Taking Leaf of Their Sanity
A conman has been arrested near Jakarta after fleecing at least Rp.1 billion (US$75,000) from people who believed his “religious...
Obtaining a Bank Account, Tax Number & BPJS-K
Living and working in Indonesia, there are always challenges in meeting the changing requirements of the bureaucracy. Some of these...
The Rise and Danger of Fake News
Fake news, a symptom of lazy journalism and deliberate mischief-making, is everywhere. Consequences can be fatal. Many moons ago, “fake...
Hoax Tourism Expo Scams Exhibitors
There’s a whole industry devoted to making money by exploiting corporate vanity through promotional activities, listings and awards. The ASEAN...
Elaborate Blackjack Scam Targets Unwary Expats
Tourists in Bali are still getting invited to houses and ensnared in card games in which they lose big-time. How...
German Expat and Indonesian Wife Jailed for Bali Resort Swindle
A German and his Indonesian wife convinced an Australian and his Indonesian wife to invest over US$700,000 in the expansion...
Papuans Tricked into Sending Kids to Fake Schools
On February 17, police arrested a woman for holding seven Papuan children, aged four to 13, at a house on...
Provocative Masturbation Book for Boys Pulled From Shelves
The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has demanded that a children?s book be pulled off shelves for allegedly encouraging boys...
Aura Explorers Abusing Girls
Is negative energy preventing you from achieving your goals or passing a test? Do you want to be more attractive...
Online Dating Deception
Love and lust, facilitated by dating apps, can make people blind to fraud. Indonesia’s dating scene has changed big time...
New Year, Old Cons
Despite repeated calls for a national ‘mental revolution’, Indonesia remains ripe for scams perpetrated by self-styled holy men claiming magical...
Dirty Money
When buying votes or buying sex, some people resort to using counterfeit cash. Results can be fatal. The precise amount...
The Old School Swindle
Police in Jakarta have busted a syndicate that tricked parents into believing their children had been involved in accidents, requiring...
Opinion: Rent-a-Mobs & Religious Red Herrings
(Note: The views, anecdotes and opinions in this article belong to the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of...
Pulling Your Leg
Some creative beggars are posing as amputees in order to elicit more sympathy. Meanwhile, one gang is kidnapping children and...
King Con: How Dimas Kanjeng Graduated from Tricks to Murder
A con man who pretended he could magically double people’s money was just operating a Ponzi scheme cloaked in religious...
The Sexual Gymnastics of Women in Madura
Madura women are famed for their ability to enhance sex by clenching their vaginal muscles. Some even take sexual gymnastics...
Environmental Scams: Blue and Green Aren?t Gold
Alternative energy is big business, so it’s no surprise that it attracts controversy, scandals and scams. It seems just about...
Financial Planners from Hell
(UPDATE 9/30/16: This article has been retroactively updated to remove identities of individuals and specific company names that have been...
A Magnet for Cyber Scammers
In the past five years, Indonesia has arrested hundreds of Chinese and Taiwanese nationals for cybercrime. Why are foreign cyber...
Scams in the City: Love Bugs
People are still falling prey to online romance scams. An aspiring lawyer and a wealthy socialite are among the latest...