At Indonesia’s biggest bank, customers’ savings can vanish with a click

Indonesians robbed of their savings in cyber scams report little relief from banks or authorities.

Bali and Jakarta, Indonesia – Late last year, Balinese woman Nih Lu Putu Rustini got the shock of her life when she tried to withdraw cash from an ATM to complete a renovation project at her ancestral home.

Working as a cleaner during the day and a nanny by night, Rustini had saved 37 million Indonesian rupiahs ($2,340) in an account at Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Indonesia’s largest bank.

But the ATM showed a balance of almost zero.

When she visited her local BRI branch, a teller informed her that her money was gone.

“They said a hacker had stolen my money and they could not return it to me,” Rustini told Al Jazeera.