Common money scams in Indonesia, and what they cost you

This is the classic Bali one. You rent a scooter, ride it carefully, bring it back, and the shop finds damage. Sometimes it was there before you arrived; sometimes it appears between drop-off and inspection. Either way you are asked for a repair figure you cannot argue with, typically in the range of 50 to 300 dollars. The defense takes ninety seconds: before you ride off, photograph the bike from every angle and take a slow video walk-around with the shop's frontage in shot, so the timestamp and the location are both in the file. Read the rental agreement, and rent from a shop with a real review history rather than the nearest stand.

The version that turns a nuisance into a problem is the passport deposit. Do not do it. A shop holding your passport has leverage over any figure it chooses to name, and you cannot replace the document quickly. Reputable shops take a cash deposit instead. Check too whether your travel insurance actually covers you on two wheels and whether your license is valid for it, because many policies exclude scooters or require the right permit, and Bali police do check.

The UK and Australian governments both flag this one directly: unlicensed money changers may short-change you, and it clusters in the tourist strips of Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud. The bait is a board rate noticeably better than the banks, which should be the tell rather than the attraction. The method is a fast, chatty, confusing count, notes folded or palmed back out of the stack, or a calculator that shows one figure while another is paid. Because rupiah runs in large numbers, with roughly 17,900 to the dollar, a short count is easy to miss.

The escape is specific and worth memorizing. The FCDO says a licensed exchange is identified by a Bank of Indonesia logo and a QR code, and that you can open that code to check the business name and its operating licence. Then count the money yourself, in front of them, before you leave the counter, and do not let the notes go back across the desk once counted. Better still, skip cash exchange altogether and pull rupiah from a bank ATM, which is covered in the Indonesia cash and cards guide.

Meter refused, or a flat fare quoted at the airport, is the standard transport trap and it is a markup rather than a mugging. The FCDO names the registered companies to use: Bluebird, Silverbird and Express. Bluebird in particular is widely imitated, so check the logo and the driver ID rather than the paint. Otherwise use Grab or Gojek, where the fare is set before you get in and the ride is tracked.

One extra warning from the same advisory is worth carrying: be wary of drivers who claim to be registered with an app and try to pick you up on the street. If you booked in the app, check the car, the plate and the driver's face match what the app shows before you open the door, and share the journey. The full picture is in the Indonesia taxis and apps guide.

The FCDO calls credit card fraud common in Indonesia and gives two specific instructions: do not lose sight of your card during a transaction, and treat any phone number stuck to an ATM with suspicion, because criminals place fake help numbers on machines so that a caller can talk you through handing over your card details. If a machine misbehaves, call the number on the back of your own card instead. Use ATMs inside bank branches, cover the keypad, and glance at the card slot.

The quieter, legal cost is the same one you meet everywhere: when a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in US dollars or rupiah, always choose rupiah. Dollars uses a poor built-in rate that costs you a few percent on every transaction you accept it on, and over a two-week trip that adds up to more than any single scam on this page.

Almost everything here costs tens of dollars and is avoided by the same short list: film the scooter before you ride, change money only at a licensed counter and count it yourself, use Bluebird or an app, choose rupiah at the terminal, and never hand over your passport as security. One more from the FCDO belongs on the list: there has been a rise in fee disputes at tattoo parlours, nail salons and spas in Bali, so agree the price before anything starts. Australia's Smartraveller adds a note about organised card game invitations in Bali, which is the same shape as everything else here: a stranger, a venue you did not pick, a bill.

Handled calmly, none of this should shape your trip. For getting and spending money well while you are there, see the Indonesia cash and cards guide and the Indonesia cost guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Indonesia

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Do I need cash in Indonesia, or can I use cards?Short answer: cards in tourist hubs like Bali and Jakarta, and rupiah cash for daily life. Watch the big numbers and the ATM withdrawal caps. Here is how to handle it.
• Tipping in IndonesiaIndonesia has a light tipping culture, and the main thing to know is the plus plus (++) service charge at hotels and restaurants. Where it is added you need not tip; where it is not, a small tip is appreciated. Here is what you actually owe.
• Staying connected in IndonesiaCoverage in Indonesia is not one thing, it is a carrier question. If your trip stays in South Bali almost any plan is fine, but the moment you head to Nusa Penida, the Gili Islands or a remote dive site, the network behind your eSIM decides whether you have signal.
• Taxi apps in Bali, and the pickup zones to knowBali has no trains and barely any public transport, so the apps matter, but a local taxi mafia complicates them in a few tourist spots. Here is which app to install, how to spot a fake Bluebird, and where the apps quietly stop working.
• Do US citizens need a visa for Bali and Indonesia?Short answer: yes, a visa on arrival, and Bali adds a small tourist levy on top. US citizens are no longer visa-free here. Here is the real cost, the online version that skips the airport queue, and the extras to sort before you land.
• What does getting sick in Indonesia cost a visitor?Indonesia's medical money story has two gates. The first is at the hospital desk: hospitals here, including the private ones in Bali, want a deposit or a guarantee before they will admit you. The second is the map: for the genuinely serious case, the answer is a flight, usually to Singapore.