Two arrested for deepfake fraud impersonating Indonesian president and officials
Indonesian police arrested two suspects who used deepfake video technology to impersonate the president and government officials in a fraud scheme offering financial assistance. Victims were deceived into sending money to the suspects, who failed to deliver the promised aid. The cases have been referred to prosecution authorities.
What happened
Two suspects identified as A.M.A. (age 29) and J.S. (age 25) used artificial intelligence technology to create deepfake videos impersonating President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani.
The videos offered government financial assistance, but recipients were instructed to send money to WhatsApp numbers provided by the suspects in order to receive the promised funds. After victims transferred money, the promised assistance was never delivered.
Reported impact
The fraud scheme targeted multiple victims through the deceptive deepfake videos offering government aid.
Index analysis
Bareskrim Polri (the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Indonesian National Police) stated that deepfake AI technology use for fraud on social media is expanding, and instructed regional cybercrime units to investigate similar cases to minimize victims and prevent the fraud from spreading further.
Governance controls
Bareskrim Polri's Cyber Crime Directorate moved the cases to prosecution stage, with suspect A.M.A. referred to the Lampung Tengah District Prosecutor's Office and suspect J.S. referred to the Attorney General's Office on 24 April 2025.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.