This recent posting from the FBI identifies a business related scam of substantially more complexity than your normal every day fraud. The international nature of the scam and extraordinary suspension of caution by otherwise smart and well intended people only reinforces the value conducting due diligence for any type of business venture. Reputable firms like Private Investigation Services Group with expertise in business risk management and background investigations can’t guarantee results, but in this case, it would have likely identified a number of red flags that would have warned potential victims to proceed with caution.
The FBI is seeking victims who may have traveled to Indonesia between 2013 and the present to pursue a fraudulent offer of employment from individuals claiming to be well-known entertainment industry professionals.
In this ongoing transnational fraud scheme targeting U.S. citizens, victims are contacted by text, email, or phone with a lucrative job offer in the entertainment industry; victims to date have included writers, stuntpeople, make-up artists, security providers, and photographers. Victims are told the job requires travel to Indonesia, typically Jakarta, for a so-called trial run of their services. When they arrive in Indonesia, the victims are met by a driver and are pressured into providing U.S. currency for the driver’s services. The victims are asked to continue to pay for other services and fees until the trip is completed or they realize they are the victim of a scam. The victims are not reimbursed for the cost of the travel or paid for their services while in Indonesia.
If you lost funds from traveling under false pretenses during the time period listed above, please complete this brief questionnaire. Your responses are voluntary but may be useful in an ongoing federal investigation. Based on the responses provided, you may be contacted by the FBI and asked to provide additional information.
Please be advised this is an ongoing scam, and individuals who have plans to travel to Indonesia for a job opportunity in the entertainment industry should perform additional research and proceed with caution.