The East Java Regional Police arrested two suspects who created a scampage or fake website that resembled the official website of the United States government.
The page was used to deceive and break into the data of US citizens. Who is applying for social assistance funds for victims of the impact of the pandemic in the US. Or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). The data on US citizens on that page is then sold.
From the crimes of the two suspects for almost a year. They are said to have made a profit of at least almost half a billion rupiah.
East Java Regional Police Chief Inspector General Pol Nico Afinta revealed that the actions of the two suspects were known to happend on March 1, 2021 in a hotel room in South Surabaya.
“The two suspects involved had the initials SFR (scampage spreader) and MZMSBP (scampage maker). Meanwhile, the victim was the person who filled in his personal data into a fake scampage or website. Especially American citizens,” said Nico, as broadcast on the Mojokerto Police website Thursday, quoting from BBC, (15/04).
The Benefits are In The Form of Bitcoin
According to him, the suspect’s profit was in the form of Bitcoin crypto currency. Thus, it could be converted into rupiah currency, which was given by another suspect with the initials S – an Indian citizen and included in the People Wanted List (DPO).
The actions of the two suspects that were dismantled by the police at the request of the
East Java Regional Police Ditreskrimsus cyber officer found scampage activities. Or we can call it as fake websites that resembled the official website of the United States government.
“According to their conversation, the personal data was used by S to disburse the PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) fund or US $ 2,000. It’s worth of unemployment aid for American citizens for each individual data. And also to sell again for US $ 100 for each individual data,” he added.
Personal data belonging to American citizens that has been obtained by the suspect SFR and has been given to S via Whatsapp and Telegram conversations is about 30,000 data.
“The profit received by the SFR suspect while committing the act was approximately US $ 30,000, or around Rp420,000,000,” said the Kapolda.
Meanwhile, the profit received by the suspect MZMSBP while committing this act was around Rp. 60,000,000.
How did This Case Come to Light?
The disclosure of the case began on March 1, 2021, when the East Java Regional Police’s cyber officer found scampage activities. Or fake websites that resembled the official website of the American government via SMS, carried out by the SFR suspect.
In his laptop and cellphone, there was evidence of scampage as well as personal data belonging to US citizens obtained from the spread of the scampage.
Furthermore, the East Java Police Cyber officers found the suspect MZMSBP near the Pasar Turi Train Station in Surabaya. Then found a fake scampage / website script stored on his laptop, “said Kapolda.
The two suspects admitted to self-taught fake website. They acted from May to year. eventually arrested the police.
Chief police revealed the team Siber East Java police conducted an investigation for three months, in coordination with the national police and the FBI. “After getting evidence, just the two were arrested,” said Nico.
The suspects made 14 fake website then send an SMS contain web links fake it to many numbers of Americans. Victims are not aware populate the data in the website, said the police chief.
The two suspects were rewarded Article 32 paragraph (2) Jo Article 48 paragraph (2) Republic Act number 19 of 2016 on amendments to the Law number 11 of 2008. It’s concerning Information and Electronic Transactions in conjunction with article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code. With a penalty of 9 years pen prison and / or a maximum fine of IDR 3 billion.
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