The Indonesian Anti-Slander Society (Mafindo) states that Indonesia\nis facing a digital fraud emergency. The fraud not only targets\nindividuals but has become a threat to national digital economic\nresilience. Mafindo\u2019s data indicates that the methods of fraud are\nbecoming more sophisticated, utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) with\nincreasingly difficult-to-counter deepfake and social engineering\ntechniques.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attacks exceed the basic digital literacy skills of the\ncommunity,\u201d said the Chairman of the Mafindo Presidium, Septiaji Eko\nNugroho, in a press release received by Tempo on Wednesday, February 25,\n2026. This was explained during a Focused Group Discussion (DKT)\nentitled \u201cMulti-Party Collaboration for Combating Digital Fraud Crimes\u201d\nin Jakarta on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.<\/p>\n
The community\u2019s unpreparedness, he said, places Indonesia in the\nsecond-lowest position in the 2025 Global Fraud Index. Indonesia is\nlagging due to regulatory gaps and low literacy, especially in the area\nof digital security, resulting in a sharp increase in losses suffered by\nthe community, which is disproportionate to the number of perpetrators\ncaught and funds returned.<\/p>\n
The Indonesia Anti Scam Center (IASC) received 432,637 reports or\ncomplaints from the public up to January 2026. The total losses from\nthis fraud were recorded by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) at\nIDR 9.1 trillion. Meanwhile, the IASC managed to block or save IDR 432\nbillion.<\/p>\n
Mafindo encourages multi-party collaboration to address the digital\nfraud emergency, starting with improving digital security for the\ncommunity. The forum was attended by various parties, including\nregulators, law enforcement, the financial services industry, academics,\nand digital literacy communities. Mafindo launched a Policy Brief on\nMulti-Party Collaboration for Combating Digital Fraud Crimes.<\/p>\n
The author of the Policy Brief, Cahya Suryani, said they conducted a\nsurvey in five cities at the end of 2025 and analyzed the root of the\nproblem. Mafindo recommends six strategic policy priorities to address\nthe digital fraud emergency, starting with the development of an\nintegrated one-stop reporting system and the restructuring of\nregulations. The goal is to provide legal certainty for banking and law\nenforcement agencies.<\/p>\n
It also emphasizes the importance of cross-sector coordination in\nimplementing an AI-based early warning system on digital infrastructure,\nstrengthening user identity verification for mobile devices and\nmessaging platforms in accordance with the latest regulations. Finally,\nit calls for the development of digital literacy focused on mitigating\npsychological manipulation from a victim\u2019s perspective, in order to\nrestore public trust and accelerate response efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith this approach, the country can prevent and overcome the digital\nfraud emergency, which has the potential to damage the nation\u2019s economy\nand erode public trust in digital transformation in Indonesia,\u201d said\nCahya.<\/p>\n
Mafindo requests that the OJK create regulations to protect banking\ncustomers with Money Lock and Kill Switch features. It also asks the\nMinistry of Digital Communications to create regulations for labeling AI\ncontent on social media platforms.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mafindo-indonesia-faces-a-digital-fraud-emergency-1772042515", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }