Rohingya Refugee Crisis
More than 1,000 persecuted Muslim Rohingyas from Myanmar (Burma) and about 800 people from Bangladesh, most of them seeking better...
Sex in the City
Police are showing a lot of interest in a high-class prostitution ring that provided actresses and models to government officials,...
Murder by Death
Australian indignation against the death penalty was never going to save a couple of drug traffickers from the firing squad...
Save the Children from Hypocrisy
The government claims that its ban on alcohol sales in convenience stores is motivated solely by a desire to protect...
Turning Water Into … Water
Indonesia’s top Islamic authority is warning the country’s Muslims to beware of fake holy water being marketed as a miracle...
Online Hazards
Victims of online retail fraud in Indonesia tend to cut their losses, chalking down their experience as a lesson to...
Just Visiting
Most expatriates will never see the inside of an Indonesian jail. But should you ever have a friend fall afoul...
No End to the Stupidity
The perennial black dollar scam is back in the news. This time, the apparent victim is a Navy officer who...
Swindling Starts at School
It’s every parent’s nightmare: a phone call informing them their child has been in a serious accident and requires emergency...
The Executioners & the Graveyard
Indonesians are being royally scammed when law enforcers use their power to attack opponents of the country’s endemic corruption. “Five...
Online Romance Extortion
Should you ever have the misfortune to become an inmate of an Indonesian jail, you quickly learn that regular funds...
Failing to Buy an Income
One of Indonesia’s biggest problems is law enforcement, or more accurately, the lack of it. Part of the problem is...
On Baldness & Boobs
As the human body approaches middle age, many adults start experiencing embarrassing physical changes. Hair may start thinning and greying....
Hard Luck
Living in a red light area of Jakarta, the streets outside my apartment are lined each night with pushcart vendors...
Sexual Healing Swindle
Want to get rich quick? Or cure an illness via alternative healing? Then think twice before visiting a friendly dukun...
Would You Believe a Talking Fetus?
A North Jakarta grandfather hit the headlines this month over his nonsensical claim that he can lay eggs. That’s nothing...
Golden Goose Chases
Indonesians from all walks of life are still prone to investment scams. Why? Mainly because of a lack of awareness...
Cover Your Coughing, Please!
A young investment banker sat opposite me at a recent meeting in a Jakarta high-rise building and coughed repeatedly without...
Of Human Bondage
Indonesian women have for decades been working abroad as domestic servants, earning much-needed revenue for their families. Unfortunately, government authorities...
Child Scammer Nets Minister
E-commerce fraud in Indonesia recently claimed a high-profile victim: Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Roy Suryo. Police swiftly arrested the...
For Better or For Worse
Weddings attract a range of scams, from disappearing contract wives to fake proposals and bogus planners. Arab sex tourists have...