Just Visiting
Most expatriates will never see the inside of an Indonesian jail. But should you ever have a friend fall afoul...
Kenneth Yeung
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...
Social Media Sins
Indonesia has about 70 million active social media users, spending an average of over five hours online daily through computers...
Fuel for Thought
Florence Sihombing (26), a postgraduate law student at the prestigious Gadjah Mada University, on August 27 drove her white Honda...
In Vino Nonsense
The jailing of an Indonesian man in the US earlier this month for selling millions of dollars of fake wine...
All For One and One For All
The only thing to expect in the short-term from Joko Widodo’s election as Indonesia’s seventh president is uncertainty, largely because...
Casting for Sex & Money
There’s no shortage of women eager to become Indonesia’s next top celebrity. One conman took advantage of this hunger for...
Embracing the Spirit of Ramadhan
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan is now in full swing. For recently arrived non-Muslim expatriates in Indonesia, it can...