Dua Hacker Indonesia Curi Dana Bansos AS
Indonesian Hackers Arrested Over $60 Million US Covid-19 Scam
Editor : Kemal A Praghotsa
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
DUA peretas Indonesia telah ditangkap karena diduga membuat situs palsu untuk mencuri dana bantuan Covid-19 dari pemerintah Amerika Serikat [AS]. Total pencuriannya diperkirakan mencapai US$ 60 juta atau setara dengan Rp 871,1 miliar.
Keduanya diduga melakukan penipuan dari bantuan program Covid-19 untuk membantu warga Amerika Serikat [AS] yang kehilangan pekerjaan lantaran pandemi Covid-19.
Kedua pelaku berinisial SFR dan MCL telah ditangkap di Surabaya oleh Polda Jawa Timur [Jatim], setelah berkoordinasi oleh Biro Investigasi Federal [FBI] AS, Jumat [16/4].
"Sekitar 30.000 warga AS ditipu dan kerugian keuangan pemerintah mencapai US$ 60 juta," kata Kapolda Jatim, Nico Afinta.
Pihak kepolisian Indonesia mengatakan bahwa para pelaku mengirimkan pesan teks kepada 20 juta orang AS yang mengarahkan mereka ke lebih dari selusin website palsu Pemerintah AS.
Kemudian ribuan korban pun memberikan informasi probadi mereka, termasuk nomor jaminan sosial dengan harapan mendapatkan US$ 2.000 yang ditawarkan dari program bantuan untuk para pengangguran.
Tetapi, data mereka malah digunakan oleh penipu untuk mencuri jutaan dolar dari program tersebut.
Pihak kepolisian Indonesia tidak mengatakan sudah berapa lama aksi penipuan itu berlangsung.
Berdasarkan Undang-undang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik [UU ITE], Dua pelaku itu terancam hukuman sembilan tahun penjara.
Lebih lanjut, pihak kepolisian sedang menyelidiki kemungkinan keterlibatan orang ketiga yang mungkin mengamankan dana secara ilegal tersebut seperti dikutip AFP yang dilansir MailOnline.
TWO Indonesian hackers have been arrested over an international scam in which $60 million was stolen from a Covid-19 aid programme helping Americans left jobless by the pandemic, authorities said.
Text messages were sent to 20 million Americans directing them to more than a dozen fake US government websites, police in the Southeast Asian nation said late Thursday.
Thousands of victims supplied personal information, including social security numbers, to the fake sites in the hopes of securing $2,000 offered under a real assistance programme for the unemployed, authorities said.
But their data was instead used by scammers to steal millions of dollars from the programme.
"Some 30,000 US citizens were scammed and the government´s financial loss is up to $60 million," said East Java police chief Nico Afinta.
The two suspects were arrested last month in Indonesia´s second-biggest city Surabaya after police were notified by US authorities.
Indonesian police did not say how long the scam had been running.
The pair could face up to nine years in prison under Indonesia´s electronic information law.
Police said they were investigating the possible involvement of a third person who may have secured funds illicitly.
