Beware Of Blue Tick Accounts, New Mode Of Tipu Gesek Cash

The rise of cash friction services (gestuns) on social media after Eid needs to be watched out for. This is because many frauds under the guise of gestures have been verified or blue ticks.

For example @gestunkilatz, @gestunjaartans. The posting of this fraudster's gestun service account was shared by @gestunpenipu.info via Instagram posts. Plus, during the moment of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr 1446 Hijriah, this mode of service is increasing.

This gesture case turned out to have occurred in February 2025. The Directorate of General Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimum) of the Jambi Police arrested a fraudster with a fictitious cash friction mode loan from an online shopping store which resulted in losses for dozens of victims reaching Rp4.8 billion.

Director of Criminal Investigation at the Jambi Police, Kombes Manang Soebeti, said that until now, the police had identified more than 30 victims of fraud committed by the fraud perpetrator with the initials W (26).

"The total loss reached Rp4.8 billion," Manang said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, February 10.

Manang said, the perpetrator has been committing fraud since September 2024. The police will trace the owner of the online store link that was distributed to the victims. Perpetrator W committed fraud by giving a bonus or cashback to the victim of 30 percent for each transaction.

The perpetrator offered a fictitious cash withdrawal service at an online shopping store by sending a shopping link to the victim. Then, the victims were asked to complete the purchase (checkout) of the link.

Understanding Gestun Paylater

However, before entering further, first identify what the paylater gesture is. It is the disbursement of credit limit balances or paylaters into illegally cash made by individuals by means of fictitious purchases. Initially, gestun practices were carried out using credit cards. But now it has penetrated several e-commerce platforms such as GoPayLater, Shopee PayLater, Akulaku, Kredivo, Traveloka Paylater, and many others.

The perpetrator will usually pretend to make purchase transactions at certain merchants, even though the goal is to disburse the paylater limit into cash. For example, someone buys fictitious goods from a partner's online shop, then the seller transfers the money back in cash (with certain fees).

This gives the illusion that transactions really happen, even though there is no real exchange of goods or services. For some customers, gestures are an option because they need cash quickly without having to withdraw from ATMs that are subject to cash withdrawal interest or without having to go through the process of applying for personal loans.

Although it looks practical, this gesture has the potential to bring various financial and non-financial risks to customers. In fact, the practice of gestures is declared illegal by Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK), and is an act that violates the law.

Bank Indonesia through its rules Bank Indonesia No.11/11/PBI/2009 and its amendments stated that the gesture was a form of fraud or illegal transactions. If caught doing this practice, the perpetrator can be subject to severe legal sanctions.

According to the OJK-Banking Wise book, cash friction is not a bank product and therefore, if there is a loss due to this transaction, customers cannot ask for compensation from the bank. Customers involved in gestures are also vulnerable to the risk of misuse of personal data and identity theft.

Personal data taken from transactions at merchants can not be officially used to access customer account information or credit cards without their knowledge. In addition, gestures also have the potential to be used as a practice of money laundering.

Money from illegal crimes or activities can be laundered through repeated transactions that appear to be legally valid on a surface. By avoiding strict supervision from banks and regulators, the perpetrator can convert money from criminal acts into money that appears legal. This not only harms customers personally, but can also damage the financial system as a whole.

OJK Blocks A Number Of Illegal Transaction Activities

The Illegal Financial Activity Eradication Task Force (Satgas PASTI) again reminded the public to be more careful of various modes of fraud in the financial sector during the month of Ramadan and ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1446 Hijri.

OJK through Indonesia Anti-Scam Center/IASC has received 74,243 reports from the public regarding financial transactions since November 22, 2024-23 March 2025

"The total number of accounts related to fraud reported is 78,041, of which 33,857 of which have been blocked," said the Secretariat of the Illegal Financial Activity Eradication Task Force, Hudiyanto in his statement, on March 28, 2025.

Hudiyanto said the total loss of funds reported by the victims reached Rp1.4 trillion with funds that had been blocked amounting to Rp133.2 billion. Then, in the January-February 2025 period, the PASTI Task Force had found 508 illegal online loan entities (pinjol) on a number of sites and applications as well as 28 personal loan offering content (pinpri) that could potentially harm the public and violate the provisions for the distribution of personal data.

So that since 2017-13 March 2025, as many as 12,721 illegal financial entities consisting of 1,737 illegal investment entities, 10,733 illegal/principal lending entities, and 251 illegal pawning entities have been stopped.

"Regarding these findings and after coordinating between members, the DEFINITE Task Force has blocked and coordinated with law enforcement officials to follow up on them in accordance with applicable regulations," he said.

Reasons Behind Gestun Paylater Diminati

Apparently the presence of this gestun service is still a handful of people who still trust and use their services. The first reason, because of the urgent need for funds. Not everyone has quick access to formal loans. Gestun is considered an instant solution to get cash without complicated processes.

The next reason is none other than easy and fast. The gesture process can be completed in just a few minutes and everything is done online without the need for complicated guarantees or verification.

Most avoided by the public is BI checking. Compared to conventional loans, paylater gestures do not require BI checking (check credit history) so that it is more accessible to people who have a history of bad credit.

Even though it seems profitable, gestuns are still risky. Because, there are high interest rates and late fines if you are unable to pay on time. This can cause debts to accumulate.

Many gestun users end up stuck in a debt circle because they constantly disburse the limit to cover the previous bill. Gestun actors generally impose a discount of up to 10 percent-20 percent of the amount disbursed. This means that users receive less cash than the nominal transaction but still have to pay in full according to the paylater limit used.

How To Avoid Illegal Gestun Traps

To avoid being trapped in gestun practice, here are some tips summarized from various sources that can be applied:

1. Use a paylater only for productive or important needs. Avoid using it only for consumptive or lifestyle.

2. Make sure to buy from trusted and official merchants.

3. Don't be tempted by gesture offers on social media or marketplaces. Many of them turned out to be fraudsters.

4. Manage finances wisely. Have a controlled spending and debt plan.

Paylater gestures may seem like a practical solution in difficult financial situations, but this practice stores a variety of serious risks both financially and legally. The government and digital financial service providers continue to strive to educate the public to be wiser in using paylater services.