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The National Police on Wednesday arrested two people suspected of running a fake production house and duping youngsters in Manado into believing that they could become TV performers, a police official said on Thursday.

“We arrested two suspects in Jakarta after two victims lodged complaints here,” newly installed National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarno told reporters. He declined to reveal the suspects’ names or their initials.

“They are being investigated and we have several victims still to summon. We will hold a press conference later,” he said.

“We will charge the suspects under the Criminal Code articles relating to fraud and embezzlement, which carry sentences of four years if convicted,” Nanan said, although he did not offer any information on how many people were cheated or how much money the alleged culprits took from their victims

The incident was not the first scam to trap youngsters aspiring to enter the entertainment industry. In April this year, 15 junior high school students from Pasuruan, East Java, were also allegedly defrauded by criminals promising to turn them into models or TV performers.

Three years ago, several youngsters from Pekalongan, Batang and Semarang, all in Central Java, fell victim to a fake production house which placed advertisements in local newspapers seeking talented young adults to star in episodes of reality shows and soap operas.

After paying money to the alleged producer and participating in the shooting of several scenes, the soap opera was never aired.

“We urge youngsters to be more careful with people who promise to turn them into performers,” Nanan said.