The Curious Case of Benjamin Holst, ‘The Party Beggar’
He was deported last year for begging but is relentless in his quest for beer money. Here's an infographic that...
Scams in the City
Bleeding Hearts Beware: Fraudulent Donation Scams
With poverty still high in Indonesia, some scammers look to exploit the goodwill of strangers and worshippers by soliciting donations...
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...
Understanding ‘Bule Prices’ in Indonesia
A huge price disparity between local and foreign tourists reaching every sector from transportation threatens Indonesia?s tourism industry....
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...
Fake Diplomas Reflect Indonesia’s Broken Education System
With chop shops camouflaged as ?foreign-licensed? universities or ?economic institutes?, the demand for fake diplomas is growing in Indonesia....
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...
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...
Jakarta Man Withdraws Fake Money from ATM
A man in South Jakarta was surprised to find one of the bills he withdrew from a Bank Mandiri ATM...
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...
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...