Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid said Monday that the fraudulent callers often posed as House of Representatives members or government officials to solicit donations from victims.
“There have been many complaints. Some scammers pretend to be lawmakers or officials and ask for donations. We have blocked 3,000 related numbers,” she told lawmakers at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta.
The ministry has also blocked 2,500 numbers suspected of general fraud activities, she said.
Another 13,000 numbers were shut down for links to fake online investments, online gambling, trading scams and other cyber fraud schemes.
Hafid said the number of fraudulent phone lines could be higher because many people still do not report suspicious calls to authorities.
She urged the public to immediately report suspicious numbers so the government and telecom operators can suspend or terminate access.
Beyond online fraud, Hafid warned about the growing misuse of deepfake technology, calling it a threat to national digital resilience.
She said deepfake-related fraud has become a global issue with potentially large financial losses.
According to Hafid, the United States has recorded the world’s highest number of deepfake cases, with losses reaching US$2.19 billion, equivalent to about Rp38.7 trillion.
In Indonesia, an anti-scam task force formed with the Financial Services Authority recorded online fraud losses of Rp9.1 trillion, equivalent to about US$515 million.
Related news: Biometric-based SIM registration to limit digital fraud: Ministry
Translator: Farhan, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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