Half a Million Indonesians Scammed, Rp 614.3 Billion Nearly Lost

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — The Financial Services Authority (OJK) reports that financial scams remain prevalent in Indonesia. Through the Indonesia Anti Scam Centre (IASC), OJK has collected 548,093 reports.

Of these, 268,989 reports were submitted to businesses, while 279,104 came directly from the public to IASC.

The Executive Head of OJK’s Behavioural Supervision, Education, and Consumer Protection for Financial Services, Dicky Kartiyono, stated that in response, OJK has saved Rp 614.3 billion in customer funds.

Dicky also noted that 932,138 accounts have been verified, with 485,758 of them blocked. “The Satgas Pasti task force monitors scam reports and coordinates with relevant ministries and agencies, primarily Komdigi, to block 106,477 phone numbers related to scams,” he said during the April 2026 Monthly Board of Commissioners Meeting press conference on Tuesday (5/5/2026).

For context, the reported scam methods are varied, ranging from shopping transaction fraud, fake calls, investment scams, job scams, and fraud promising prizes.

OJK acknowledges specific challenges in handling these scams, including a surge in complaints reaching around 1,000 reports per day, which is 3-4 times higher than in other countries.

These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that most reports—or about 80%—are submitted more than 12 hours after the incident. In practice, scam proceeds can be transferred and removed from victims’ accounts in less than one hour.

On the other hand, fund flight patterns have become increasingly complex. Previously limited to the banking sector, victims’ funds now quickly move beyond a single bank account to various instruments and digital ecosystems.