Ever wondered how cold callers managed get your mobile number even though you never give it away to strangers? Well, it may be because the personal data you gave your bank is not as confidential as it should be.
On Saturday, the National Police’s Financial Crimes Directorate arrested a 27-year-old man, identified by his initial C, who is suspected of obtaining the personal data of bank clients and selling them to marketers.
According to the police, C has been obtaining bank clients’ personal data through his connections inside banks, namely their employees.
“The suspect used the money he earned from selling clients’ personal data for personal gain since 2014,” said Agung Setya, director of the Financial Crimes Directorate, as quoted by Kompas today.
According to Agung, C sold the personal data through several websites, a Facebook page, and through e-commerce platforms in Indonesia. He charged buyers Rp 350,000 for a database containing 1,000 clients or Rp 1.1 million for a database containing 100,000 clients.
The police believe that C is not working alone, and are expanding their investigation to uncover a possible network of personal data thieves. However, they did not say if their investigations would involve investigating the banks themselves.
“The actions committed by the suspect may lead to loss of trust of clients in their banks,” Agung said.
C may face up to 9 years in prison for banking fraud and other criminal violations.
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