Indonesia reports US$465.6m in financial losses to AI scams
- ByStartupStory | November 18, 2025
Indonesia has reported substantial financial losses totaling approximately US$465.6 million due to AI-driven scams over the past year. The Indonesian Anti-Scam Centre (IASC), established last year by the country’s Financial Services Authority (OJK), has received over 299,000 fraud reports between November 2024 and October 2025. These scams encompass a variety of fraudulent schemes including fake online shopping, investment scams, job offer fraud, social media fraud, phishing, and social engineering attacks.
Notably, 66% of Indonesian adults encountered scam attempts within the last year, with 14% reporting direct financial losses amounting to nearly Rp49 trillion (around US$3.3 billion). AI technologies such as deepfakes and voice synthesis have made scams harder to detect, allowing fraudsters to convincingly impersonate trusted contacts and pressure victims into transferring money.
Telecom operator Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison identified 290 million suspicious calls and 110 million fraudulent messages in just three months after deploying an AI-powered anti-spam system. This system protects over 11 million customers monthly by blocking scam calls and messages. The government and industry are emphasizing the urgent need for a unified, AI-based national scam detection system combined with mandatory biometric SIM verification to curb the proliferation of anonymous SIM cards that facilitate fraud.
Experts highlight that digital scams not only lead to massive financial damage but also erode public trust, hinder digital economy growth, and cause significant psychological distress to victims. Indonesian regulators and industry players, including Google Indonesia, stress ongoing collaboration, advanced AI security tools, and public awareness as critical steps to combat this escalating threat.
The scale and complexity of AI-fueled scams in Indonesia underscore an urgent call for stronger technology safeguards and comprehensive regulatory frameworks to secure the digital landscape for consumers and businesses alike.
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