OJK Reveals Alarming Statistics on Illegal Online Lending Victims

Young Adults Most Affected by Illegal Lending

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has reported a significant number of complaints regarding illegal online lending platforms. Between January 1, 2025, and November 30, 2025, OJK received 18,633 complaints related to such activities ¹

The data reveals that young adults are the primary victims, with 74% of the complaints coming from this demographic. Specifically, 35% of the complainants were between 16 and 25 years old, while 38.7% were between 26 and 35 years old ²

Reasons Behind the Prevalence Among Young Adults

OJK's Executive Head of Supervision, Friderica Widyasari Dewi, highlighted two main reasons for the high number of young victims. First, young people often have urgent needs and desires, which, combined with their potentially consumerist tendencies, make them more likely to fall for illegal online lending ²

"Illegal online lending platforms offer quick access to funds without complicated requirements, making them appear as an attractive solution to young people's financial needs," Friderica explained. These platforms often disburse funds quickly and expect borrowers to default, allowing them to profit from high interest rates ²

Second, the ease of access facilitated by technology has contributed to the problem. Young people's digital savviness makes them more susceptible to persuasive tactics used by scammers operating these illegal platforms.

OJK's Response to the Issue

To combat this issue, OJK is committed to continuously educating the public about the risks associated with illegal financial services. The authority also conducts daily cyber patrols in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Digital to shut down unregistered financial applications ²