over social media, get close, and trick them into believing lies about love and relationships before swindling money from them.

During the pandemic, these scams skyrocketed as people turned to social media in the absence of social interactions.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Nowadays, everyone knows better than to respond to the emails from "Nigerian princes" asking for "loans", as those cons are yesterday's news. Since then, scammers have had to upgrade to newer scams.

Nowadays, everyone knows better than to respond to the emails from "Nigerian princes" asking for "loans", as those cons are yesterday's news. Since then, scammers have had to upgrade to newer scams. One that has come to light is "out of this world". In Japan, a 65-year-old woman was swindled out of around $30,000 or 4.4 million yen between August 19 and September 5, by a man claiming to be a Russian cosmonaut. Watch | How cryptocurrency scammers use dating apps to steal your money | Tech It Out Kyoto News reports that the woman, who lives in the Shiga Prefecture, got connected to the scammer on a social media website before they started communicating on Line messaging app. The person, as per police, professed his love for the woman and even proposed marriage multiple times. Also read | Thieves can use thermal camera and AI to crack your password. Here's how He then started asking her for expenses for a rocket for coming back to Earth from space. She transferred around $30,000 to the man's bank account, but when he kept demanding more money she contacted the police. As per MSN, the man's profile on the social media site Instagram was full of photos of space and he claimed to be a cosmonaut on the International Space Station. Also read | The price of love: Cryptocurrency scammers target dating apps Police are now investigating him for a "romance scam". These cons are actually very common these days. Fraudsters connect with their targets over social media, get close, and trick them into believing lies about love and relationships before swindling money from them. During the pandemic, these scams skyrocketed as people turned to social media in the absence of social interactions. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Japanese woman swindled out of $30,000 in an 'out of this world' scam

Tens of thousands of people are being targeted by cryptocurrency scammers that have a new target, which is dating apps. WION tells you more in this report.

Crypto Romance Scams: Don't fall for dating app swindlers

The idea of meeting the 'special someone' has changed over the years. Matches today are not made in heaven. They are made online. But, online romance scams are growing. Americans have lost over 200 million to romance scams.

Gravitas: Americans lost over $200 million to romance scams

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