Bali Resort Owners Acquitted by Supreme Court in Fraud Case
Indonesia’s Supreme Court has overturned the guilty verdicts of German expatriate Gordon G. Hild and his Indonesian wife Ismayanthi, three...
scams
The “Princess” Lied
An Indonesian woman based in Hong Kong posed as a philanthropist princess in order to scam her foreign lovers and...
Bali Getting Tougher on Fugitives
The resort island used to be a paradise for foreigners fleeing legal problems, but the risk of deportation is rising....
King Con Convicted Again, Gets No Prison Time
Remember Dimas Kanjeng, the murderous conman who pretended he could create money out of thin air? He was convicted of...
Arrested Playwright Duped by Fool’s Gold
A troubled dramatist has fallen victim to a scam involving idiotic claims about the secret gold of an Indonesian king....
Sextortion Scam Uses Hacked Passwords
Indonesia continues to block pornographic websites, but people living here continue to view them, putting themselves at risk of a...
Natural Disaster Fraud
Natural disasters can bring out the worst in a handful of people. After the September 28 earthquake and tsunami that...
Phony Breast Cancer Doctor Jailed
Staying healthy in Indonesia is hard enough without being exposed to quackery. A court in Bali has jailed a bogus...
Not So Sweet Anymore
Condensed milk producers will no longer be allowed to falsely market their sickly sweet product as a health food. Growing...
Here, Have a Photo of One Million Dollars
Pull up a chair. In the 1950s, there was a groundbreaking British radio series called The Goon Show. It was...
Designer Bag Deceit
Let’s be honest. A handbag is just something in which to carry makeup, car keys, tampons, sunglasses, perfume and a...
Online Arisan Exposed
A simple Facebook page lured hundreds of Indonesians, mostly housewives, into investing their savings in a scheme offering unfeasibly high...
How to Get Poor Fast
One of the most popular ways to get rich in Indonesia is through politics. There are endless possibilities for self-enrichment...
Beware of the Men in Uniform
Posing as policemen and pilots, con men are able to steal women’s hearts and then their money. It is often...
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...
47 Illegal Money Changers Identified in Bali
In order to protect consumers from illegal money changers, the government has been identifying them and pledging to take action...
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...
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...
How Backstreet Bali Money Changers Cheat
Unseasoned visitors to Bali, relieved they’ve safely negotiated Ngurah Rai’s fickle Customs and Immigration, suddenly get hit by the cacophony...
Scams in the City: Fashion Police
Indonesian police are seeking to improve their image by wearing navy blue shirts emblazoned with the slogan Turn Back Crime....
Rotten Reviews & Bogus Bookings
A holiday should be all about unwinding by replacing any stress with serenity and relaxation. Unfortunately, scammers in the hospitality...