Registry system could prevent mobile credit theft: YLKI

In the lead up to a meeting at the House of Representatives on Thursday on the unresolved cellular credit theft issue, the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) has recommended that Indonesia adopt a “Do Not Call Registry” to protect consumers.

“In India they have a system called the ‘Do Not Call Registry’ which deters content providers from contacting certain numbers,” YLKI official Tulus Abadi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Such a system gives phone owners choices as to whether they wish to receive messages from content providers. Content providers are not allowed to send messages to numbers that have registered with the system and are fined if they do.

In regards to the numerous cases of credit theft that have already occurred, Tulus demanded that content providers return customers’ money that had been taken, which he said accounted for 10 percent of certain companies’ total profits.

“Customers who have been robbed must have their money returned. It is their right,” he said.

Tulus also urged the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulation Body (BRTI) to be more ruthless, as the regulatory body, to ensure that such cases do not happen again.

Earlier on Wednesday, the House of Representatives Commission I working committee for cellular credit theft said it would hold an opinion-sharing meeting on Dec. 1, which, apart from the YLKI and BRTI, would include the Commincation and Information Technology Ministry, content providers and telecommunication operators.