RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Gunadi smiled as he symbolically received his personal funds that had previously been lost due to the scam he fell victim to. He praised the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC) for returning his money.

"I think (IASC) has really been a blessing for people who are easily deceived," he said at the handover event for scam victims’ funds in Jakarta on Wednesday, 21 January 2026.

The Indonesian university academic had previously been scammed by someone impersonating a vice rector. He lost almost Rp50 million (around US$3,000) but was saved by the IASC, and the money was returned to him on Wednesday.

"Immediately on the night (the scam happened), it was processed (by IASC). Alhamdulillah (All praises to God), we express our thanks to everyone," he said.

IASC is a coordination hub for handling scams, led by the Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK), with over 20 state ministries and agencies involved as part of the Task Force for the Eradication of Illegal Financial Activities (PASTI Task Force). Established in 2024, the task force includes the Indonesian National Police, the prosecutor’s office, and all financial services associations.

Description of the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC) as presented by the country's Financial Services Authority (OJK) commissioner, Frederica Widyasari Dewi at an event in Jakarta on Wednesday, 21 January 2026. (Photo: YouTube/Indonesian Financial Services Authority)

Gunadi was one of those who received his money at the event. The IASC has announced the return of scam proceeds to victims amounting to up to Rp161 billion (about US$9.5 million).

"Alhamdulillah, the funds successfully blocked have exceeded Rp400 billion (approximately US$23.6 million). Due to various reasons, today we will hand over Rp161 billion to the victims," an authority commissioner, Frederica Widyasari Dewi, said in his remarks.

Frederica pointed out that scam cases are now very complex, innovative, and cross-border. She noted that, as experienced by Gunadi, anyone can become a victim of scam, even those with higher education or status.

"They (the scammers) play on people’s psychology so that they (the victims) become careless, fall for the trick, and willingly transfer their money, give (sensitive) information... to someone they think they (can) trust," she said.

Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at the Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK), Mahendra Siregar, at a handover event by the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC) in Jakarta on Wednesday, 21 January 2026. (Photo: YouTube/Financial Services Authority)

Chairman of the Board of Commissioners at OJK, Mahendra Siregar, appreciated those who had shared their testimonies during the event. According to him, instead of blaming the victims, they should be helped.

"(They) must be assisted, and it’s our duty to help. Thank you (the victims) for not hesitating to share this, which has become motivation and strengthened our (OJK and PASTI Task Force) commitment moving forward,” he said.

Siregar mentioned that the PASTI Task Force has coordinated with the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency. Thus, now every fraud report made to IASC can be directly forwarded to the police.

'What is reported and then processed at the IASC automatically becomes part of a police report, which can then issue an indemnity letter to all banks and financial institutions. This makes the process much simpler and faster,” he added.

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OJK stated that the fund recovery rate from IASC’s enforcement actions reached 5 percent. However, this was welcomed by Mukhamad Misbakhun, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives.

"I greatly appreciate the OJK, as this exceeds my initial expectations. We didn’t expect to hear earlier that we have a recovery rate that’s indeed better compared to other countries. Others may be around 2 percent, but we can reach a recovery rate of 5 percent,” the politician from the center Golkar party said.

Misbakhun also compared IASC to candles that light up and give hope in the midst of the darkness of scams in society. He also praised the task force, which consolidates various sectors to protect Indonesians from scams.

"I hope the PASTI Task Force and the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre will grow stronger in their roles and responsibilities,” he said.

During the event, another scam victim who did not reveal his name also shared his testimony. With over Rp172 billion (around US$7.5 million) returned, they commended the coordination between the state agencies within IASC, calling it 'extraordinary'.

"So today, we can laugh at them (the scammers) so that they see that there is something called IASC... This serves as a warning to the scammers,” they said.