Case of Love Scam Worth Rp120 Trillion Becomes Alarm, Recognize Stages of AI-Based Fraud
Author : Berita Valas | Published On : 07 Jul 2026
Digital transformation has changed the way people communicate, make friends, and even build personal relationships. However, this convenience has also been exploited by criminals to carry out various fraud schemes that are increasingly difficult to recognize. One of them is love scam, which is a fraud that exploits emotional relationships as a gateway to obtain financial benefits.
Public attention has once again turned to this modus operandi after the PASTI Task Force of the OJK uncovered a suspected case involving a woman in Medan. The victim is suspected to have suffered losses of approximately IDR 120 billion after establishing an online relationship with someone claiming to be from Singapore. After successfully gaining trust and receiving a large amount of funds, the perpetrator was reported to have disappeared and could no longer be contacted.
First Stage: Building Trust
Love scams generally do not start with a request for money. The perpetrator first builds a relationship through intense conversations, shows attention, and demonstrates interest in the victim's personal life.
With the help of AI technology, this process becomes increasingly convincing. Profile photos, videos, and even voices can be engineered so that victims believe that the person they are communicating with truly has a clear identity. As a result, trust grows much faster compared to conventional fraud methods.
Second Stage: Presenting Financial Reasons
After the relationship is considered close enough, the perpetrator begins to introduce financial problems. The reasons can vary, such as urgent needs, business opportunities, exclusive investments, or opportunities to obtain large profits in a short period of time.
At this stage, victims often no longer verify the truth of information because they feel they have personally known the perpetrator. The emotional relationship that has been previously established makes the request for funds seem reasonable and does not arouse suspicion.
Third Stage: Victims Continue to Be Asked to Send Money
In many cases, the request for transfer does not stop at a single transaction. After the victim sends the money, the perpetrator usually returns to request additional funds with various reasons, such as administrative fees, taxes, investment disbursement process, or other claimed urgent needs.
If the victim continues to meet such demands, the amount of losses can increase significantly. This is what causes the loss value in love scam cases often reaches hundreds of millions to billions of rupiah.
AI Makes Modes Increasingly Difficult to Recognize
The ability of AI to generate realistic images, sounds, and videos makes the verification process more difficult. Victims can no longer rely solely on video calls or photos as proof that the person they are communicating with is truly real.
Therefore, the public needs to be more cautious when someone newly acquainted online starts discussing investments, trading, digital assets, or asking for financial assistance. The larger the requested transaction value, the more important it is to verify the identity and purpose of fund usage.
Do Not Delay Reporting
The case in Medan also serves as a reminder that time is a crucial factor in handling digital fraud. The faster the victim reports, the greater the chance for the authorities to trace the flow of funds before they are all transferred to another account.
In addition to reporting immediately, victims should save all evidence of conversations, screenshots, account identities, destination account numbers, and transfer receipts. This information can assist the investigation process and facilitate the tracing of transactions that have been carried out.
Enhance Vigilance in the AI Era
Love scam shows that the threat of digital crime no longer solely relies on the ability to hack systems, but also exploits human psychology. The perpetrator first builds trust, then exploits emotional closeness to influence the victim's financial decisions.
Therefore, society needs to get used to not being hasty in trusting digital identities, always verifying every investment invitation or money request, and avoiding financial decisions based on newly established online relationships.
Conclusion
The suspected love scam case with losses reaching IDR 120 billion serves as a warning that AI technology has made fraud modus operandi far more sophisticated. Perpetrators are able to create identities that appear convincing, making it difficult for victims to distinguish between real relationships and digital manipulation.
The best steps to reduce risk are maintaining a critical attitude, conducting verification before sending funds, and immediately reporting if any signs of fraud are detected. Vigilance, digital literacy, and rational decision-making serve as the primary defenses against the development of AI-based crimes.
