progresifjaya.id, JAKARTA – Investigators from Polda Metro Jaya Cyber Sub-Directorate of the Ditreskrimsus on Thursday, (12/9) caught one. A student from South Sumatra with the initials KTD (22) was caught for his actions which are suspected of committing the crime of illegal access and manipulation of electronic information. KTD was caught acting by exploiting a technical loophole (bug) on Google Business Profile to manipulate data from a number of agencies, including targeting the Polsek Metro Setiabudi, Jakarta Selatan as a target by using his Vivo cellphone which is now evidence.
Dirreskrimsus of the Polda Metro Jaya, Kombes Pol Ade Safri Simanjuntak in his official statement said, that KTD’s reckless actions had violated Article 46 and Article 48 of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE) which regulates illegal access and manipulation of digital information.
“This case began on August 11-12, 2024 when there was a technical disruption on the Google Business Profile platform. Well, the suspect KTD secretly took advantage of this situation by changing the data of the Polsek Metro Setiabudi registered on Google Maps,” said Kombes Pol Ade Safri Simanjuntak, Thursday, (19/9).
“He changed the route to the Setiabudi Police and added a fake WhatsApp number. This act was carried out by the suspect KTD until August 15, 2024 until Google then corrected the manipulated data,” he added.
Based on the results of the interim examination, Kombes Pol Ade Safri continued, the suspect KTD didn’t work alone. He was assisted by his colleague with the initials A who played a role in providing technical instructions for changing the data. A himself is currently on the DPO list and is being hunted by the Cyber Sub-Directorate of the Ditreskrimsus of the Polda Metro Jaya.
“The suspect’s modus operandi was to falsify information on Google Business profiles belonging to various agencies and companies, such as banks, travel agents, and online loan companies. As a result, victims who searched for information via Google were directed to contact fake numbers owned by the suspect and his gang,” said Kombes Pol Ade Safri.
In his fraudulent actions, said Kombes Pol Ade Safri again, the suspect used the fake information to commit fraud. The suspect asked for the victim’s personal information, such as ATM card numbers and OTPs, which were then used to transfer money via e-wallet applications such as OVO, DANA, and GOPAY. Furthermore, the money from the fraud was withdrawn by the suspect via a prepared bank account.
“Not only that. The suspect has also admitted to committing other crimes such as fraud via Telegram, hotel and plane ticket refund fraud, and online loan fraud,” said Kombes Pol Ade Safri.
He also said, that until now, the Cyber Sub-Directorate of the Ditreskrimsus of the Polda Metro is still continuing to investigate the involvement of the group of suspects who focus on manipulating agency and bank data on Google Business. Customers affected by this data manipulation are also being identified by the investigation team.
At the end of his statement, Kombes Pol Ade Safri Simanjuntak also appealed to the public to be more vigilant and careful in accessing information from unverified sources. His party will also continue to conduct cyber patrols and take firm action against cybercriminals, especially those who exploit technical loopholes in digital platforms to commit fraud.
“There is no compromise at all for us against cybercriminals. We will wipe them all out,” he emphasized again. (Bembo)