<![CDATA[Digital transformation in the gig economy has shifted freelance recruitment toward instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram, exposing freelancers to exploitation constituting abuse of circumstances (misbruik van omstandigheden) through advance-deposit fraud. This research examines how freelance job offers via instant messaging are regulated under Indonesian positive law, and what dispute resolution mechanisms are available to harmed online freelancers. A descriptive-analytical mixed-method design combines normative juridical analysis with empirical data from semi-structured interviews with two victims of digital job fraud, supplemented by statute, conceptual, and comparative approaches, and analyzed qualitatively. Findings show that Indonesian labor law does not specifically regulate freelance offers via instant messaging; such relationships are instead constructed as electronic contracts under Article 1320 of the Civil Code jo. Article 18 of the ITE Law, although a normative vacuum persists regarding abuse of circumstances as an independent defect of will. Civil claims for contract annulment (Article 1321) and unlawful acts (Article 1365) are hindered by the unidentified status of perpetrators (nomen nescio). The most operational remedy is a tiered mechanism beginning with cybercrime reporting and optimization of the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre to reveal perpetrator identity, as a prerequisite before civil recovery litigation can proceed.]]>
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