What happened

Scammers circulated videos on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp, featuring highly convincing deepfakes of President Prabowo Subianto.

In the videos, the president appeared to offer financial aid to Indonesians, urging viewers to contact a WhatsApp number and pay an “administrative fee” of 250,000 to one million rupiah (USD 15–60) to receive assistance that never materialised.

The scam exploited the president’s recent election victory and high public profile, with at least 22 TikTok accounts promoting the fraudulent scheme and some videos racking up millions of views. 

Police arrested two suspects in February 2025, but the scam continued to spread, with deepfakes also targeting other high-profile officials such as Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Why it happened

The scam was enabled by advances in AI technology, which allow for the rapid and convincing creation of videos mimicking public figures’ faces and voices. 

The timing - following a major election and the rise of Prabowo Subianto to the presidency - provided scammers with a credible and high-profile persona to exploit. 

Weak digital literacy among some segments of the population and the viral nature of social media further facilitated the scam’s success.