Bandung Anti Moneylenders Task Force Receives Thousands Of Complaints Regarding Loans

Chairman of the Anti-Loanlenders Task Force in Bandung Atet Dedi Handiman/PHOTO VIA ANTARA

BANDUNG - The Anti Moneylenders Task Force (Satgas) Anti Moneylenders Bandung received around 4,000 complaints related to people who felt they were victims of online loans (borrowing) out of a total of 7,321 public complaints from 2018 to 2021.

The general chairman of the Anti-Loanlenders Task Force for the City of Bandung, Atet Dedi Handiman, said the loan sharks were suspected of being prone to extortion. From a small initial loan to a large interest of around 10-30 percent.

"So far we have done something, cut off, for example, A's debt is Rp. 2 million, because the interest is considered reasonable at a certain percentage. And the borrower has agreed that it is 'cut off' that his debt can no longer be more," said Atet in Bandung. quoted by Antara, Thursday, October 14.

Apart from the approximately 4,000 complaints, Atet said the rest were complaints related to loans from moneylenders and illegal loan cooperatives.

"Most of the cooperatives that practice as moneylenders are not cooperatives in the city of Bandung, from outside the city. So it's quite difficult for us to take legal action in accordance with the cooperatives under the authority of the service," said Atet.

According to him, the results of the analysis of the complaint are about 6 percent borrowing for education funds, 3 percent for medical treatment, 49 percent for business, 2 percent for consumptive needs, and 33 percent for daily living expenses.

"Therefore, in the Mayor's Decree, the Task Force involves the OPD for follow-up. For example, in education there is access to free education by the Education Office. People who seek treatment go to the Health Office," he said.

He ensured that the Anti Moneylender Task Force was present to advocate, facilitate, and educate so that the number of people who were ensnared by moneylenders would not increase. However, he said, it did not mean that his party paid the debts of the complainants.

The Anti Moneylender Task Force can facilitate victims to be followed up by the relevant Office. Such as to the KUKM Office, DP3A, the Education Office, to the Social Service.

"Initially, education was to find out more about the existence of cooperatives. But moneylenders are not only cooperatives that practice moneylenders, but there are also individual moneylenders and even more so now moneylenders are through loan or online loans," said Atet, who is also the Head of the Cooperatives and MSMEs Service. Bandung.

Meanwhile, the Daily Chairperson of the Anti Moneylender Task Force, Saji Sonjaya, said that from a legal point of view, moneylenders are loan sharks, which in the Police Act are part of a community disease that must be stopped.

"In the Anti-Loanlender Task Force, we define loan sharks as being subject to an illegal person or legal entity, and the business is paying interest. If it's a business, he or she has run operations with unreasonable interest," said Sonjaya.