Scams, Deepfakes, and DeFi: How Indonesia’s Bareskrim Cracks Down on Crypto-Related Crime
Main Takeaways
Indonesia’s Criminal Investigation Agency, also known as Bareskrim, is ramping up its efforts to fight crypto-related crime using blockchain analytics and AI tools.
A senior Bareskrim officer shared with Binance that the agency is observing a rise in romance scams, phishing, and deepfake-powered fraud, and is working to address these rising threats through better training and building more robust international ties.
According to the officer, collaboration with crypto exchanges, wallet providers, and foreign law enforcement agencies is critical to identifying suspects and freezing illicit funds.
As crypto adoption rises quickly across Southeast Asia, so does the complexity of financial crimes where digital assets play a role. From deepfake-assisted identity fraud to romance scams, the threat landscape is evolving rapidly. In Indonesia, Bareskrim, the Criminal Investigation Agency under the National Police, is developing an integrated approach to safeguarding the digital space. By exploring cutting-edge tools and developing partnerships with exchanges and international law enforcement, the agency is transforming how financial crime is investigated and tackled.
This blog summarizes the insights that Ferry Maulana, a senior investigator at Bareskrim, shared with Binance, zooming in on how the agency is responding to new trends in crypto crime, what challenges it faces, and how public-private security collaboration is creating a real-time impact throughout the digital financial ecosystem.
Evolving Threats: Deepfakes, Self-Custody Wallets & Cross-Chain Laundering
By integrating advanced tools like AI and blockchain analytics, Bareskrim is improving its ability to follow complex fund flows, uncover wallet clusters, and flag suspicious activity hidden behind layers of obfuscation. These capabilities are especially critical as criminals increasingly exploit self-custody wallets, cross-chain laundering and highly liquid stablecoins.
When stolen funds are traced to a centralized exchange, Bareskrim submits a formal data request, looking to obtain know-your-customer (KYC) and transaction details related to the implicated accounts, and, where relevant, seeks assistance from foreign law enforcement in identifying suspects and freezing the assets. This highlights how well-defined escalation procedures and mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) are central to public-private collaboration in crypto investigations.
Building a Safer Crypto Ecosystem
Bareskrim’s Ferry Maulana official shared that his agency has seen a noticeable increase in scams leveraging romance hooks, fake investment apps, and social media phishing – many of which utilize deepfake technology to trick users or pass identity verification checks.
In order to adapt, Bareskrim has prioritized officer training by investing in both domestic and international programs focused on blockchain forensics and crypto tools. Technical upskilling is paired with partnerships across Southeast Asia and beyond, giving officers access to the tools and expertise needed to navigate the decentralized crypto-related crime. To address rising risks in the upcoming years, Bareskrim is reinforcing its investigative protocols and expanding its global networks, especially those instrumental in addressing DeFi-based laundering and AI-generated scams.
Despite the pseudonymous nature of blockchain transactions, Maulana emphasized, the traceability of on-chain data allows Bareskrim to identify “off-ramps” where real-world identities can be revealed – the work that relies in no small part on timely assistance from exchanges and wallet providers. In cases where suspects operate outside of Indonesia, cross-border collaboration becomes critical to tracking, disrupting, and prosecuting criminal activity.
Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships
Public-private partnerships have become a defining element in the global response to crypto-crime. Bareskrim believes that collaboration with centralized exchanges like Binance is critical to keeping pace with evolving threats. Fast response times to lawful data requests, proactive alerts on suspicious transactions, and context-specific scam detection can dramatically accelerate investigations – and all these elements require robust cooperation between law enforcement and private-sector actors.
Additionally, exchanges and wallet providers can strengthen collaboration by offering direct law enforcement contact points, red-flag typologies tailored to regional scam tactics, and educational initiatives to protect users before fraud occurs. Ultimately, Bareskrim sees the mission as a shared one – a secure crypto environment built on trust, transparency, and coordination between law enforcement, regulatory agencies, and the private sector.
Final Thoughts
Bareskrim’s approach to fighting crypto-related crime, rooted in innovation, capacity-building, and collaboration, illustrates how law enforcement continues to evolve in the face of new threats. By strengthening technology expertise and fostering strong public-private partnerships, Bareskrim is not only enhancing its investigative capabilities but also positioning itself to remain agile and effective in addressing the dynamic and ever-evolving threat landscape.
The insights shared by the Bareskrim officer underscore the critical role of continuous learning and international cooperation in combating sophisticated financial crimes. As crypto adoption grows, so does the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure a secure and transparent environment. Through shared efforts and a commitment to innovation, the path forward promises a more resilient and trustworthy digital economy for all.