12-7-2023 (JAKARTA) Monique Sutherland, an Australian woman, claimed that she was scammed by border officials at Bali airport for $1,000 (approximately RM4,649)! Monique and her 60-year-old mother were on their way to Bali for vacation. When they were checking in at the Batik Air counter at Tullamarine Airport, 28-year-old Monique was pulled aside by airport staff due to her passport status. She said, “I was asked to sign an additional blue form and was told that I had to show this form every time I presented my passport.” She said she had to do this because her passport was a bit dirty, having been used for seven years.
After sorting out the paperwork and passing through immigration, the mother and daughter were finally able to board the flight, which took more than six hours direct to Bali.
However, when airport staff saw her blue slip, she was escorted to an interrogation room where she claims she was questioned for over an hour.
Monique added that the staff started speaking in Indonesian and laughing, then they eventually accused her of breaking the law because her passport was damaged: “They told me that they could settle the issue for $1,000.” She also said that if she didn’t pay, she would not be able to get her passport back. Monique, who is currently unemployed, stood her ground and refused to pay. However, the staff started using her elderly mother: “They found my scared mother and convinced her to pay, saying that if she didn’t, I wouldn’t get my passport back.”
Once the staff received the money, Monique and her mother were able to continue their vacation without anything happening. However, the incident affected their mood.
On the return journey, however, everything went smoothly, and they passed through customs without any issues. She then reported the incident to an Australian border security officer, who told her she may have been scammed.
She later found out that her passport was never really the issue. It was a simple way to make money from inexperienced tourists. “I never thought…it was too painful,” she said.
According to Smartraveller, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s travel advice website, normal wear and tear on a passport should not be an issue, and only more severe damage would be of concern.
