Beware! Kaspersky Reveals Scams that Take Advantage of Ramadan

Example of a fraudulent offer in Ramadan (photo: Kaspersky)

JAKARTA - Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky has discovered a fraud campaign that exploits the excitement of the Ramadan moment, with attractive promotions on various digital platforms.

Kaspersky revealed that this type of fraud occurs every year. Where fraudsters impersonate commercial companies, and ask users to provide their phone numbers.

Once the phone number is given, the victim will be persuaded to forward the link to the "campaign" to their friends on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, which is then redirected to another scam, which increases traffic and phone number collection efforts.

"During the promo period or big celebrations such as Ramadan in Indonesia, fraudsters can become more rampant. Staying vigilant is very important, but protecting yourself requires more than just awareness," said Kaspersky's Country Manager for Indonesia, Defi Nofitra.

Defi emphasized that this fraud effort was exacerbated by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, which made phishing efforts more sophisticated and targeted, making it increasingly difficult for ordinary users to recognize.

Kaspersky also recently revealed that 14,909,665 different online threats had been detected and successfully blocked by Kaspersky in Indonesia last year.

In line with this, the Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK) also recorded as many as 13,130 reports of fraud in the first 10 days of Ramadan 2026, involving up to 22,593 accounts, this is an increase compared to last year.

To protect themselves from Ramadan-related scams, Kaspersky recommends the following to users:

Don't believe discounts or promotions from unknown or suspicious senders. Always double-check the sender's address and manually type the website URL of the brand into the browser Don't download and install apps from untrusted sources Create strong and unique passwords, and enable two-factor authentication, to protect your account Don't provide more information than is necessary to complete your purchase, especially passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account numbers Use security solutions to help resolve most issues automatically and notify you if there is a cyber threat.