Real stories. Real pressure. A moment to pause.

Real life stories

These stories are from public reporting and show pressure patterns scammers use before people act.

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Stories and pause points

Where a safer pause could have helped.

Each case names the pressure pattern, the pause point, and a calmer next step. Source publications do not endorse Pausier.

BRI customer

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Malang, East Java. The victim opened a fake WhatsApp wedding-invitation APK; malware/social engineering exposed banking data and drained funds. Amount lost, if available: Rp1.4 billion.
Pressure pattern: Malware/remote-access trap; trusted-message bait; banking-data pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Malware/remote-access trap; trusted-message bait; banking-data pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, avoid installing APKs from chat and verify the sender before opening files.

Source: ANTARA News

BRI customer whose fraud claim was disputed by the bank

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: South Kalimantan. BRI said an investigation found the customer had been a victim of online/social-engineering fraud; the case was handled by South Kalimantan police. Amount lost, if available: Rp1.5 billion.
Pressure pattern: Social engineering; banking credential compromise; fake online interaction.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Social engineering; banking credential compromise; fake online interaction.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, stop before sharing banking information and call the bank from the official number.

Source: ANTARA Bengkulu

Teachers, students and residents including Diana

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Blora, Central Java. The Snapboost app promised fast returns, then users could not withdraw; victims reported large investment losses. Amount lost, if available: Diana reported about Rp1.8 billion; broader losses in the billions.
Pressure pattern: Investment pressure; high-return promise; withdrawal blocked after deposits.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Investment pressure; high-return promise; withdrawal blocked after deposits.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, pause at the first withdrawal barrier and check licensing before adding funds.

Source: Detik Jateng

More than 100 Snapboost victims

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Nganjuk, East Java. Victims reported the Snapboost investment app to police after deposits became unrecoverable. Amount lost, if available: About Rp2.5 billion.
Pressure pattern: Investment pressure; app-based returns; blocked withdrawals.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Investment pressure; app-based returns; blocked withdrawals.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, compare the offer with OJK/IASC warnings and ask a trusted person before depositing.

Source: Detik Jatim

Four bank customers

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Jakarta / Polda Metro Jaya case. Police uncovered a fake-SMS/phishing scheme allegedly run by two Malaysians; victims’ bank data was used to steal funds. Amount lost, if available: About Rp200 million across four victims.
Pressure pattern: Fake bank/SMS phishing; credential and code pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake bank/SMS phishing; credential and code pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, not follow SMS links and contact the bank through official channels before entering codes.

Source: Detik News

Milda, 49-year-old mother

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Pasangkayu, West Sulawesi. A fake police caller claimed her child had been arrested in a narcotics case and demanded money to secure release. Amount lost, if available: Rp39 million.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; family emergency; threat that a child was in legal trouble.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; family emergency; threat that a child was in legal trouble.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, call the child or a real police station before sending any emergency payment.

Source: Detik Sulsel

Usman Jayadi, 28-year-old man

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. He was tricked by fake recruitment into Indonesia’s intelligence agency BIN and paid money for the supposed process. Amount lost, if available: Rp5 million.
Pressure pattern: Fake government authority; recruitment pressure; promise of official position.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake government authority; recruitment pressure; promise of official position.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, verify recruitment only through official government channels before paying any fee.

Source: Detik Bali

Scrap worker / tukang botot

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Labuhanbatu, North Sumatra. An armed fake policeman accused the victim of receiving stolen goods and demanded “peace money.” Amount lost, if available: Rp300,000 reportedly paid after Rp1 million was demanded.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; accusation threat; intimidation with weapon; payment pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; accusation threat; intimidation with weapon; payment pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, ask to speak at a real police station and involve a trusted person before paying.

Source: Detik Sumut

Man’s “foster father” targeted by fake police/BIN impersonator

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Bogor, West Java. A suspect posing as a police/BIN officer allegedly exploited trust and defrauded the victim of a large sum. Amount lost, if available: Hundreds of millions of rupiah.
Pressure pattern: Fake police/intelligence authority; trust exploitation; official-position pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police/intelligence authority; trust exploitation; official-position pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, verify the official identity independently before giving money or credentials.

Source: Detik News

Crypto-trading scam victims

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Location/context: Indonesia / online. Scammers used a “US professor”/digital-asset persona across Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram to push victims into fake crypto trading. Amount lost, if available: About Rp3 billion.
Pressure pattern: Investment pressure; fake expert authority; social-media/Telegram persuasion.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Investment pressure; fake expert authority; social-media/Telegram persuasion.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, pause before following a stranger’s crypto instructions and check licensing independently.

Source: Detik News

Police arrested a suspect accused of using deepfake officials in an aid-fee scam

Country: Indonesia
What happened: Indonesia’s National Police said its Cyber Crime Directorate arrested a 29-year-old suspect in Central Lampung for allegedly using deepfake videos of President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Sri Mulyani. The videos claimed government aid was available and displayed a WhatsApp number. People who contacted it were told to register and pay administrative fees. Police said there were 11 victims, most transferring IDR 250,000 to IDR 1,000,000.
Pressure pattern: The scam borrowed authority from deepfake public officials and used the promise of government aid to justify small administrative-fee transfers.
Pause point: Before messaging a WhatsApp number shown in a viral aid video or paying an administrative fee to receive supposed government support.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped by slowing the move from video to WhatsApp payment, prompting checks against official government aid websites and warning that legitimate aid is not unlocked by informal admin-fee transfers.
Source quote: government is providing aids

Source: Indonesian National Police

Business professional transferred S$4.9 million after senior-official impersonation

Country: Singapore
What happened: A victim was contacted through WhatsApp and email by scammers impersonating senior government officials, invited into a deepfake video meeting, and asked for urgent funding support.
Pressure pattern: Senior official impersonation / urgent funding
Pause point: When the contact requested an NDA, identification details, and urgent funds for a government-linked matter.
How Pausier may have helped: A pause at this point could have helped the person recognise authority, secrecy, and urgent-transfer pressure, stop before moving money, and verify through official channels.

Source: Singapore Police Force

Pressure patterns

Common pressure patterns in these stories.

The details vary, but the pressure often asks someone to act before they can think, verify, or involve someone they trust.