Check a job ID (Baca halaman ini dalam bahasa Indonesia)

Factory job brokers (calo) in Indonesia: inside-track offers, the law and how to report

Written by KarirAman editorial team Approved by Kaiser Khan (editor), Updated

Brokers who promise an inside track into a factory job for money are a scam police warn about in Indonesia. The signs, how to check and how to report.

High severity Usually arrives via: in person, WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok

Summary

  • Bekasi metropolitan police warned about fake job distributors who promise to get applicants into industrial-zone companies in exchange for money.
  • Police advise job seekers to ask the local labour office (Disnaker) whether a distributor is really registered before signing up.
  • UU 13/2003 Article 37 requires private placement agencies to be licensed.
  • Kemnaker says the Labour Protection Law passed by the DPR strengthens the duty to report vacancies to prevent brokering.
Show the full summaryShow less
On this page
  1. How does the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam work?
  2. What are the warning signs of the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam?
  3. How is the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam different from a real vacancy?
  4. I have already been caught. What should I do now?
  5. What is a job broker (calo), and what are the signs?
  6. What does a broker's offer look like?
  7. Why are authorities cracking down on recruitment brokers?
  8. Where can you find factory jobs without a broker?

How does the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam work?

The factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam usually runs in 5 steps. Any step that asks for money, personal data or a move to a chat app is the point to stop.

  1. Step 1 of 5: Someone claims to have an inside contact or special route into a factory or company in an industrial zone.
  2. Step 2 of 5: Applicants are asked to hand over money, often called an administration fee, to be 'guaranteed' a place.
  3. Step 3 of 5: The money is transferred to an account the broker provides or paid in cash.
  4. Step 4 of 5: Applicants are told to wait for a call, then the broker becomes hard to reach and the call never comes.
  5. Step 5 of 5: In some areas, levies were also found inside factory recruitment, and local governments set up task forces to trace them.

What are the warning signs of the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam?

The factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam has the 5 main warning signs below, each with its source. One sign is enough reason to stop and check again before you pay or send any data.

  • You are offered an 'inside track' (titipan or orang dalam) so you are sure to get into a factory or company.
  • A distributor or 'yayasan' asks for money and cannot show it is registered with Disnaker.Antara (official statement via media)
  • You are told to transfer money to an account the broker provides.Metro TV (official statement via media)
  • The fee is called 'administration' with no breakdown or official receipt.Republika (official statement via media)
  • You are asked to hand over your original diploma as a guarantee.detikFinance (official statement via media)

How is the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam different from a real vacancy?

The table compares each step of the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam with how legitimate employers recruit, row by row.

Scam tactics compared with legitimate recruitment practice
Scam tacticLegitimate practice
Paying a broker to be 'put in' a factory.Applying directly to the company, at a Disnaker job fair, or through Kemnaker's Karirhub.
A distributor with no clear licence.Private placement agencies must be licensed, and their status can be checked with Disnaker.
Your original diploma held as a guarantee.Circular SE Menaker M/5/HK.04.00/V/2025 bars employers from holding diplomas and personal documents as an employment guarantee.
A promise that you will definitely be hired.The company runs its own selection, and nobody can guarantee you a job.

I have already been caught. What should I do now?

If you have followed the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam, stop all contact, send no more money or data, keep every piece of evidence, then report to the official channels below.

  1. Do not hand over any more money to the broker.
  2. Keep the chats, receipts or transfer proof, and the broker's identity.
  3. Ask the district labour office (Disnaker) whether the distributor is registered, and report the levy you faced.
  4. Make a police report at the SPKT desk if you paid, and report to IASC if you paid by transfer.

Where should I report?

  • Police call centre 110

    Emergencies and crime reports; formal reports are made at the SPKT of the nearest Polres or Polsek

    110 polri.go.id

  • Kemnaker help centre and call centre

    Complaints about wages, THR, contracts and fake vacancies

    1500630 bantuan.kemnaker.go.id

  • Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC)

    Report fraud after money was transferred, so the scammer's account can be blocked

    157WhatsApp 081157157157 iasc.ojk.go.id

Check a similar message with the job checker

What is a job broker (calo), and what are the signs?

A job broker (calo) is an unofficial middleman who asks for money with a promise to get applicants into a company, often through an "inside contact" or an "inside track" (titipan). The Bekasi metropolitan police warned about bogus labour distributors asking for money to place applicants in companies in industrial estates. The signs: money up front, a promise of being hired without a clear selection, a claimed contact inside the company, and no licence you can check with the labour office (Disnaker).

What does a broker's offer look like?

The example below is an illustration written by the KarirAman editors from the pattern police in Bekasi and Cikarang warned about. It is not a copy of a real message. Names and accounts are hidden.

Inside track into a company in the industrial estate, production operator, sure to be hired through our contact. Transfer the administration fee to [account number removed] and just wait for the call. Contact 08xx-xxxx-xxxx.

Words like “titipan” (inside track), “orang dalam” (inside contact) and “pasti diterima” (sure to be hired), plus a request for money, are patterns the job checker flags.

Why are authorities cracking down on recruitment brokers?

In June 2026 the Serang regency task force on labour levies inspected labour-intensive factories to find the root of illegal payments in recruitment, and companies there report vacancies through the regency's app. Nationally, Kemnaker says the Labour Protection Law passed by the DPR in October 2026 strengthens the duty to report vacancies to prevent brokering, fraud and fictitious vacancies. The law's number and start date have not yet been announced.

Where can you find factory jobs without a broker?

Apply directly through the company's official website or channels, at a job fair run by Disnaker, or on Kemnaker's Karirhub. Before you apply, check the company using How to verify an employer. If your diploma is being held, see the workers' rights guides linked below this page.

Which careers are used as bait for the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam?

Vacancies for these careers are often used as bait for the factory job brokers and 'inside track' offers scam, highest scam risk first.

KarirAman is 100% free. We never ask for money.

For job seekers and employers. We run no ads, sell no data and never ask for any fee. Anyone asking for money in KarirAman's name is a scammer. Our no-fee policy

Frequently asked questions

Is paying a broker to get into a factory legal in Indonesia?

UU 13/2003 Article 38 bars government placement services from charging placement fees, and private agencies may charge only employers and workers in certain grades and positions set by the Minister. For ordinary factory vacancies, Kemnaker says a fee in recruitment is almost certainly a scam.

How do you check a labour-supply agency (yayasan)?

Ask the local district labour office (Disnaker) whether the distributor is registered and licensed, as the Bekasi metropolitan police advise. Do not believe claims of an 'inside contact', and do not hand over money or your original diploma until you are sure.

I paid a broker but was never called for work. What should I do?

Keep proof of payment and the chats, then make a police report at the nearest SPKT desk; a similar case in Cikarang was handled by the local police. If you paid by transfer, also report the receiving account to IASC as soon as possible.

Is there such a thing as a trustworthy job broker?

There is no legal way to pay to be hired. Manpower Regulation 18/2024 bars private placement agencies, school and campus job centres (BKK), job portals and job fair organisers from charging job seekers placement fees. Look for work through free channels: the company's official site, a BKK, a Disnaker job fair or Kemnaker's Karirhub.

Can a job broker be prosecuted?

Yes. A broker who takes money promising a job that does not exist can be handled by the police as fraud. For example, in November 2025 the Soekarno-Hatta airport police named a suspect in a fake pilot vacancy case that promised a pass in return for money. For work abroad, UU 18/2017 Article 69 also bans individuals from placing Indonesian migrant workers.

Who wrote and reviewed this page?

Written by KarirAman editorial team Published Updated

Prepared with AI assistance. Checked against official sources and approved for publication by Kaiser Khan (editor). Approval date: .

Sources

The facts on this page come from these sources. Dates show when we opened them.

  1. Polres Bekasi imbau warga waspada penyalur kerja bodong Antara · official statement via media · accessed
  2. Satgas Pungli Serang Banten Petakan Percaloan Tenaga Kerja di Pabrik Republika · official statement via media · accessed
  3. Menaker Ungkap Poin Penting UU Pelindungan Ketenagakerjaan yang Wajib Diketahui Pekerja Kementerian Ketenagakerjaan RI · accessed
  4. Penipu Lowongan Kerja di Cikarang Raup Puluhan Juta dari Korban Metro TV · official statement via media · accessed
  5. Undang-Undang Nomor 13 Tahun 2003 tentang Ketenagakerjaan JDIH BPK · UU 13/2003 Pasal 37 dan 38 · accessed
  6. Ini 5 ciri-ciri lowongan kerja palsu versi Kemnaker Republika · official statement via media · accessed
  7. Pemerintah Resmi Larang Perusahaan Tahan Ijazah Pegawai detikFinance · SE Menaker M/5/HK.04.00/V/2025 · official statement via media · accessed
  8. Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC): Tentang, Langkah Pelaporan dan FAQ Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (IASC) · accessed
  9. Sentra Pelayanan Kepolisian Terpadu (SPKT) Kepolisian Negara Republik Indonesia · accessed
  10. Peraturan Menteri Ketenagakerjaan Nomor 18 Tahun 2024 tentang Penempatan Tenaga Kerja Dalam Negeri JDIH BPK RI · Permenaker 18/2024 · accessed
  11. Tipu-tipu Calo Loker Pilot, Oknum Pegawai Bandara Soetta (detikJogja; judul dipersingkat, angka kerugian dihilangkan) detikJogja (detik.com) · official statement via media · accessed
  12. Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2017 tentang Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · UU 18/2017 · accessed
How to cite

KarirAman (2026). Factory job brokers (calo) in Indonesia: inside-track offers, the law and how to report. Updated 8 October 2026. https://kariraman.com/en/job-scams/factory-job-brokers/

Save this page

Report a fake job Report a data problem How we handle corrections

CariTalent and PanduanHewan are Kode Nirlaba projects; Panduan Warga and The Cast Index are independent publications with the same founder. CourseToJob is a study-guide site with the same owner, run by Elite Digital AI Solutions Ltd.

Change log
  • : Added what a job broker is and the signs, whether any broker can be trusted, and whether brokers can be prosecuted.