Unverified Phone Numbers Fuel Rp 7 Trillion Scam Losses in Indonesia
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JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — The government warns that unverified phone numbers have fueled a surge in digital scams that has drained Rp 7 trillion, as the government moves to tighten controls on SIM activation to protect consumers.
The Ministry of Communication and Digital said the country saw between 500,000 and 1 million new SIM activations each day, far exceeding global standards and creating a vast loophole for digital fraud.
Director General of Digital Ecosystem Edwin Hidayat Abdullah said the massive circulation of numbers without verified identities allowed criminals to exploit gaps in the system and target millions of Indonesians.
“This has seriously harmed our society because so many numbers circulate without proper identity,” Edwin said at the ministry’s office in Jakarta on Friday, Nov 14, 2025.
Data from November 2024 to October 2025 showed 297,008 Indonesians fell victim to online scams. Of this total, 125,217 reports were filed through the Indonesia Anti-Scam Center, while 171,791 cases were logged by financial service providers, including banks.
Edwin said the losses reflected both the scale and sophistication of digital crime. Banks blocked 93,819 accounts linked to scam operations during the same period, yet recovered only Rp 367 billion.
“Total losses reached Rp 7 trillion, and only Rp 367 billion was returned. Once your money is scammed, the probability of recovery so far is only 5.4 percent,” he said.
He added that 22,600 telecom service customers were also reported as scam victims through IASC submissions to the ministry, highlighting how widespread digital crime had become across sectors.
“Indonesia has no choice but to tighten scam prevention. This is truly harming our people,” Edwin said.
Tighter Role for Telecom Operators
Kemenkomdigi also pressed telecom operators to take greater responsibility in protecting users and preventing the misuse of phone numbers registered under their networks.
“The business responsibility of mobile operators is something we must push. They have to be more responsible for the business they run. They must protect their customers,” Edwin said.
As part of its prevention agenda, the ministry is developing a new anti-scam infrastructure, including technology to block masking numbers frequently used to deceive victims through anonymous calls.
“So the protection must ensure that spam calls using masking numbers are stopped,” Edwin said.