Indonesia is facing a worsening wave of digital scams, with one in four citizens reporting financial losses over the past year. New data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) shows total public losses reaching Rp 7.9 trillion (US$474 million) between November 2024 and November 2025, underscoring a national fraud emergency fueled by rapid digital adoption and increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics.
A Nation Under Constant Digital Attack
The scale of attempted fraud is unprecedented. OJK reports that seven out of 10 Indonesians encounter digital scam attempts every week, while 23% of consumers say they lost money to real-time payment (RTP) scams in 2024 -up from 19% the previous year.
Losses vary widely by scam type: online lending fraud wipes out an average of Rp 8.5 million per victim, while fake investment schemes often exceed Rp 52 million. Yet only 1% of victims report incidents within the critical first hour, allowing criminals to move stolen funds through multiple accounts before they can be frozen.
The Most Damaging Scam Types
The Indonesia Anti-Scam Center (IASC) highlights several scam categories now dominating the landscape.
Online shopping fraud remains the most frequent, with losses totaling Rp 988 billion. But the most financially devastating are impersonation scams, which caused Rp 1.31 trillion in losses. Criminals are increasingly using AI-generated voices and deepfake video to mimic family members or colleagues and pressure victims into urgent transfers.
Fake investments, responsible for Rp 1.09 trillion in losses, continue to lure victims with promises of quick returns. Meanwhile, malware-infected APK files sent via WhatsApp and classic phishing/social engineering schemes are rising sharply.
Government and Regulators Step Up Action
Indonesia’s response has begun to scale dramatically. The IASC, launched in November 2024, has already blocked more than 100,000 suspicious bank accounts, providing a centralized system for reporting and rapid intervention.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) and OJK are also ramping up nationwide education efforts through the CABE digital literacy campaign, designed to help citizens recognize scams before they fall victim.
Regulators are urging banks to strengthen real-time fraud detection and encouraging the public to report incidents within the first 10 minutes, when fund recovery is still possible.
Indonesia’s digital economy continues to expand at record speed, but so does the threat landscape. Regulators warn that without faster reporting, stronger authentication measures, and broader public awareness, financial losses will continue climbing sharply in the years ahead.