Fraudsters in Garut pose as XL Axiata service reps to steal routers

Details: John Tanner; Category: Operators; 29 November 2023; 8285 views

Indonesian operator XL Axiata revealed that Garut Resort Police have arrested a group of fraudsters who ran a scam by impersonating XL Home service officers to steal home broadband routers.

According to the police, the scam involved two men who allegedly visited the houses of XL Home broadband customers in Karangpawitan District, Garut Regency, pretending to be XL Home officers by using a fake XL Home ID card.

The suspects then asked the customers if they had paid to renew their subscriptions. If they said no, the suspects would confiscate the XL Home device and terminate their subscription status.

The police said that the suspects targeted six homes, and a total of five suspects have been arrested so far. While the operation resulted in no material losses to customers, the scam cost XL Axiata and two other companies (PT Iforte Solusi Infotek and PT Quantum Nusatama) around IDR 14 million (US$913), according to a statement.

AKP Ari Rinaldo, head of the Garut Police Criminal Investigation Unit, said the case is still being investigated to determine if the suspects are part of a syndicate and if the scam is being carried out in other areas.

XL Axiata spokesperson Reza Mirza advised XL Home or XL SATU Fiber customers to ask for a letter of assignment from XL Home or XL SATU Fiber officers visiting the house. He added that all official XL Home and XL SATU Fiber officers have a clear identity card, and that customers can call the official complaint hotline to verify their identity.