Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS JAKARTA FY26 04
Apply for PAS JAKARTA FY26 04
- The U.S. Mission to Indonesia in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Escape The Hack: Countering Cyber Scams with an Immersive Experience for Everyday Indonesians" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-06-18.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Opportunity Summary:
Escape The Hack: Countering Cyber Scams with an Immersive Experience for Everyday Indonesians is a U.S. Mission to Indonesia funding opportunity designed to reduce the impact of cyber-enabled fraud by changing everyday behavior: helping people recognize scams earlier and report them immediately. The proposal centers on using an immersive, entertainment-based format (an "Escape the Hack" escape room) paired with a public-facing launch event to make scam risks feel real, memorable, and actionable for Indonesian audiences. The underlying theory is simple: faster public reporting improves law enforcement and financial-sector ability to block transactions before stolen funds are laundered through multiple accounts or moved across jurisdictions, which directly increases the odds of recovering victim money.
The opportunity is framed by the scale and evolution of cyber scams affecting both Indonesia and the United States. International cybercrime has caused massive losses for U.S. victims (over $12 billion in 2023, as cited in the notice), and Indonesia is described as facing a pervasive, fast-changing scam environment. Unlike the large, centralized scam compounds reported in parts of mainland Southeast Asia, Indonesian scam operations are characterized as decentralized and tied into transnational networks. The notice highlights a specific concern that crackdowns in other countries could push experienced Indonesian scammers to return home and set up new operations, potentially in collaboration with Chinese and other organized scam groups.
A major justification for the program is the performance gap between the volume of scam activity and the ability to recover stolen assets. Indonesia created an Anti-Scam Center (IASC) in 2024 to take public complaints, block fraudulent transactions, and attempt to recover funds. The notice cites IASC data indicating roughly 1,300 complaints per day and about 500 million in victim losses from November 2025 through March 2026, with only 9.75 million recovered (around a 2 percent recovery rate). It also notes that Indonesian law enforcement has not successfully recovered funds for U.S. victims to date. Officials attribute much of the recovery shortfall to delayed victim reporting, often 24 to 48 hours after the incident, which is long enough for criminals to move money through layers of accounts and across borders. The grant opportunity therefore targets a highly practical bottleneck: getting the public to recognize red flags sooner and report immediately.
The notice also emphasizes the changing tactics and infrastructure behind modern scams, especially on social media and messaging platforms. Scam groups increasingly use platform-specific targeting and syndicate-level methods, with common schemes including phishing, malicious APK distribution, fake investment groups, video-call extortion, account takeovers, and impersonation. Different platforms are associated with different scam types (for example, marketplace, romance, and fake job scams on Facebook; fake investments and impersonation on Instagram; and donation scams, quick-wealth schemes, and deepfakes elsewhere). These campaigns are supported by technical tools that make fraud look legitimate and harder to take down, such as lookalike domains and subdomains, shortened links, QR-code redirects, free SSL certificates, and resilient hosting. Indonesia's cyber authority (BSSN) is cited warning that AI will amplify these threats through more natural-sounding phishing, chatbot-driven scams, voice cloning, and deepfake video impersonation.
Against that backdrop, Escape the Hack proposes an experiential learning model: an escape room designed to simulate scam scenarios and trigger an emotional, memorable connection to real-world victimization. The content focus includes scam identification skills, awareness of the risks and harms associated with working in scam centers, and a strong push for immediate reporting to IASC and the Indonesian National Police. The launch event, featuring expert speakers, is meant to broaden reach beyond escape room participants through workshops, media coverage, and social media amplification. The intended outcome is a more cyber-aware Indonesian public that reports incidents quickly, improving real-time transaction blocking and increasing the likelihood of recovering stolen funds, which benefits Indonesian victims and also U.S. victims whose losses may be routed through international networks.
From the U.S. government perspective, the program is presented as advancing U.S. strategic interests by strengthening cyber resilience in Indonesia, described as ASEAN's largest economy and most populous country. It also positions the United States as a leader in cybersecurity innovation and highlights a people-centered approach to shared security challenges, implying the grant seeks projects that are practical, visible, and capable of creating measurable public impact.
Administratively, this is a discretionary opportunity funded through a cooperative agreement, meaning the funder expects to be more actively involved than in a standard grant. The funding opportunity number is PAS JAKARTA FY26 04 under CFDA 19.040. The agency is the U.S. Mission to Indonesia. One award is expected, with an award ceiling of $300,000. The opportunity was created on 2026-06-18 and closes on 2026-08-07.
Eligibility is limited to non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society/NGOs, and foundations), public and private educational institutions, individuals, and public international organizations and governmental institutions. For-profit entities are explicitly ineligible, even if they otherwise resemble eligible categories.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Escape The Hack" funding opportunity?
"Escape The Hack: Countering Cyber Scams with an Immersive Experience for Everyday Indonesians" is a U.S. Mission to Indonesia funding opportunity focused on reducing the impact of cyber-enabled fraud by changing everyday behavior. The core idea is to help people recognize scams earlier and report them immediately, using an immersive, entertainment-based experience (an "Escape the Hack" escape room) paired with a public launch event.
What problem is this opportunity trying to solve?
The opportunity targets a practical bottleneck in scam response: delayed victim reporting. The notice explains that victims often report incidents 24 to 48 hours after being scammed, giving criminals enough time to move stolen funds through multiple accounts and across borders. Faster reporting can improve the ability of law enforcement and the financial sector to block transactions before money is laundered and becomes difficult to recover.
What are the main goals of the proposed approach?
The program aims to change public behavior by making scam risks feel real, memorable, and actionable. It is designed to improve scam recognition, encourage immediate reporting, and ultimately increase the chance of blocking fraudulent transactions and recovering victim funds.
Why does the notice emphasize "immediate reporting" so strongly?
The notice links faster reporting to better outcomes in real time. If people report scams immediately, authorities and financial institutions may be able to intervene sooner, potentially stopping transactions before stolen funds are moved through layers of accounts or across jurisdictions. This directly increases the odds of recovering victim money.
What is the immersive component mentioned in the notice?
The proposal centers on an "Escape the Hack" escape room. It is intended to simulate scam scenarios in a way that creates an emotional, memorable learning experience, reinforcing real-world scam identification and the urgency of reporting.
Is there a public event component in addition to the escape room?
Yes. The notice describes a public-facing launch event intended to broaden reach beyond escape room participants. The launch event is described as featuring expert speakers and expanding impact through workshops, media coverage, and social media amplification.
Who is the intended audience for the project?
The notice frames the audience as "everyday Indonesians" and describes the goal as building a more cyber-aware Indonesian public. The activities are designed to make scam risks tangible and to motivate immediate reporting behavior among the general public.
Which scam types and tactics does the notice highlight?
The notice mentions a wide range of cyber scam methods, including phishing, malicious APK distribution, fake investment groups, video-call extortion, account takeovers, and impersonation. It also notes that scam tactics vary by platform, and references techniques that make scams appear legitimate and harder to disrupt, such as lookalike domains and subdomains, shortened links, QR-code redirects, free SSL certificates, and resilient hosting.
Does the notice discuss how AI is changing scam threats?
Yes. The notice cites Indonesia's cyber authority (BSSN) warning that AI will amplify threats through more natural-sounding phishing, chatbot-driven scams, voice cloning, and deepfake video impersonation.
What is the Anti-Scam Center (IASC), and why is it mentioned?
The notice states that Indonesia created an Anti-Scam Center (IASC) in 2024 to take public complaints, block fraudulent transactions, and attempt to recover funds. It is referenced as a key reporting channel and as part of the logic for the program: faster public reporting can help IASC and partners act quickly to block transfers.
What reporting pathways does the notice encourage?
The notice emphasizes immediate reporting to IASC and the Indonesian National Police. A central program outcome is to increase prompt reporting so that blocking and recovery actions can be taken earlier.
Why does this opportunity reference both Indonesia and the United States?
The notice frames cyber scams as a transnational problem affecting both countries. It cites large losses for U.S. victims (over $12 billion in 2023, as stated in the notice) and describes Indonesia as facing a pervasive, fast-changing scam environment connected to transnational networks. It also notes that Indonesian law enforcement has not successfully recovered funds for U.S. victims to date, reinforcing the cross-border relevance of faster reporting and disruption.
What does the notice say about the structure of scam operations in Indonesia?
The notice describes Indonesian scam operations as decentralized and tied into transnational networks, contrasting this with the large centralized scam compounds reported in parts of mainland Southeast Asia.
Does the notice mention any evolving risks related to enforcement crackdowns elsewhere?
Yes. The notice raises a concern that crackdowns in other countries could push experienced Indonesian scammers to return home and establish new operations, potentially in collaboration with Chinese and other organized scam groups.
What impact does the notice cite regarding complaints and recovery rates?
The notice cites IASC data indicating roughly 1,300 complaints per day and about 500 million in victim losses from November 2025 through March 2026, with only 9.75 million recovered (about a 2 percent recovery rate). It presents delayed reporting as a major contributor to the low recovery rate.
How does the U.S. government describe the strategic value of this program?
The notice presents the program as advancing U.S. strategic interests by strengthening cyber resilience in Indonesia, described as ASEAN's largest economy and most populous country. It also positions the United States as a leader in cybersecurity innovation and highlights a people-centered approach to shared security challenges, emphasizing practical, visible efforts that can create measurable public impact.
What type of award is this?
This is a discretionary opportunity funded through a cooperative agreement. The notice indicates that, under a cooperative agreement, the funder expects to be more actively involved than in a standard grant.
Which agency is offering this opportunity?
The agency is the U.S. Mission to Indonesia.
What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA listing?
The funding opportunity number is PAS JAKARTA FY26 04, under CFDA 19.040.
How many awards are expected?
The notice states that one award is expected.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $300,000.
When was the opportunity created and when does it close?
The opportunity was created on 2026-06-18 and closes on 2026-08-07.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is limited to non-profit organizations (including think tanks, civil society/NGOs, and foundations), public and private educational institutions, individuals, and public international organizations and governmental institutions.
Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?
No. For-profit entities are explicitly ineligible, even if they otherwise resemble eligible categories.
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