INDOLIN.ID ■ JAKARTA — Indonesian police are strengthening their capacity to tackle online "love scams", which they say are becoming increasingly sophisticated through the use of artificial intelligence, deepfakes and social engineering to defraud, blackmail and exploit victims.
The National Police held a forum in South Jakarta on Tuesday involving police officials, academics and experts in law and forensic psychology to discuss how law enforcement should respond to digital crimes that exploit emotional relationships.
"Love scamming is no longer simply a conventional form of fraud, but has developed into a crime that exploits emotional relationships to commit fraud, extortion, sexual exploitation and cross-border crimes," National Police public information bureau chief Brigadier General Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said.
He said perpetrators increasingly used social media, messaging applications and online dating platforms to establish relationships with victims before exploiting them.
Artificial intelligence and deepfake technology have added new tools for criminals to create convincing identities and manipulate digital content, making such crimes more difficult to detect, Trunoyudo said.
He said tackling love scams would require a combination of investigative and prosecution capabilities, digital forensic analysis, victim protection and cooperation between agencies both domestically and internationally.
Police official Sinta, from the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department, said cases involving electronically based gender violence could be addressed under Indonesia's 2022 Sexual Violence Crime Law.
She said greater coordination among law enforcement agencies and other institutions was needed in cases involving gender-based violence committed online.
"Love scamming in the context of electronically based gender violence is not simply ordinary fraud, but an organised digital crime that exploits the emotions, trust and vulnerabilities of victims," Sinta said.
Robby Kurniawan of the National Commission on Violence Against Women said law enforcement should not focus solely on prosecution but should also ensure comprehensive protection and recovery for victims.
Data from the commission's annual report show that reports of online gender-based violence have increased in recent years. Reported forms of abuse include the distribution of content intended to damage victims' reputations, cyber sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, online threats and privacy violations.
Forensic clinical psychologist Kasandra Putranto said improving digital literacy was also important as criminals adopt new technologies and methods, including cyberflashing, online grooming, identity theft and the misuse of deepfake technology.
She said efforts to combat online gender-based violence should combine law enforcement with prevention, public education, victim protection and psychological recovery.
The police forum is part of efforts to improve officers' ability to detect digital crime, strengthen investigations based on electronic evidence and expand cooperation with other institutions in responding to technology-enabled crime. (Sri Lestari)
