Illegal Loans And Judols Are Increasingly Rampant, Literacy Is The Key To Prevention

Chairman of the Central PWI, Hendry Ch Bangun was present at a national seminar on Pinjol. (Doc PWI)

JAKARTA Online loans aka online loans and gambling (judol) have ensnared millions of people, including journalists. They are trapped in debt with soaring interest, the threat of spreading personal data, to intimidation of debt collectors. Sadly, the law does not always side with victims.

This fact was revealed in the National Seminar "The Role of Media in Prevention of Pinjol and Judol", part of the Road to HPN 2025, which was held at Sahid University in Jakarta, Friday, January 31. This event presented the Head of the OJK Consumer Protection Department Rudy Agus Purnomo Raharjo, the Head of the Central LKBPH PWI HM Untung Kurniadi, the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Sahid University, Dr. Yuherman SH, MH, and the Dean of Fikom, Sahid University, Dr. Mirza Ronda, M.Si.

HPN 2025 in Banjarmasin is expected to be a momentum for the press to be more active in guarding the eradication of illegal and judol loans.

Illegal Loans: One Closed, One Thousand Grows

Rudy Agus Purnomo revealed that illegal borrowing is a real threat to society. Customers are not only entangled in exorbitant flowers, but also in the face of leakage of humane data and terror collection.

OJK has closed 2,900 illegal lending applications, frozen 228 accounts, and blocked 1,400 WhatsApp accounts. However, illegal borrowing continues to emerge. "One closed, the other grew. As long as there is a request, there will be an offer," he said.

Rudy highlighted the low level of financial literacy as the main cause. "Our literacy rate is only 65 percent, while financial inclusion is 75 percent. This means that many people use financial services without sufficient understanding," he said.

Journalists Become Victims

The head of the Central PWI LKBPH, HM Untung Kurniadi, revealed the fact that many journalists were caught in illegal loans. "I once accompanied reporters who wanted to report this case to the police. But they were rejected, he said this was a civil matter," he said.

Untung juga menyinggung pernyataan Mahfud MD yang menyebut utang pinjol ilegal tak perlu dibayar. Namun, apakah pernyataan itu berlaku secara hukum?

The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Sahid University, Dr. Yuherman SH, MH, explained that in legal norms, debts still have to be paid. However, illegal borrowing bills cannot be billed through court, the same as debts from online gambling.

"The court only regulates gambling in Article 303 of the Criminal Code, but the debt due to online gambling cannot be brought to court," he explained.

Media Must Act

The Dean of Fikom, Sahid University, Dr. Mirza Ronda, emphasized that the media is the last fort in eradicating illegal and judolous loans.

He gave an example of the success of the media in dismantling the marine fence case in Tangerang. "If the media consistently oversees online gambling cases that have involved Kominfo, this could be a major issue in the community. The media must continue to press to trial," he said.

The General Chairperson of the Central PWI, Hendry Ch Bangun, added that illegal and judolous loans did not only occur in Indonesia. In Singapore, many mothers fall into online gambling.

"In Indonesia, the problem is bigger because many people want to be rich without hard work," he said.

HPN 2025 In Banjarmasin: Momentum Of Resistance

This seminar is part of the Road to HPN 2025, which will peak in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on February 9, 2025.

The Chancellor of Sahid University, Prof. Dr. Ir. Giyatmi, understands his remarks emphasized that the media must be at the forefront of preventing illegal and judolous loans. He even proposed simple research to explore the main factors that make people vulnerable to illegal and judolistic loans.

"If we want to eradicate illegal and judol loans, the media must be more aggressive. Don't stop on the news, but keep on escort until there are real changes!" he said.