Indonesia Online Scams: Emergency Declared as Losses Hit $570M | Tempo.co
Indonesia Grapples with ‘Emergency’ Level of Online Scams
– Indonesia is facing a surge in sophisticated online scams, prompting the Indonesian Anti-Defamation Society (Mafindo) to declare a state of emergency. The scams, increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence, are impacting both individuals and the nation’s digital economy.
“The attacks go beyond citizens’ basic digital literacy,” said Mafindo chair Septiaji Eko Nugroho in a press release. The assessment was shared during a discussion on multi-stakeholder collaboration to combat digital fraud held in Jakarta on .
Nugroho stated that a lack of preparedness among citizens has placed Indonesia near the bottom of the Global Fraud Index 2025. This ranking is attributed to regulatory gaps and low levels of digital security literacy, a situation not adequately addressed by the number of perpetrators apprehended or funds recovered.
As of , the Indonesia Anti-Scam Center (IASC) has received 432,637 public reports or complaints. The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has documented total losses from these scams amounting to Rp9.1 trillion. However, the IASC has successfully recovered Rp432 billion.
Mafindo is calling for a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to address the escalating scam crisis, with a primary focus on enhancing digital security awareness among the population.
To facilitate this effort, Mafindo has launched a Policy Brief for Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration to Combat Digital Fraud. The brief’s author, Cahya Suryani, explained that a survey conducted in five cities at the end of 2025 was undertaken to identify the root causes of the problem.
Mafindo has outlined six strategic policy priorities to tackle the digital scam emergency. These include the development of a unified, one-stop reporting system and a restructuring of regulations to provide legal clarity for the banking sector and law enforcement agencies.
The group also stresses the importance of cross-sectoral coordination in implementing AI-based early warning systems on digital infrastructure. This involves strengthening the verification of mobile user identities and messaging platforms in accordance with current regulations. The government must prioritize the development of digital literacy programs that focus on mitigating psychological manipulation tactics used by scammers, with the goal of restoring public trust and accelerating response times.
“With this approach, the country can prevent and address the potential damage to the national economy and potential erosion to public confidence in digital transformation caused by the online scam emergency,” said Suryani.
Mafindo has requested that OJK establish regulations to protect banking customers, including features such as Money Lock and Kill Switch. They have also urged the Ministry of Communication and Digital to implement regulations requiring the labeling of AI-generated content on social media platforms.
The call for action comes as Indonesia continues to repatriate its citizens who have been lured into online scam operations in countries like Myanmar and Cambodia. As of February 23, 2026, the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) had assisted in the repatriation of 1,121 Indonesian nationals flagged for suspected legal or employment issues from Myanmar and Cambodia, with returns beginning on . Many of these individuals were initially offered legitimate-sounding jobs, such as marketplace operators or customer service agents, before being forced to work as online scam operators, often under grueling conditions.