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A coordinated Indonesian school bomb threat has sent shockwaves through Jakarta’s international education sector after three schools received identical ransom messages demanding $30,000 in Bitcoin (BTC). The anonymous sender, claiming to have planted bombs on school grounds, used WhatsApp to send the same message to staff across multiple campuses, threatening to detonate the explosives within 45 minutes if their demands were not met.
According to reports from Kompas and CNN Indonesia, the messages originated from a phone number with the +234 country code, suggesting a possible link to Nigeria. Written in English, the warning read:
“A message for EVERYONE. We have bombs in your school. The bombs are set to go off in 45 minutes if you do not agree to pay us $30,000 to our Bitcoin address.”
The Indonesian school bomb threat targeted one institution in North Jakarta and two in South Tangerang, all of which received identical messages containing the same BTC wallet address. The sender warned that if the schools alerted police, the supposed bombs would be detonated immediately.
Despite the threats, school administrators quickly contacted local law enforcement, leading to a large-scale security and bomb disposal operation.
“If you do not send the money, we will blow up the device immediately,” the attacker wrote in the message shared with local media outlets.
Police were deployed to all three schools following reports of the Indonesian school bomb threat. The operation involved multiple units, including Indonesia’s elite Bomb Disposal Team (Jibom), local police forces, and rapid response officers.
After several hours of coordinated sweeps, authorities confirmed that no explosives, suspicious materials, or devices were found.
“We conducted a sweep and secured the area. Thank God, no explosives or bombs or anything similar were found,” said AKBP Victor Inkiriwang, South Tangerang Police Chief, during a media briefing covered by Tempo.co.
In North Jakarta, Commissioner Seto Handoko, head of Kelapa Gading Police, reported similar findings at the North Jakarta Intercultural School (NJIS), one of the three targets.
The sterilization results are safe. There are no bombs or dangerous objects on-site, Handoko told reporters.
Authorities have since classified the Indonesian school bomb threat as a likely case of digital extortion designed to create mass panic while attempting to extract cryptocurrency payments.
Investigators quickly turned their attention to the Bitcoin wallet included in the ransom messages. Police collaborated with Indonesia’s National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) and the Indonesian Blockchain Association (ABI) to trace any blockchain activity linked to the provided address.
On-chain analysis revealed that the Bitcoin address was invalid, meaning it does not exist on any recognized blockchain or local cryptocurrency exchange.
The BTC address included in the messages cannot be verified on any major blockchain network, said a spokesperson from the ABI, in a statement to Detik News. This strongly indicates that the threat was a hoax meant to instill fear rather than a legitimate attempt to collect funds.
Investigators are now exploring whether the number was spoofed which is a common technique in international cyber scams or if the perpetrators are part of a wider extortion network.
So far, police have not identified any suspects, and the motive remains unclear. However, authorities confirmed that no additional schools in Indonesia have received similar threats.
Experts say the Indonesian school bomb threat mirrors a global pattern of crypto-linked ransom hoaxes, where criminals exploit the anonymity of Bitcoin to create fear and attempt extortion without executing actual attacks.
Crypto-related bomb threats have surged worldwide since 2022, said Rizal Djalil, cybersecurity analyst at Jakarta Digital Watch, in an interview with Kompas.com. These scams often reuse fake Bitcoin addresses and target institutions like schools, hospitals, and corporate offices to maximize emotional panic.
Similar hoaxes have been reported in the United States, United Kingdom, and Singapore, where schools received nearly identical ransom messages demanding cryptocurrency payments.
Cybersecurity agencies warn that such threats, though rarely credible, drain public resources and disrupt daily operations.
Even when no bombs exist, these attacks exploit fear as their primary weapon, Djalil added. The goal isn’t violence as it’s confusion and financial gain.
Authorities have called for calm as investigations into the Indonesian school bomb threat continue. Police confirmed that all targeted schools have resumed normal operations under heightened security.
The Jakarta Metropolitan Police stated that the threat has now been classified under cybercrime and electronic information law violations, carrying penalties for digital terrorism and fraud.
There is no credible evidence of explosives, but we are treating this as a serious cybercrime case, said AKBP Inkiriwang, reaffirming that all schools remain safe.
The Indonesian school bomb threat serves as a stark reminder of how digital tools and cryptocurrency can be weaponized in cross-border scams, challenging law enforcement to strengthen international cooperation in tracing digital threats.
