OJK shuts down 2,500 illegal online credit companies, blocks debt collectors’ contacts

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Management of financial services or OJK From January to October 28, 2024, 2,500 illegal online lending companies were stopped. OJK also requested to block 995 contact numbers of collectors.

OJK representative Fridrika Vidyasari Devi said the move was made by the Task Force on Eradication of Illegal Financial Activities (Satgas Pasti). “We have blocked almost 1,000 bank accounts, as well as phone and WhatsApp contacts,” she said at a press conference at the monthly board of commissioners meeting on Friday, November 1, 2024.

According to her, the operative group found the contact numbers of those involved in debt collectors illegal online lending who are reported to have threatened, intimidated or committed other illegal acts. The blocking of contact numbers has been submitted to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (Komdigi).

Since the beginning of the year, OJK has received 13,860 reports on illegal entities. Of these, 13,020 reports related to illegal online lending, 840 reports related to illegal investments. The authority also blocked 242 illegal investment offers on several websites and apps that could potentially harm the public.

At the same time, 228 bank accounts or virtual accounts were involved in illegal financial activities. The OJK has already informed the banks about the freeze.

To combat these illegal activities, the OJK will soon launch the Anti-Fraud Center (ASC) as a centralized platform for dealing with fraud cases. However, the exact date of its launch has not yet been announced. “The Pasti task force is intensively preparing the systems and infrastructure that will be used for the ASC,” she added.

The ASK will be launched soon to speed up the blocking of fraudsters’ accounts and detect criminals faster. We hope that legal action will be taken and the remaining funds will be returned to the victims, provided that the victims are notified immediately through the platform.

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