Rip Offs
1.
A friend writes.
On our last trip to Indonesia, on 28th November last year, our credit card got f**ked over by an over the counter transaction according to Bankwest in Australia. This took place at BII (Bank Indonesia Internasional).in Bukittingi, West Sumatra.
(Yesterday) someone from China tried to draw $4,000.00; lucky the card only had a $2,000.00 limit, which is why they contacted me. Also they were suss because the same card had been used in Australia just 2 hours prior to the China transaction.
Apparently this has happened twice this week in Bali BII outlets. Card holders beware!
Today the
Jakarta Post reports that Bank Indonesia has issued a number of regulations for credit card holders.
a. One,
which took effect on Dec. 28, 2005, requires credit card holders to have a minimum salary of three times the minimum wage set by their local administration, in addition to limiting the maximum number of loans that can be given to holders to twice their monthly salary.
b. This came on top of another ruling,
effective early in December, obliging credit card issuers to ensure their cardholders pay a minimum monthly payment of 10 percent of their outstanding debt.
These rulings come at a time when
critics are on the rise over the lack of supervision of the credit card business, which may well lead to rising number of bad debts, as people could easily be a multiple cardholder without a sound financial situation.
Of course, these rulings are designed to protect the card issuing banks and financial institutions.
As of last August, non-performing loans through credit cards amounted to Rp 1.08 trillion, or 7.17 percent of total credit card debt.
Now we eagerly await new rules protecting cardholders from being ripped off by the self same cash rich banks.
2.
A correspondent in today's Jakarta Post writes about the corrupt immigration department.
As foreigners, we are required to drop by to the immigration office with great frequency.
We have never once managed to get our papers processed without some kind of extra charge, and these charges are rising quicker than the inflation rate. Every extension for a family of four costs at least Rp 3 million, and applying for an exit permit costs another Rp 1 million.
Once a year you might renew your visa, for example, in Singapore, and a few million rupiah will be asked at the embassy there. Not to mention all the hassles of renewing documents every year at different offices. Corrupt immigration officers are just everywhere; it is impossible to avoid them and they cost us a fortune.
It's good that
SBY has prioritised reform.
"Irregularities at immigration offices are getting more serious, which is worrisome. It's time for us to reform the offices' management and supervision," he said after a limited Cabinet meeting on the performance of immigration offices.Meanwhile,
back in Blighty, there's a different scam being operated by the UK Immigration Department.
The Home Office yesterday opened an investigation into allegations that officials had operated a "sex for passports" scam at the Lunar House immigration centre in Croydon, south London.Jakartass is due a Singapore trip this month for a visa renewal. I look forward to experiencing the
reformasi of the immigration department at first hand.
It's a long time since someone asked me for sex.
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