Jakarta. Authorities have completed the investigation into two suspects accused of using deepfake artificial intelligence (AI) to impersonate President Prabowo Subianto and other senior officials in an online scam. The suspects, identified as JS and AMA, have been handed over to prosecutors along with evidence, the National Police announced on Thursday.

Himawan Bayu Aji, director of cybercrime at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, confirmed that JS has been transferred to the Attorney General’s Office while AMA has been handed over to the Central Lampung District Prosecutor’s Office in Lampung Province.

“The investigation into the deepfake videos featuring President Prabowo and other government officials has been completed, and the suspects along with the evidence have been submitted to the prosecution,” Himawan said in a written statement.

The suspects are believed to be part of a wider syndicate that used AI technology to manipulate video and audio content. The videos, which featured fake endorsements from top officials, were shared on social media to lure victims into a fraudulent aid registration scheme.

AMA reportedly worked with a man identified as FA, who is now on the police’s wanted list. FA allegedly edited the deepfake videos, while AMA uploaded them to social media platforms for wider circulation.

“We are still tracking other members of the syndicate. There are indications of roles similar to AMA’s, such as content creators, publication managers, and financial facilitators. Our goal is to dismantle the entire network,” Himawan said.

JS was found to have distributed deepfake content via his Instagram account @indoberbagi2025, which had nearly 9,400 followers. The manipulated videos encouraged viewers to sign up for fictitious government handouts and provided a WhatsApp contact for registration. Victims were later asked to transfer funds under the guise of administrative fees.

Police said JS targeted victims across 20 provinces, with the largest number coming from East Java, Central Java, and Papua. By December 2024, JS had allegedly collected around Rp 65 million from approximately 100 victims.

Although the scam carried out by JS closely resembles that of AMA, police are still investigating whether the two suspects were part of a syndicate.