SPAM emergency, the public is asked to be vigilant and protect themselves

The reason why Indonesia is the country with the most SPAM calls in Asia Pacific

Indonesia has become a global attention again after the latest Global Call Threat Report shows that the country has the highest number of SPAM calls in the Asia Pacific region. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 61 percent of incoming calls in Indonesia are categorized as spam calls. This figure is much higher than the global average and illustrates how vulnerable people are to digital threats via telephone or SMS.

Serious threat from SPAM calls

Spam calls not only disturb the user’s comfort, but also open up opportunities for cyber crime. Many cases have been reported to show that the public has lost millions of rupiah due to financial fraud, personal data theft, or phishing efforts. This phenomenon shows that SPAM Call has developed into a serious threat to communication security in Indonesia.

Effective Ways to Protect Yourself

To minimize risk, the community can take the following simple steps:

• Enable the Unknown Number Auto Block feature
• Android: Open the Phone app → Settings → Block list → Enable “Block calls from unknown people”.
• iPhone: Go to Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers → Enable.

• Note: Each brand of phone may have a slightly different setting.

• Use Do Not Disturb Mode (Do Not Disturb)

• Set only calls from saved contacts or favorites that can come in, so that suspicious calls are automatically neglected.

• Report SPAM Number to Government

• The Ministry of Communications and Digital (Komdigi) provides an official channel for the public to report spam and fraud phone numbers. The more reports, the greater the chance that the number will be blocked so as not to harm others.

Government Efforts and Digital Education Challenges

In addition to blocking, the government is also improving digital literacy programs so that people are more aware of new fraud modes. Education about communication security is very important, considering that criminals continue to innovate to find loopholes.

Many experts think that SPAM Call in Indonesia is increasing due to high smartphone penetration, while the level of digital security awareness is still low. Therefore, cooperation between the community, operators, and the government is the key to suppressing the number of spam calls in the future.

Shared responsibility in dealing with the threat of SPAM Call

The call of SPAM is not just a small disturbance, but a real threat that can harm the economy and psychology of the victim. Reporting a fraudulent number and activating the security feature on a mobile phone is a simple first step that anyone can do.

The question is, have you blocked and reported the spam number that entered your phone today?