Jakarta, IO – The government has handled thousands of cases of online scams involving Indonesian citizens since 2020.
Foreign Ministry director for the protection of citizens Judha Nugraha revealed that 2,300 cases have been handled based on reports received, per Antaranews, Saturday (8/7).
“When it comes to actual numbers, we don’t know because the current figures are calculated based on complaints we received,” said Judha.
He revealed that the total number of Indonesian citizens who became victims of online scams, especially human trafficking might be much higher considering the large number of victims of fraud stranded in remote regions.
“Moreover, they are in places like Myawaddy, which, let alone the Indonesian Embassy, even the Myanmarese authorities have difficulty accessing the location which is an area of conflict,” he said.
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Online scam cases have also been on the rise and affected a number of countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines. This issue has become a matter of concern for leaders of ASEAN countries.
During the Asean Summit in Laboan Bajo in May, Southeast Asian leaders agreed on a declaration to combat human trafficking caused by the abuse of technology. Judha said the issue would be discussed again at the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta on July 10-14. (un)