Legal Certainty in Consumer Protection Against Abusive Debt Collection

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.68012/law.v1i3.177

Keywords:

Legal Certainty, Consumer Protection, Digital Financial, Debt Collection, Regulatory

Abstract

This research examines the legal certainty provided by Financial Services Authority Regulation (POJK) Number 22 of 2023 in protecting consumers against abusive debt collection practices in Indonesia. The study aims to analyze how the regulation establishes standards for debt collection, allocates institutional responsibility, and addresses consumer protection challenges in the digital financial services sector. The research employs a normative juridical approach based on statutory analysis, legal doctrine, and relevant documented cases, using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches to examine the relationship between regulatory provisions and their implementation. The findings indicate that POJK Number 22 of 2023 strengthens the legal framework by establishing clearer obligations for financial service institutions, reinforcing accountability for third party debt collectors, and supporting ethical collection practices. However, the effectiveness of these protections remains constrained by supervisory weaknesses, limited consumer legal literacy, inconsistent enforcement, and insufficient oversight of outsourced collection activities. This study contributes to digital legal governance by demonstrating that consumer protection depends not only on the clarity of regulatory norms but also on institutional accountability, personal data protection, accessible complaint mechanisms, and consistent regulatory supervision. It concludes that stronger implementation and coordinated oversight are necessary to reinforce legal certainty, protect consumer rights, and support accountable financial governance in Indonesia, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Rani Puspitadewi Wanri, University of Islam Syekh Yusuf

    Faculty of Law

  • Yunadin Yunadin, University of Islam Syekh Yusuf

    Faculty of Law

  • Rohzaman Tafonao, University of Islam Syekh Yusuf

    Faculty of Law

  • Dippo Alam, University of Islam Syekh Yusuf

    Faculty of Law

References

[1] H. Chitimira and O. Animashaun, “The adequacy of the legal framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing in nigeria,” Journal of money laundering control, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 110–126, 2023.

[2] K. L. Makmur, “Why only scrutinise formal finance? money laundering and informal remittance regulations in indonesia,” Journal of Economic Criminology, vol. 6, p. 100111, 2024.

[3] A. M. Shem and M. N. Mupa, “Turnaround financing: Legal and financial considerations for distressed companies,” Iconic Research and Engineering Journals, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 19–37, 2024.

[4] D. Franchini, “When finance becomes a weapon: the challenge of central bank sanctions under international law,” Journal of International Trade Law and Policy, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 28–56, 2025.

[5] R. B. Hiola, M. C. Thalib, and S. N. M. Kamba, “Consumer legal protection in fintech lending against the risk of default,” The Easta Journal Law and Human Rights, vol. 4, no. 03, pp. 368–378, 2026.

[6] U. Rahardja, C. T. Sigalingging, P. O. H. Putra, A. Nizar Hidayanto, and K. Phusavat, “The impact of mobile payment application design and performance attributes on consumer emotions and continuance intention,” Sage Open, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 21582440231151919, 2023.

[7] C.-G. St˘anescu, “The impact of the credit servicing directive on regulating abusive informal debt collection in the european union: A step forward or a missed opportunity?” Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, vol. 12, no. 1, 2023.

[8] C.-G. St˘anescu and J. Kepinski, “Beyond soft law? evaluating the role of codes of conduct in regulating euinformal debt collection—evidence from fenca members: C. gabriel and j. kepinski,” Journal of Consumer Policy, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 393–420, 2025.

[9] U. Rahardja, M. A. Ngad, S. Millah, E. P. Harahap, and Q. Aini, “Blockchain application in educational certificates and verification compliant with general data protection regulations,” in 2022 10th International Conference on Cyber and IT Service Management (CITSM). IEEE, 2022, pp. 1–7.

[10] I. Imanuddin, R. D. Anggraeni et al., “Construction of consumer protection against illegal online loan transactions as a means of ius constituendum in indonesia,” Jurnal IUS Kajian Hukum dan Keadilan,vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 539–556, 2023.

[11] M. Sangap, “A legal analysis of legal protection for consumers regarding the withdrawal process with fiduciary guarantee,” Journal International Of Officium Nobile, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 201–213, 2025.

[12] S. Amelia and O. W. Ningrum, “Application of security system legal documents reviewer letters using blockchain technology,” Blockchain Frontier Technology, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 65–73, 2022.

[13] D. Haspada, “Legal analysis of abuse of conditions in banking credit agreements in indonesia: implications for international consumer protection,” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, p. 2492837, 2025.

[14] A. Aneja, J. Byeon, J. Cope, L. Faundez, D. Jim´enez, C. Johnson Raba, P. Krishnamurthy, D. Lewis, L. Lupica, and M. Padi, “Do documents protect defendants? evaluating the effects of california’s fair debt buying practices act,” Evaluating the Effects of California’s Fair Debt Buying Practices Act (January 31,2025), 2025.

[15] H. Gui, U. Rahardja, X. Yang, and Y. Yan, “Ability orientation or good character? moderated mediation mechanism to determine the impact of telepresence on consumer purchasing intention in cross-border e-commerce,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, p. 883101, 2022.

[16] L. Didˇziulis et al., “Unfair debt recovery practices and lithuanian law,” Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 84–88, 2025.

[17] L. C. Gavrilescu, “The main regulatory standards imposed by the union legislative framework on consumer credit contracts,” Rev. L. & Soc. Stud., vol. 3, p. 32, 2026.

[18] U. Rahardja, M. T. D. S. Putri, N. Septiani, F. Amelia, A. Avandi, and R. Evans, “Human centered legal governance for autonomous ai in digital societies,” Legal Autonomous Web-based Governance (LAW), vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 29–41, 2026.

[19] S. Van der Merwe, “Judicial intervention and the call to transformative constitutionalism in the context of consumer law, debt collection and the national credit act: Bayport securitisation ltd v university of stellenbosch law clinic,” South African Law Journal, vol. 140, no. 2, pp. 328–364, 2023.

[20] J. Gardner and M. Gray, “Regulation of abusive informal debt collection practices: The uk debt collection industry: why regulation isn’t enough,” in Regulation of Debt Collection in Europe. Routledge, 2022,pp. 201–222.

[21] Y. Shino, H. Kenta, and I. K. Mertayasa, “Media promotional for art in tangerang city with audio visual adobe creative,” Aptisi Transactions on Technopreneurship (ATT), vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 192–204, 2022.

[22] P. Poretti, “Regulation of abusive informal debt collection practices in croatia,” in Regulation of Debt Collection in Europe. Routledge, 2022, pp. 44–65.

[23] I. Wahyudi and H. Sejati, “Cv juridical review of legal protection for aspected customers,” Journal Research of Social Science, Economics, and Management, vol. 2, no. 11, pp. 2589–2599, 2023.

[24] U. Rahardja, N. Lutfiani, A. Rizky, Y. I. Tanjung, R. Evans et al., “A framework for mining customer data in management information systems,” Journal of Computer Science and Technology Application, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 21–33, 2026.

[25] A. J. Boyack, “Just consumer financial protection: Prevention or cure,” Emory Bankr. Dev. J., vol. 41, p. 1, 2024.

[26] R. Nur, R. A. Gobel, S. Sumiyati, and Z. Abbas, “Application of criminal sanctions law against debt collectors withdrawing fiduciary guarantee objects,” JURNAL LEGALITAS, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 202–214, 2024.

[27] P. Rott and K. Sein, “Abusive debt collection practices and the protection of consumers–lessons from the baltic states and germany,” Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, vol. 14, no. 1, 2025.

[28] T. A. Wiratno and B. Callula, “Transformation of beauty in digital fine arts aesthetics: An artpreneur perspective,” Aptisi Transactions on Technopreneurship (ATT), vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 231–241, 2024.

[29] H.-Y. Chiu and W. Y. Wan, “Constructing a taxonomy of financial consumer protection policy and assessing the new consumer duty in the uk’s financial sector,” Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law, 2024.

[30] D. Xu and L. Chen, “Between progress and caution: Legaltech’s promise in transforming personal credit risk management in china,” Computer Law & Security Review, vol. 56, p. 106090, 2025.

[31] R. Restianti and K. Wardiono, “Legal reconstruction of guarantee institutions in online loan disputes without collateral,” Jurnal Ius Constituendum, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 529–545, 2025.

[32] R. Christian, A. A. Z. Zami, N. Finda, S. Mahmud, and R. S. Dewi, “Consumer protection in digital payment transactions and fintech credit: Risk analysis and regulation,” in INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR, vol. 7, 2025, pp. 1039–1063.

[33] J. Galang and H. Ramdhan, “Analysis of the acceptance level of e-wallet as a non-cash payment method among indonesian students,” IAIC Transactions on Sustainable Digital Innovation (ITSDI), vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 67–75, 2023.

[34] A. S. Dewi and R. S. Budiharseno, “Legal certainty in the execution of mortgage rights for the settlementof non-performing loans,” Lex Publica, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 109–137, 2026.

[35] O. O. Cherednychenko, “On the bumpy road to responsible lending in the digital marketplace: The new euconsumer credit directive: Oo cherednychenko,” Journal of Consumer Policy, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 241–270, 2024.

[36] N. A. Juang, M. Kaban, and R. Sembiring, “Legal certainty regarding the rules for qualifying unlawful acts and defaults in the framework of civil law reform in indonesia,” Research Horizon, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 1019–1028, 2025.

[37] B. Sihotang, “Construction of arrangements for limiting the liability of debtors and individual guarantors for acts of abuse of circumstances in debt and receivables agreements,” Journal of Law, Politic and Humanities, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 1836–1849, 2024.

[38] T. Herdianto, D. Sulistianingsih et al., “Strengthening indonesia’s financial consumer protection framework: A comparative analysis of the us consumer financial protection bureau,” Kosmik Hukum, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 57–69, 2026.

[39] A. Kennedy, I. B. G. S. W. Antara, S. Al Hikmah, and V. Pandunata, “The relevance of caveat emptor doctrine to online loan contracts in indonesia,” Pena Justisia: Media Komunikasi dan Kajian Hukum, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 6238–6259, 2025.

[40] A. R. Toyi and E. Z. P. Hamidun, “Establishing legal certainty in the digital era: Challenges and solutions,”Estudiante Law Journal, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 444–460, 2025.

[41] Ministry of Justice, “Fairer system for debt collection to boost protections for financially vulnerable,”GOV.UK, Jun. 2025, press release, published 9 June 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fairer-system-for-debt-collection-to-boost-protections-for-financially-vulnerable

[42] J. A. Jaya, H. A. Parapat, F. Achmad, A. P. Tenggara, and M. Viegri, “The disparity of legal certainty in fiduciary guarantee execution following the constitutional court decision number 18/puu-xvii/2019 based on a comparative study with mortgage,” Priviet Social Sciences Journal, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 41–50, 2026.

[43] D. M. Maradhona, I. Fajri, and D. A. Mustika, “Legal protection for tourism bus business debtors in fiduciary disputes with banking and financing companies: Analysis of the constitutional court decisions no.18/puu-xvii/2019 and no. 2/puu-xix/2021,” JURNAL MAHASISWA YUSTISI, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 45–50,2026.

[44] M. Durovic and J. Poon, “Consumer vulnerability, digital fairness, and the european rules on unfair contract terms: What can be learnt from the case law against tiktok and meta? m. durovic, j. poon,” Journal of consumer policy, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 419–443, 2023.

[45] B. S. A. Subagyono, E. Fahamsyah, H. Sururi et al., “Contemporary islamic economic law on legal protection for bankrupt guarantors: Comparative insights from common law and asian jurisdictions,”MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1449–1470, 2025.

[46] O. Volokhov, I. Okuniev, V. Kondiuk, and M. Toporkova, “Practical issues of buyers’ rights regulation: Comparison of normative acts in ukraine and the european union,” Jurnal Cita Hukum, vol. 14, no. 1, pp.151–184, 2026.

[47] T. K. Alhasan, M. Alqaisi, and F. Alabdallat, “Governing automated credit after explainability: From transparency to contestability,” Social Sciences & Humanities Open, vol. 14, p. 103577, 2026.

[48] F. Shu-Blankson, “Arbitrating justice: The rise of mandatory clauses, the evolution of case law, and the future of the consumer financial protection bureau in shifting legal landscape,” Marq. L. Rev., vol. 109, p. 1507, 2025.

[49] S. Saifullah, F. A. A. Munawar, K. Bahagiati, and A. P. Supriyadi, “Legal positivism and fiqh muamalah paradigm’s on indonesian sharia fintech legal framework,” Al-Iqtishad: Jurnal Ilmu Ekonomi Syariah, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 183–208, 2024.

[50] A. Budiman, S. Waksito, and K. Wijaya, “Regulation of electronic data and personal data in indonesian criminal procedure law,” Studi Ilmu Sosial Indonesia, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 41–68, 2026.

[51] S. Kumar and A. Sonkar, “Legal challenges and consumer protections in india’s digital lending landscape,” Motherhood International Journal of Research & Innovation, vol. 2, no. 01, pp. 41–49, 2025.

Downloads

Published

2026-10-31