In a statement released in Jakarta on Wednesday, the PPATK’s public affairs coordinator, M. Natsir Kongah, informed that more than 150 thousand accounts are nominee accounts that were allegedly obtained via unlawful means such as account trading and hacking.
“These accounts were used to hold illicit funds and have since become dormant,” he said.
Additionally, more than 50 thousand of the flagged accounts showed no transaction activity prior to receiving illegal fund transfers.
The PPATK also identified over 10 million social assistance (bansos) recipient accounts that have remained unused for more than three years.
These accounts hold a combined balance of Rp2.1 trillion (approximately US$130 million), indicating possible misallocation or ineffective distribution of the assistance.
“If left unaddressed, this situation could negatively impact Indonesia’s economy and harm the rightful owners of those accounts,” Natsir warned.
The agency has also discovered over two thousand dormant accounts belonging to government institutions and expenditure treasurers, with total funds reaching Rp500 billion. These accounts, the PPATK said, are expected to be active and monitored due to their public finance function.
It has advised all financial institutions to tighten the management of dormant accounts.
This includes improving Know Your Customer (KYC) policies, implementing comprehensive customer due diligence (CDD), and encouraging account holders to actively monitor and manage their accounts.
Although banks have implemented robust protection standards, the PPATK emphasized that active participation from account holders remains essential.
The agency assured the public that their rights will remain protected, in line with the government’s Asta Cita agenda and the PPATK’s duties and legal authority.
The PPATK has also urged customers who receive notifications about dormant accounts to promptly contact their banks for further verification. “Unused accounts can become gateways for crime. Let’s protect our accounts, and protect Indonesia from financial crime,” Natsir added.
It also outlined steps for customers to reactivate accounts frozen temporarily. Such customers will first need to file an objection using a form available on the website http://bit.ly/FormHensem.
After submission, PPATK and the concerned bank will review their application. This process may take up to 5 working days and extend up to 15 additional working days, depending on the completeness and accuracy of the information submitted.
Thus, the entire process may take a maximum of 20 working days to complete.
Customers can then check the activation status of their accounts via ATMs, mobile banking apps, or by visiting their bank branch directly.
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Translator: Rizka, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Primayanti
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