Indonesian telco XL Axiata says it continues to be plagued with theft of its broadband routers by scammers, with the latest case occurring in Medan and Binjai on the island of Sumatra.
XL Axiata revealed earlier this week that in January 2024, the North Sumatra Regional Police, with the help of the Criminal Investigation Unit, arrested five people involved in embezzlement, fraud, and illegal use of STB and ONT XL Home devices.
Four of the suspects allegedly posed as XL Home officers visiting customers' homes using fake XL Home ID cards. They would inquire about extending internet services. If the payment wasn't made, they would confiscate the customer’s XL Home device and terminated the subscription.
"Our team made arrests based on reports from the community to XL Axiata partner employees regarding individuals posing as XL Home officers attempting to take STB devices under false pretenses, said head of Sub-Directorate III Jatanras Polda North Sumatra, Kompol Bayu Putra Samara, S.I.K., M.H. in a statement. “This report gained credibility with video evidence of the fake officer taking the STB.”
The police also seized a total of 15 STB and ONT units as evidence. The suspects face charges of theft, fraud, and detention.
This isn’t the first time XL Axiata has been targeted by this particular scam. In November last year, Garut Resort Police arrested five individuals running the same con in Karangpawitan District, Garut Regency.
XL Axiata spokesperson Reza Mirza reminded 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, and call the official complaint hotline to verify their identity.
