Beware of Scams: Know the Tactics, Protect Our Assets
Yet hundreds of thousands of people still fall for scams every year, not because they're careless, but because scammers have gotten remarkably good at imitating things that look official and convincing.
Official data from the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC) covering the period from 22 November 2024 to 30 June 2026, shows just how big the problem is [1].
Indicator | Figure |
Fraud reports received | 608,167 reports |
Accounts flagged in fraud reports | 1,085,607 accounts |
Accounts successfully blocked | 557,751 accounts |
Scam funds secured | Rp674 billion |
Funds actually returned to victims | Rp196 billion |
Notice the gap: of the Rp674 billion secured, only Rp196 billion actually made it back to victims. The rest, roughly Rp478 billion, is likely gone for good. That's exactly why reporting quickly matters so much. Once funds change hands a few times, the odds of getting them back drop sharply.
Rather than trying to cover everything at once, let's break down the three tactics that trip people up most often, each paired with a real case that actually happened, so this feels less like theory and more like something worth paying attention to.
Illegal Investments: Promises of Unrealistic Profits
The pitch is almost always the same: high returns, a short timeframe, and supposedly next to no risk. To make it convincing, the people behind it often bring in public figures or influencers, show off testimonials that can't actually be verified, and create a sense that the window to join is closing, pushing the victim to decide before they've had time to think it through.
According to OJK, total public losses from illegal investments between 2017 and the third quarter of 2025 reached Rp142.22 trillion [2]. That figure is the sum of thousands of individuals, each convinced that this particular offer was different, more credible, more trustworthy than the last. But a basic rule of finance never changes: the higher the potential return, the higher the risk that comes with it. There's no exception to that, no matter how technical the pitch sounds or how convincing the testimonials appear.
A practical way to filter out these offers is the 2-L approach [3]:
Legal or Legitimate: Make sure the product or the party behind it is registered with and supervised by the proper authority.
Logical: Compare the promised return with similar instruments such as time deposits or mutual funds. If the gap is large and doesn't add up, that's the signal to pause.
Unauthorized Access to Financial Accounts
Beyond the classic impersonation scam (a call or WhatsApp message posing as a bank, then asking for an OTP), there's a quieter risk: unauthorized access to someone's financial account without their knowledge. It can take different forms, but the root cause is usually the same, account credentials such as a password, PIN, or OTP ending up in the wrong hands, whether through phishing or some other security gap.
In late November 2025, a number of customers at a national securities firm reported to Bareskrim Polri that their trading accounts had been accessed without their knowledge. One victim was reported to have lost a blue-chip stock portfolio worth Rp71 billion, while the combined losses reported by several other victims were estimated at nearly Rp90 billion [4].
The victims said they first noticed something was wrong after receiving notifications for transactions they never made, and quickly asked the securities firm to hold the settlement. The case has since been elevated to a full investigation by Bareskrim's Cyber Crime Directorate, on suspicion of illegal access and money laundering.
Regardless of how that particular case is ultimately resolved, there's a lesson here that applies to anyone holding a financial or investment account: never share a password, PIN, or OTP code with anyone, including someone claiming to represent an official institution. A legitimate financial institution will never ask for it over the phone, through chat, or by email.
If you receive a request for that kind of information, or notice a suspicious transaction, the recommended response is S.T.O.P [5]:
Spot the red flags.
Take a pause before acting.
Observe and verify through an official channel.
Protect your personal data and funds, including contacting the securities firm or bank right away to request a transaction hold if needed.
If We've Already Been Scammed
One of the things victims regret most usually isn't how they got scammed; it's how long they waited to report it. The sooner it's reported, the better the odds of tracing and recovering the funds.
To Report | Channel |
Financial transaction fraud | |
Illegal financial activity (illegal investments, illegal online loans, illegal pawnbroking) | |
Verify OJK-licensed entities | |
OJK contact | Phone 157 / WhatsApp 081 157 157 157 / email konsumen@ojk.go.id |
In the end, being cautious doesn't mean treating everything with suspicion. It's about recognizing a pattern that keeps repeating: a promise that sounds too good, a manufactured sense of urgency, and a request for information that should have stayed private. Once that pattern is recognizable, financial decisions become a lot calmer and better informed.
References
[1] "Beware, Scams Are Lurking" (Waspada, Penipuan (Scam) Mengintai Kita) booklet, Task Force for Combating Illegal Financial Activities (Satgas PASTI), OJK, 2026.
[2] Infobanknews, "Investasi Ilegal Rugikan Masyarakat Rp142 Triliun, OJK Ungkap Datanya," December 1, 2025.
[3] Kompas.com, "951 Pinjol Ilegal Ditutup Satgas PASTI, Investasi Bodong Ikut Dibabat," April 29, 2026.
[4] Suara.com, reporting on a case of alleged unauthorized access to a securities account that cost customers up to Rp90 billion, November 2025 and July 2026.
[5] Republika Online, "Catut Nama Pertamina, Dua Pelaku Penipuan Lowongan Kerja Ditangkap," June 8, 2023.
Disclaimer: This content is created for educational purposes or service promotion, and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any specific Securities. Any risks arising from investment decisions made based on the information in this publication are the sole responsibility of the respective audience. PT KAF Sekuritas Indonesia is licensed and supervised by the Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan / OJK).
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