TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the anti-investment scam task force found six businesses with offering public investments without licenses that may harm. The regulator has frozen their operation.

"The OJK has declared their businesses as illegal and they must cease all activities," Tongam Tobing, OJK director for policy and investigation support, who is also chief of the task force, said yesterday, January 11, 2017.

The six companies are PT Compact Sejahtera Group or Koperasi Bintang Abadi Sejahtera (ILC), PT Inti Benua Indonesia, PT Inlife Indonesia, Koperasi Segitiga Bermuda or Profitwin 77, PT Cipta Multi Bisnis Group, and PT Mi One Global Indonesia.

The companies offer various forms of investment. Their businesses range from trading shares and commodities, lending and financing business, online investment, to offering business credit and electricity vouchers.

Tongam said the OJK has been monitoring the six companies for quite some time, and watched how they promote their businesses online and offline, using printed, electronic and social media. To prevent being scammed, he advised the public to be careful and make sure that a company is registered and legal before making an investment.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has also blocked 690 websites and blogs suspected of offering fraudulent businesses, investments and retails. Minister of Communications and Information Rudiantara said they block the sites based on public complaints and OJK's report.

Rudi said he will continue to track similar web pages, including online gambling sites. "We don’t have to wait for the public to report being scammed. The OJK and the police will take legal actions against them," he said.

GHOIDA RAHMAH | PUTRI ADITYOWATI