Bali, Indonesia Sentinel — Rental car organizations in Bali have thwarted an attempt to smuggle 28 rental cars off the island. The operation, led by the National Buser Rentcar (BRN) Bali, uncovered a rental fraud scheme in which vehicles were illegally transferred to third parties.
According to initial reports, 30 rental cars owned by BRN Bali members had been unlawfully taken. After a two-day pursuit, the team managed to recover 28 vehicles, while two remain missing due to GPS tracking issues.
“Over the past two days, we have been tracking and successfully recovering 28 vehicles that had been transferred to new individuals by their original renters. We are still pursuing the remaining two cars, as their GPS trackers have been disabled,” said BRN Bali Coordinator Gusti on Friday, February 14, as reported by Detik.
Rental Fraud Scheme
The perpetrators rented vehicles on a monthly basis, initially showing no signs of suspicious activity. However, when payments for subsequent months stopped and renters became uncontactable, suspicions arose. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the vehicles had been passed on to multiple parties, with some even leaving Bali for East Java.
“When we checked, we found that these vehicles had been handed over to different individuals, some even had multiple holders. One of the cars was already located outside Bali, in East Java,” Gusti added.
Further complicating the case, some recovered cars had been fitted with counterfeit license plates, and at least one vehicle had duplicate registration documents, raising concerns about document fraud.
The 28 recovered vehicles were found in various locations, including Denpasar, Kintamani, and Bedugul, with some traced beyond Bali’s borders.
“Our full BRN Bali team—around 100 members—was mobilized over the past two days to track down these vehicles,” said BRN Bali spokesperson Dendi.
Luxury cars such as Toyota Alphards, Mini Coopers, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles were among those recovered. Dendi explained that the perpetrators rented cars from rental businesses and then pawned them to unsuspecting buyers for sums ranging from Rp40 million to Rp50 million ($2,500–$3,200)
Rental Cars Fraud in Bali
Rental car fraud remains a persistent issue in Bali, with 60 vehicles recovered in 2024 alone. This latest bust marks the largest case BRN Bali has handled.
“This is the most significant case in my time leading BRN Bali. Unfortunately, some public officials are also involved,” Gusti revealed.
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To combat such fraud, rental companies have implemented various security measures, including GPS tracking on all vehicles and requiring renters to provide deposits and identification documents. Some cars are equipped with up to five GPS trackers for added security.
“We have taken extensive steps to protect our assets, with multiple GPS trackers per vehicle. However, criminals always seem to stay one step ahead. Our operational procedures for leasing vehicles are already stringent,” Gusti concluded.
(Raidi/Agung)
