PLN Dismisses Allegations of Data Leak to Cambodian Online Fraud Syndicate

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's State Electricity Company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) or PT PLN denied the leakage of company data allegedly used by an online fraud syndicate. PLN's name was mentioned as one of the companies whose data had leaked to an online fraud syndicate in Cambodia, along with PT TASPEN.

PLN's Corporate Communication and TJSL Executive Vice President Gregorius Adi Trianto ensured the safety of PLN's customer data. "There has been no unauthorized access," he said in a brief message on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

Gregorius stated that PLN had conducted thorough checks on its data center through various perimeters. "And the entire system is ensured to be in a protected condition."

Furthermore, he said, PLN had implemented layered security systems. These efforts were made in collaboration with the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, and other relevant authorities to strengthen and safeguard customer data.

Previously, an Indonesian migrant worker named Inayah-not her real name-revealed the operations of an online fraud syndicate based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The woman from West Java was involved in the network.

Inayah referred to her workplace as a company. The company's main business was scamming or fraudulent practices conducted online. The company had a database of potential victims' names, complete with addresses and phone numbers, numbering from hundreds of thousands to millions.

In addition to names, phone numbers, and dates of birth, according to Inayah, the database also included participant numbers for the Social Security Administering Body (BPJS) for Health, membership numbers for the State Civil Servants Savings and Insurance Program (Taspen), PLN customer numbers, and Taxpayer Identification Numbers (NPWP) managed by the Directorate General of Taxes under the Ministry of Finance.

The company owner, who is a Chinese citizen, according to Inayah, purchased the data from an Indonesian citizen. The Indonesian citizen then submitted the data to the boss.

Inayah's confession came after the police uncovered a case of online fraud masquerading as PT TASPEN (Persero), a pension fund company. It is estimated that around 100 retired Civil Servants (PNS) were victims of fraud through the modus operandi of sending an Android package kit (APK).

"The majority of the victims are PNS retirees above 60 years old, making it easy for the perpetrators to manipulate them to access their phones and the information inside," said the Head of Sub Directorate IV of the Cyber Crime Detective Directorate of the Jakarta Metro Police, Grand Commissioner Herman Edco Wijaya Simbolon, in his press release on Saturday, June 7, 2025.

In this investigation, the police named three suspects, EC, IP, and AM. EC and IP were arrested in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, while AM-who is suspected to be the mastermind behind this crime-is still at large. It is believed that he is in Cambodia and has been placed on the wanted list.

The Deputy Director of the Cyber Crime Detective Directorate of the Jakarta Metro Police, Grand Commissioner Alvian Yunus, said this crime occurred at the end of last year. Initially, the victims were contacted by the perpetrators via the WhatsApp messaging application. The perpetrators introduced themselves as employees of PT Taspen and claimed to require information from the victims for customer data updates. "The victims were asked to fill in data in an application link," said Alvian on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Alvian stated that the application link was in the form of an APK. The victims followed the perpetrators' instructions out of concern that their pension funds would not be disbursed. Shortly after filling in all the requested data, the victims received several notifications through mobile banking applications. "In essence, several transactions totaling Rp 304 million had taken place," he said.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang and Oyuk Ivani Siagian contributed to this article.

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