Romance Scammers Continue to Operate

The perpetrators are still actively looking for their next victims, even though they have been reported to the police. In fact, when their actions went viral, the perpetrators continued to deceive other victims.

KOMPAS/IRENE SARWINDANINGRUM

Three victims of the romance scam by Faris Ahmad Faza (31), namely Tr (31), Li (25) and Il (28), when reporting the case at the Kediri City Police, East Java, Sunday (20/3/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The slow legal process has left the perpetrators of romance scams free to roam on social media platforms and dating apps. These romance scam perpetrators, who have been reported to the police, are back in action, looking for new victims. They are again deceiving and exploiting their victims by using fictitious stories.

Kompas' investigation found that the alleged perpetrators had run their scams many times, even though their victims had reported them to the police. The alleged perpetrators of romance scams, such as Faris Ahmad Faza (31) and Mohammad Iqbal Pangestu (29), remain free to commit fraud, even though the victim has reported them to the police. These scammers are again exploiting new victims in different places.

Two different victims reported Faza to the East Purwokerto Police in Central Java in connection with two scams on 30 and 31 Oct. 2021. In Purwokerto, Faza used two aliases, Areza and Fafa, to deceive his victims.

On reporting him to the police, the two victims did not know that the name he had used with them were fake. "Areza borrowed money from me because his business was failing," IT (31) told the police.

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In response to the reports, the head of the East Purwokerto Police’s criminal investigation unit, First Insp. Imam Santosa, said the police were hunting down the perpetrator and were currently reviewing the information they had received from the victim. "We are currently processing this report. We are also tracking down [the perpetrator]," Imam said at his office in March 2022.

Although he has been reported to the police, Faza was still roaming free, exploiting a new victim in East Java. In March 2022, his two latest victims reported him to the Kediri Police and the Tulungagung Police. They admitted to being victims of Faza's scam in February 2022, four months after the first two reports filed in Purwokerto.

From 2021 to early 2022, nine women became victims of Faza’s romance scams, incurring combined losses of around Rp 350 million. Four of the nine victims have filed police reports. However, the man who targeted most of his victims through the Tinder dating app remains free until now.

KOMPAS/DHANANG DAVID

Rk (43), a woman from Bekasi, told the chronology of being deceived by Emirat Moniharapon in Jakarta, Thursday (17/3/2022). Rk is one of the victims of a romance scam with a total loss of around IDR 350 million.

Still active after going viral

It is the same for Iqbal. Even after he was reported to the police and his case went viral on social media, the man from Tangerang, Banten, has continued to exploit new victims. Iqbal's latest victim was AM, a woman in North Jakarta. AM was exploited while she was involved in a relationship with Iqbal from 11-21 March. Iqbal seemed unafraid of being hunted down by the police or being caught by his previous victim.

AM was left stranded in Yogyakarta on 21 March with little money and clothing. During their relationship, she lost Rp 13 million and her valuables. As a result, AM reported Iqbal to the Bekasi Municipal Police on 22 March, the second police report filed against Iqbal in two months.

Before AM, WT (25) reported the alleged scammer to the Semarang Municipal Police on 2 Feb. Both Am and WT have received letters notifying them of progress in the police investigation (SP2HP). However, they have received no further news on their cases.

The perpetrator is not afraid. He is still free to look for new victims

“Why are there new victims after the earlier police reports? The perpetrator is not afraid. He is still free to look for new victims,” said WT, who was concerned about the possibility of more victims.

Kompas visited Semarang Police headquarters regarding WT's report on Thursday (24/3/2022) and met with Second Insp. Nunuk Suprihatin, who had received a report from Flora. Nunuk declined to comment on the case without permission from the head of Semarang Police criminal investigation unit.

Meanwhile, Adj. Sr. Comr. Donny Lumbantoruan, the head of Semarang Police criminal investigation unit, has not replied to a request for an interview sent via WhatsApp, even though the message shows blue check marks.

Pious person

The Kompas investigation team has looked into four individuals accused of material and nonmaterial exploitation. Of the four alleged perpetrators, three have been reported to the police by seven victims at different times and places.

The police report that has been under investigation for the longest period is the alleged romance scam that targeted RK (43), a woman from Bekasi, West Java. This mother of one reported to the Jakarta Police that she had been scammed by Emirat Moniharapon (29). RK believes she had been exploited by Emirat through a long-distance relationship that caused her to suffer losses totaling Rp 180 million.

Emirat presented himself to RK as a pious person. This approach captivated RK and convinced her to meet Emirat’s demands. Emirat, who claimed to be a graduate of a shipping school in Makassar, South Sulawesi, asked RK for money on many occasions for various purposes.

KOMPAS/IRENE SARWINDANINGRUM (IR

Emirat Moniharapon (29) who has been reported to Polda Metro Jaya on suspicion of a romance scam in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Tuesday (5/4/2022).

RK reported Emirat to the Jakarta Police in 2018. Subsequently, the report was updated in 2019 due to a change in witnesses. RK has repeatedly asked about the progress on her report, but her questions were deferred through various explanations. She has received no news regarding her report until now.

Special crimes director Sr. Comr. Auliansyah Lubis and public relations head Sr. Comr. Endra Zulpan of the Jakarta Police confirmed RK's report. However, they have not replied to questions submitted via WhatsApp, and Kompas was unable to contact the two in mid-April via mobile phone.

Based on RK's report, the Kompas investigation team tracked down Emirat in Makassar on Tuesday (5/4). Finding him was not difficult. The team went to his house and met his family. Afterwards, Emirat invited the team to talk at a place on the outskirts of Makassar. Emirat told Kompas that he was prepared to submit to the law if there were individuals who felt they had been harmed by his actions. He denies all allegations by RK.

In addition to the criminal law approach, the concepts of prevention and recovery are also needed.

"Whether I accept it or not, I still have to face it. It's fate," said Emirat in response to RK's allegations.

Earlier, the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) submitted a recommendation to the National Police during the commemoration of International Women's Day on 8 March. One of its recommendations was to avoid protracted delays in the investigative or legal process in cases of gender-based violence against women. The complete list of recommendations are available on the commission’s website (komnasperempuan.go.id).

"In addition to the criminal law approach, the concepts of prevention and recovery are also needed. Komnas Perempuan encourages deleting digital [information] because the perpetrators could use the victim's photo as a threat or sell it," Komnas Perempuan commissioner Siti Aminah Tardi said on Saturday (17/4).

Not set yet

The Romance Scam Awareness (WSC) Community has handled approximately 306 complaints regarding romances scam since 2020. Of this number, only about 15 complaints were reported to the police. Of that number, none have gone to court. Only one victim got her money back.

The long and tiring legal process, which often makes the victim feel ashamed, was lso an inhibiting factor. “Reports stagnate at the police. Some have also been withdrawn,” said WSC Community deputy chair Nur Laela Indriani.

According to Indriani, Indonesia has no law yet that defines romance scams, so only some elements of the fraud can be prosecuted, such as extortion, distribution of pornographic materials and sexual harassment.

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In fact, the scammers are good at avoiding these criminal elements. They mostly use manipulation without coercion or sexual harassment. Meanwhile, Singapore and Australia have public complaint channels or guidelines regarding romance scams.

Indriani said that the enactment of the Sexual Violence Law (TPKS) was a breakthrough that provided an opportunity to catch perpetrators of romance scams, which was now rampant. The TPKS Law contained more legally prosecutable elements. Unfortunately, the law still did not regulate romance scams specifically.

There is still a long way to go to stop the perpetrators of romance scams. Meanwhile, new actors are continuing to emerge. In the last two months, at least four new perpetrators have been reported on Twitter.

This article was reported by Kurniawan Siswo.