Faking It
Advances in computer technology and printing are making it easier to forge money. One of the hardest details to fake...
Kenneth Yeung
This is an Ex-Tortoise & Other Abused Animals
Indonesian internet forums trading in exotic fauna are rife with complaints from people who feel scammed because the creatures they...
Small Change, Big Scam
In recent months I have been repeatedly short-changed at minimarts, mostly at Indomaret, which started business in 1988 and now...
ATM Transfer Traps
For some smooth-talking confidence artists, there?s no simpler way to make money than telephoning someone and tricking them into transferring...
Not-So-Real Estate
Renting a house, apartment or holiday accommodation can become a nightmare if you fall victim to a real estate scam....
Jakarta’s Bucket List
We all know about Monas, cheap electronics, Kota Tua?s museums, the Highland Gathering and cycling down Sudirman on a Sunday...
Glittering Sharia Pyramids
Julisar, a Jakarta-based Chinese Indonesian businesswoman, thought she was onto a winner when a friend invited her to invest $100,100...
Scams In The City: Degrees of Deception
Regulations on qualifications for expatriate English instructors have been tightened over the past decade, so some teachers are resorting to...
Can’t Eat, Busy Begging
It’s that time of year again, when beggars converge on Jakarta to make money during the fasting month of Ramadhan....
Reclaiming the Jihad
“If you don’t like it here, then why don’t you go back to your own country?” Those are words that,...
Scams In The City: Fake Concert Tickets, Please.
Jakarta is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international music acts. And for every big concert, scammers are ready to...
Meet Jez O’Hare
Meet Jez O’Hare, the adventurous aerial photographer, whose work you’ve probably already seen in books and magazines. You were...
Feasting With Panthers
An Englishman living in Jakarta, never a fan of intimate female companionship, made the mistake of accepting an offer from...
Meet John Falch
John Falch, better known as Uncle JC. After years of radio and TV stardom here, he has written a book...
Beware the Bule Conman
Scammers come in all shapes, nationalities and professions. Christopher Linn Shields (35) is a toad-like American expat who scammed his...
Crooks in Uniform
Heading home after a late night out, I was pulled up in West Jakarta by two apparent policemen. At such...
Drugged Drinks
An attractive woman in a Jakarta bar looks around for the drunkest and most clueless unaccompanied male foreigner – the...
The Power of One
Most expats who have lived in Jakarta for any length of time will have a story about electricity problems. From...
Scams in the City – Internet Boyfriends
Nigerian Sweetheart Unlike most scams coming from Nigeria that rely on greed, the Sweetheart Scam preys on heart-strings to loosen...
Cheap Frying Oil or Orangutans?
There are two schools of thought regarding palm oil. First, that it’s unhealthy and oil palm plantations are pushing orangutans...
Scams in the City
Being scammed by a confidence trickster is one of the most embarrassing things a person can admit to – apart...