Task Force Must Continue To Strengthen Coordination In Eradicating Illegal Financial Activities

JAKARTA - The Task Force for the Eradication of Illegal Financial Activities (Satgas Pasti) ensures to strengthen the synergy of the implementation of eradicating illegal investments, illegal online loans and various other illegal financial activities to further protect the public.

The meeting which was held in a hybrid manner was attended by representatives of 16 members of the Task Force, namely OJK, Bank Indonesia, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Religion, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Information Technology, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Ministry of Investment/Institutional Investment Coordinating Agency, Indonesian National Police, Indonesian Attorney General's Office, State Intelligence Agency and Center for Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis (PPATK).

In addition, the activity was also attended by members of the Board of Trustees and members of the PASTI Task Force Implementation Team as well as representatives from 45 Task Forces in the area covering 31 provincial, 7 city levels, and 7 district levels.

Chief Executive of the Behavior Supervisory of Financial Services Businesses and Consumer Protection OJK Friderica Widyasari Dewi said the synergy of cooperation and collaboration between ministries and institutions must be further improved to support the realization of comprehensive efforts to eradicate illegal financial activities within the framework of protecting consumers and the community in the financial services sector.

"We cannot work alone, of course, there must be support from the Police, the Prosecutor's Office, PPATK and other law enforcement officers as well as cooperation with ministries and institutions to jointly increase this work," he explained in his official statement Friday, December 1.

Friderica said that her party will continue to increase enforcement efforts and not only close the application but also close the account number and will close the phone number of the alleged perpetrator.

The head of the PATTI Task Force, Sarjito, said that this meeting was expected to further strengthen and streamline the task of the Task Force not only to eradicate illegal financial activities but also to prevent, handle cases and efforts to recover victims' assets.

It is necessary to make a breakthrough to speed up the handling of cases to prevent an increase in people's losses. For this reason, we have blocked account numbers suspected of being involved in illegal loans and illegal investments," he said.

Sarjito also highlighted the rampant advertisements for illegal lending and illegal investments that are circulating and have the potential to plunge the public.

The PASTI Task Force coordination meeting also discussed strategic issues that included blocking accounts, opening of bank secrets, arrests, and detention of fraud persons.

The next issue is tracing and confiscation of assets of fraud and deviation as an effort to recover public losses, strengthening coordination in efforts to control and prevent licensing from illegal entities. As well as strategies for massive and effective socialization and education to the community.

The existence of the PASTI Task Force is emphasized in the Financial Sector Development and Strengthening Law (P2SK) which mandates that the OJK together with relevant authorities, ministries, and institutions form a task force for handling business activities without permits in the financial sector.

Since 2017 the Task Force has suspended 7,502 illegal financial entities. By 2023 until the end of October the Task Force has blocked 18 illegal investment entities and 1,623 illegal online loan entities. In October 2023, the Task Force received 338 complaints related to illegal investments and 8,991 complaints related to illegal lending.

In addition, the Task Force in October also blocked 47 bank accounts, blocked 53 phone numbers and blocked 309 WA numbers suspected of being illegal lenders.