Beware of Illegal Loan Offers Via SMS with These 4 Tricks

You most definitely had received an SMS from an unknown number that offered cash loans worth millions of rupiah without any requirement. It’s very annoying spam, even more so, this illegal loan offer via SMS has unfortunately become a pitfall for a lot of Indonesians. Don’t let yourself be the next victim. To avoid this fraudery under the guise of illegal loans via SMS, here are 4 tricks that you need to follow. 

100% Illegal Loans
Even though this loan offer via SMS looks very interesting to try, don’t let your guard down! According to Peraturan OJK No. 07/2013 regarding Perlindungan Konsumen Sektor Jasa Keuangan Pasal 19, financial service businesses are not allowed to offer products or services to the public via email, SMS, or voice mail without the consumer’s consent.

So, it’s confirmed that every loan offer that you’ve received via SMS is an illegal loan offer from fintech that’s not registered on OJK. You shouldn’t be tempted to reply or accept this offer. Always be vigilant in granting access to personal information whenever you’re using mobile applications. 

Check The SMS Sender
The first indicator of an illegal loan offer via SMS is the sender that has a common cellular number. In practice, legal banks or fintech send SMS to the consumers using unique numbers that only consist of 3 to 6 digits. If the SMS you receive comes from a common cell number, delete it immediately and block the number. 

However, OJK states that these illegal loan offers are sent from a machine that only sends one message to each consumer’s number. In conclusion, blocking the sender is not really considered effective. If you are highly disturbed by this SMS offering illegal loans, you can change your cell number. 

The False Pretense Of Easy, Unconditional Loans
Usually, people trapped in illegal loans are easily swayed by the lure of 0% interest loan without any collateral and conditions. By simply clicking the link and uploading KTP, this illegal loan can be disbursed on the same day. However, this offer is just too suspicious, isn’t it? It’s more like a free cash offer rather than a legal cash loan. 

Nowadays, there are plenty of collateral-free loans with easy requirements. Nevertheless, these legal and easy cash loan offers still require you to register with KTP and other documents like NPWP and salary slip.

Invalid Company Name
Most of the time, these illegal loan offers sent via SMS are written in informal prose with weird and unstructured templates. The SMS often doesn’t mention the name of fintech or financial service companies that’re offering this loan. In fact, according to Peraturan OJK No. 77/2016 Pasal 35, all financial service businesses must include their company name, logo, and statement that the company is registered by OJK in every offer of products and services.

If you notice this abnormality, you should be careful! Once you see the company name in the SMS that you received, you can check its legality on OJK website. Also, check if the company has an address and accessible website. Remember to always apply for cash loans from OJK registered financial service businesses!

Not Just SMS, It Can Also Be Sent Via Phone Call And Email
You have to be aware of illegal loan offers not just from SMS that you receive. A lot of scammers send illegal loan offers via phone calls and email. From a phone call, the scammer will say that you are a priority client and have been granted a premium facility that is valid on that day only. This is also called a phishing scam. Don’t get swindled, end the call as soon as possible and try not to give any personal details to the scammer. 

If you see an email from an unknown address, with a weird email structure, and the loan offer that looks too good to be true, just ignore it and mark it as spam. Legal banks or fintech only send email from official addresses with professional templates and consist of information, not a direct loan offer.

Even though you are in need of a cash loan, don’t ever accept an illegal loan offer sent via SMS, phone call, or email! A legal collateral-free cash loan that is guaranteed to be safe and registered by OJK is PermataKTA. Get a cash loan up to Rp300 million with an interest rate starting from 0.88%. The process is simple and fast, 100% online via PermataMobile X application which you can download from the App Store and Google Play. Make your plans and dreams come true with PermataKTA!