Scam Ready ASEAN Educates Members of IIK BPJS Ketenagakerjaan Kendari to Recognize Digital Fraud Modus Operandi

Another issue that drew much attention from participants was the security of banking transactions. Megawati, another participant, highlighted fraud modus operandi impersonating official financial institutions, including when the perpetrator already knows a number of pieces of the potential victim's personal data.

"We know the OTP code must not be shared. But scammers now claim to be from the bank and already know our complete data. For those of us who are ordinary mothers, how do we quickly make sure that it is a scammer and what should we immediately do?" asked Megawati.

Iqbal explained that official banks never ask for OTP codes or PINs, nor direct customers to activate the screen sharing feature. He explained that perpetrators can pretend to help cancel a suspicious transaction, then guide the victim to activate screen sharing to see the OTP code that appears on the device.

As a protective measure, participants were urged to immediately disconnect from unknown or suspicious calls and to confirm independently through the bank's official channels.

In addition to fraud targeting children and finances, participants were also invited to look at the risks that can arise from the habit of sharing information on social media. Invitations to upload childhood photos or throwback content may look simple, but information shared excessively can give perpetrators more material to carry out digital manipulation.

Iqbal explained that AI-based manipulation can utilize fragments of childhood photos or the timeline of a child's routine to produce manipulative content, including deepfakes. Therefore, participants are advised to be more careful in sharing photos and information about children or family activities on social media.

Through a game-based approach and simulations, Scam Ready ASEAN is designed so that participants not only understand the concept of digital safety, but can also recognize situations that have the potential to become fraud and determine a safer response. The materials and interactive games in this program can also be accessed and played independently by the public through Be Scam Ready (https://bit.y/BSR_PlayWithKaizen)

Furthermore, Iqbal emphasized that cyber fraud can target anyone, especially when the victim is in a state of panic, in a hurry, or tempted by quick profits. Therefore, the ability to pause for a moment, think critically, and verify becomes an important habit that needs to be built in daily life.

This spirit is summarized in the message "Jaga sama-sama, aman sama-sama" (protect each other, safe together), by encouraging women to become an important part in building digital security in the family environment.