The issue of digital fraud in the form of spam and scams in Indonesia has reached an alarming level. Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs (Wamenkomdigi) Nezar Patria revealed that the financial losses caused by cybercrime have reached a staggering figure.

Nezar stated that these losses occurred between November 2024 and January 2025, with most scams originating from instant messages or SMS. In fact, 64% of spam incidents took place through mobile services.

“In just a very short span of around three months, the financial damage caused by cybercrime reached an extraordinary figure — nearly half a trillion rupiah, or Rp 476 billion,” Nezar said in his speech at the AI for All event held at Indosat’s office in Jakarta, Thursday (August 7, 2025).

At the same event, Nezar shared another alarming fact: the government has so far received 1.2 million reports of digital fraud.

“These figures are not just statistics; they are a warning that we must act quickly and collectively,” he stressed.

To tackle the growing problem of digital fraud, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) is partnering with industry players, including Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, to ensure the public is better protected from the rampant spam and scams in today’s digital era.

“The government is fully committed to creating a safe, clean, and trustworthy digital space for all citizens. Komdigi continues to hold dialogues, monitor the situation, engage with multiple stakeholders, and push for strong regulations to expand public education and strengthen protection, particularly among digitally literate communities, so they can prevent or avoid falling victim to cybercrime,” Nezar added.

On this occasion, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison introduced advanced anti-spam and anti-scam features powered by artificial intelligence (AI), designed to safeguard users from the rising threats of digital fraud.

According to the Asia Scam Report 2024 released by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), 65% of Indonesians receive scam attempts every week, ranging from phishing text messages and fake job offers to fraudulent investment schemes. This situation prompted Indosat to develop a sophisticated technological solution to protect its customers.

“Indosat believes that digital protection is a fundamental right for every Indonesian citizen,” said Vikram Sinha, President Director & CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, during the same event.

The anti-spam and anti-scam features were developed in collaboration with Tanla as the AI technology partner, supported by Mastercard, GSMA, and GASA. All parties share a common mission: to combat the spam and scam problem in Indonesia.