Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that most victims of human trafficking for online scams are young, well-educated Indonesians, mainly from Generation Z.

“The profile we’re dealing with are Gen-Z victims, aged 18 to 35, and many are highly educated,” said Judha Nugraha, the Director for the Protection of Indonesian Citizens at the Foreign Ministry, during a press briefing on Monday (20/10/2025).

He noted that this trend marks a shift from the typical trafficking victims, who are usually low-skilled domestic workers from rural areas. Surprisingly, education is not a safeguard. 

“We’ve handled cases involving victims with master’s degrees,” Judha added, as quoted by antaranews.com

Since 2020, more than 10,000 Indonesians have been linked to online scam syndicates, with around 1,500 officially classified as human trafficking victims under Indonesia’s 2007 Anti-Trafficking Law. Others joined the operations voluntarily, lured by high salaries, and could face prosecution for participating in criminal activities abroad.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)