Digital Fraud in Indonesia Surges: How to Avoid It
Digital fraud cases in Indonesia continue to show an alarming upward trend. According to a report from the Indonesia Anti Scam Center (IASC), by January 2026 the number of fraud reports reached 432,637 cases, increasing from 418,462 reports in December 2025. This means there are approximately 1,000 digital fraud reports on average each day.
The IASC also noted that this figure is approximately three to four times higher than other countries, which typically record between 150 and 400 reports per day. The high figure underscores the importance of public vigilance against the various evolving forms of digital crime.
Responding to this phenomenon, CEO and Co-Founder of Privy, Marshall Pribadi, stated that one increasingly common modus operandi used by perpetrators is fraud through digital documents, such as fake invoices, fraudulent purchase orders, fictitious employment contracts, or administrative documents sent via email or instant messaging.
To help the public avoid these risks, Marshall shared several simple steps that can be taken before trusting or signing digital documents.
The first step is to carefully examine the source and context of the document. The public is advised to check the sender’s email address, company domain, and contact details listed. Small differences such as punctuation or spelling are often exploited by perpetrators to deceive victims.
“It is not uncommon for perpetrators to require potential victims to share personal data and make payments, which can cause financial harm to the public. Therefore, if there are any irregularities in the sender or document content, it is advisable to request re-confirmation from the relevant party through official channels,” Marshall said.
The second step is to verify the authenticity of the electronic signature on the document. Valid electronic signatures can only be issued by Electronic Certification Providers (PSrE) officially registered with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. Additionally, the public also needs to check the digital certificate details listed in the document, including the issuer’s identity and the certificate’s expiry date.
According to Marshall, certified electronic signatures use an encryption system that can be technically verified and are therefore safer than signatures from scanned results or image overlays.
The third step is to verify the document directly through a digital verification service. Through Privy’s official website, the public can upload a PDF-format document to check the validity of the electronic signature and ensure the document has not been altered after signing.
Marshall explained that this verification service can be accessed for free by the public and can be used to check documents that use electronic signatures from various PSrE registered in Indonesia.
Through this verification process, the system will provide three possible results: the document has a trusted digital signature, no digital signature was found in the document, or the document is not entirely reliable due to indications of inconsistency in the signature status or changes to the document content.
Marshall emphasised that the increasing number of digital fraud cases demonstrates the importance of building a verification culture before trusting digital documents.
“Many people still judge the authenticity of digital documents only by their appearance. However, digital documents can be modified without being visible to the naked eye. Therefore, verification is an important step before making a decision,” he said.
He added that making a habit of checking documents before trusting them can help the public reduce the risk of becoming victims of digital fraud in an era of increasingly rapid digital transformation.