Surabaya, Java (ANTARA) – Chairman of the Council of Regional Representatives (DPD) AA LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has expressed support for the position taken by the National Police Chief, Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, against loan providers in illegal line.

Prabowo recently called on his staff to take firm action against unauthorized peer-to-peer fintech lenders, saying it was also a direct instruction from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

“I fully support the police to immediately take firm action against unauthorized peer-to-peer fintech lenders or illegal online lenders who have been very damaging to the community,” Mattalitti said Wednesday in East Java.

There are many online loan providers in the country, he said, adding that it is estimated that there are hundreds of such unlicensed institutions and they tirelessly target the public via text or text messages. phone calls, he noted.

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“There are so many victims of these illegal online loans. Some of them have even experienced violence. Initially, they offer easy unsecured loans with a short repayment term. After that, they terrorize customers who are unable to pay or those who are in arrears, “he explained.

The speaker of the DPD asked all citizens who have been victims of such lenders to report them to the authorities. At the same time, he also called on the police to be responsive and to act quickly in handling reports.

He said that in October 2021, the National Police had registered as many as 370 reports related to illegal online lending offenses.

“I have observed that the reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg. The actual number of cases may be much higher, but people who are victims of illegal online loans choose not to report because they believe that even after reporting, there would be no getting out of the problems they are experiencing, ”he added.

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