Scams Rise With Short Messages Containing Mid-Time Job Vacancies, Task Force: Don't Be Easily Entangled

Illustration of online fraud via smartphone. (Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Recently, fraud modes have been rampant with short messages containing part-time job vacancies.

Responding to this, the Task Force for Handling Unlicensed Business Activities in the Financial Sector (Satgas) appealed to the public to be aware of fraud with such short message modes. "The perpetrators usually persuade the victim to carry out "like" and subscribe" activities on a digital content such as content on Youtube. For such activities, the victim will receive payments with a certain nominal," said Secretary of the Business Activity Handling Task Force Without Permits in the Finance Sector (Satgas) Hudiyanto in an official statement, Saturday. After the victim is provoked by receiving payment or results at the beginning of the activity, the victim is persuaded to carry out other tasks provided to make deposits of a number of funds first in order to receive greater payments or rewards. Depositated victims' funds are promised to be returned later times, but after the victim is provoked to make deposits, frauds run away and cannot be re-reached. "Eradication of the offer of illegal activities really requires support and participation from the community, namely the attitude of prudence and vigilance in accepting offers from irresponsible parties," he added, quoted by ANTARA, Saturday, July 8. The government task force consisting of the Ministry of Financial Services (OJK) Ministry of Trade, Bank Indonesia, State Police, and Financial Transaction Center (PPATK) expects the public to always pay attention to two important aspects in using sites or applications that offer trade and financial services, namely legal and logical. Legal means ensuring that the products or services offered already have a proper business license from the authorities or supervisory institutions. "Logis means always paying attention to the results or benefits offered, whether it makes sense or not," he said. In April to June 2023, the Task Force found 352 illegal online loan platforms as well as 77 content on Facebook and Instagram that offered illegal online loans. "Based on this, the Task Force has coordinated with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics of the Republic of the Republic of Indonesia to carry out blocking in order to reduce fraud opportunities to deceive the community," he said.

If the public finds a suspicious or suspected illegal investment or online loan offer, they can report it to the OJK Consumer Service 157 Phone (021) 157, email: consumer @ojk.go.id or email: Beware of investing @ojk.go.id