Indonesia arrests 88 Chinese nationals in online romance scams

BATAM, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police say they’ve arrested 88 Chinese citizens for involvement in a cross-border telephone and online romance scam syndicate after receiving a tip from Chinese security ministry. The suspects, including five women, were arrested in a raid on an industrial park on Batam island, next to Singapore. A police spokesperson says most of their targets appear to be fellow Chinese, who were called over the internet and tricked into transferring money after their “human emotion” was manipulated. A preliminary investigation showed the gang had been operating since early this year. They ensnared hundreds of victims in China, but it is unclear how much money they collected.