Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam syndicates

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Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar

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Resty Woro YuniarPublished: 6:30pm, 12 May 2026Indonesia’s latest wave of police raids has exposed signs that online gambling and scam syndicates, squeezed out of traditional hubs such as Cambodia and Myanmar, are trying to turn Southeast Asia’s biggest economy into a new base.

Analysts warned that Indonesia’s porous visa regime, weak law enforcement and welcoming attitude towards foreigners had made it an attractive destination for syndicates looking to avoid scrutiny.

Authorities have arrested hundreds of foreign nationals in Jakarta, Batam, Bali and Surabaya over the past two weeks for their alleged roles in online scam and gambling operations, in what officials say is part of a wider shift by transnational crime groups into Indonesia.

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On May 7, 321 foreigners were arrested for allegedly running 75 online gambling websites from a commercial building in western Jakarta. The suspects included 228 Vietnamese, 57 Chinese, 11 Laotians, 13 Myanmese and three Malaysians.

As of Saturday, 275 of them had been named as suspects and charged with immigration violations, gambling and money laundering, offences that carry punishments of nine years’ imprisonment and a fine of two billion rupiah (US$114,118).

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Gambling, both online and offline, is strictly banned in Indonesia.

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