<![CDATA[Growing reliance on digital financial platforms has simultaneously widened the space for criminal exploitation, with fraudulent account creation and money laundering emerging as two of the most pressing threats in environments where identity screening remains inadequate. This study examines how the combination of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) can serve as a concrete technological defense against these threats within Indonesia's digital financial sector. Drawing on a systematic review of academic literature spanning fraud examination, anti-money laundering frameworks, and digital verification technologies, and anchored to the provisions of Law Number 8 of 2010, this study traces the mechanisms through which OCR-based e-KYC addresses vulnerabilities at the earliest and most critical point of the financial access chain. Findings indicate that when OCR is embedded within an e-KYC framework, document data is extracted and cross-validated automatically at accuracy levels exceeding 95 percent, effectively neutralizing fake identity attempts before they reach the system. Integration with national identity databases further enables real-time detection of structuring patterns characteristic of the placement stage in money laundering. Challenges including deepfake manipulation and uneven digital connectivity across Indonesian regions require ongoing attention, yet the overall evidence positions OCR-based e-KYC as the most operationally viable path toward a more secure and trustworthy digital financial ecosystem.]]>
