A common Bali Money Changer fraud tactic in Bali, Indonesia is the Fast Change. I was supposed to exchange my US dollars in a small money changer shop along Jalan Legian (Legian Road). Jalan Legian is a main thoroughfare in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, like Singapore’s Orchard Road, or Dubai’s Khalid bin Al-Waleed St..

Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia

I guess I can call myself lucky because I was able to get out of the place in time, but let me share this with you so you won’t fall victim to this modus operandi.

Back in June 2014, Indonesian banks and other very official-looking currency exchange shops offer an exchange rate of USD:IDR = 1: 11,700. On the other hand, other shops offer 1:12,200 or more. That’s a major difference of almost 5 percent! But just like the old saying, it’s too good be true.

This tactic is very similar to the Santo Domingo Sting, a similar scam perpetuated in the streets of the Cuban municipality of Santo Domingo, Cuba. The scam involves the exchange of large sums of money to confuse you, their customer.So let me tell how the Bali version works.

Money Changer Fraudster – Step 1: The Con Tricks

The money changer fraudster, right after you tell him how much you want to exchange, uses a confidence trick to gain your trust. He will engage you in a bit of small talk while they prepare the stuff for the transaction. He will ask you relatively mundane things like how long you’ve been in Bali or which hotel you’re staying.

Just like Frank Abagnale, though far less gorgeous.

Just like what the section title suggests, the money changer uses these confidence tricks to build rapport and gain a bit of your trust. This makes it easier for him to deceive you later on because you will be less cautious than you would be if you were in front of a total stranger. Remember, sharing a laugh or two doesn’t make the two of you best friends.

Money Changer Fraudster – Step 2: Wads and Wads of Cash

The money changer fraudster will use small bills to create piles upon piles of cash that are tough to count in just one glance. The denomination of choice is the IDR 20,000 bill, as it’s small enough to let them pile it up, but not too small as to elicit suspicion. Fraudulent money changers also prefer to use old and worn bills because they stack higher than newly printed ones.

This is worth only US$1.67. Yes, just one dollar and sixty-seven cents.

Remember that US$1 is worth about IDR 12,000. Hence, a single US$ 100 bill is equivalent to around 60 pieces of IDR 20,000 bills. I usually exchange a minimum of US$ 300 so that translates to a whopping 180 pieces of IDR 20,000 bills!

He will usually group these bills into stacks of IDR 100,000. This is to give you the impression that he’s making it easier for you to keep track of what’s going on. However, things get slightly confusing when he’s already on the 10^th stack or more.

Money Changer Fraudster – Step 3: Pile & Drop and Closing Statement

After they’ve “finished counting”, the money changer fraudster will ask you to verify total amount of bills stacked on top of the transaction table. After you’ve confirmed the amount, he will start to combine all the small stacks of IDR 20,000 bills into one big stack. Then here comes the catch.

Something like this, but with smaller denominations and older, worn-out bills.

Using a bit of sleight of hand and with his hand lying low, he will let one or two of the small piles fall into the table’s drawer. You may find this hard to notice because his hand, along with the paper bills he’s holding, block your line of sight. He also does this really fast, presumably due to hours upon hours of “pre-game practice”.

Before you can react, the money changer will then hand over the large pile of cash and tell you something similar to one of the following: