Jakarta Efforts to eradicate online gambling in Indonesia are increasingly extensive. The government, through various institutions and supported by technology industry players, continues to strengthen strategic measures to disrupt the networks of this illegal activity, which is increasingly causing public concern.
The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has blocked 17,026 accounts suspected of being involved in online gambling activities. This blocking follows a report submitted by the Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) and data analysis from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK).
“The OJK has asked banks to monitor normal accounts to prevent them from being used for financial crimes and to increase the effectiveness of handling account transactions,” said Dian Ediana Rae, Chief Executive of Banking Supervision at the OJK.
Dian added that financial services institutions are also asked to implement enhanced due diligence on suspicious accounts and immediately report them in the form of a Suspicious Financial Transaction Report (LTKM) to the PPATK. This step, she said, is crucial in minimizing the misuse of seemingly normal bank accounts.
In addition to the Financial Services Authority (OJK), financial technology industry players have also demonstrated strong commitment. One example is DANA, which has successfully thwarted up to 70 percent of transactions suspected of being related to online gambling and digital fraud. This success is driven by a sophisticated security system called Smart Friction.
“If something seems out of place, an alarm goes off. For example, a user who normally never sends money to a certain account suddenly sends money there,” said Olavina Harahap, Communications Director of DANA Indonesia.
Olavina explained that users will be given the additional challenge of manually typing a consent statement before proceeding with a transaction to a suspicious account.
“This approach makes users think twice before proceeding with transfers to accounts that may be involved in illegal activity,” she added.
DANA also complements its security system with the DANA Protection and Scam Checker features to protect users from the threat of digital fraud. This step demonstrates the synergy between the private sector and the government in combating online gambling through technology.
The government hopes that collaboration between regulators, industry, and the public will create a safer digital space. The public is also urged to actively report suspicious accounts or activities and to equip themselves with digital literacy to avoid falling prey to online gambling practices.
[edRW]