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Fake overseas job offers: illegal agents, tourist visas, fake job orders and how to report

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

Fake overseas job offers reach Indonesians through illegal agents, tourist visas and unregistered job orders. Check the P3MI licence and report to KP2MI.

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

Summary

  • Only the government agency (KP2MI/BP2MI), licensed placement companies (P3MI) and companies placing their own staff may place Indonesian migrant workers (Law 18/2017, Article 49).
  • Individuals may not place migrant workers, and doing so is a criminal offence (Law 18/2017, Articles 69 and 81).
  • Placing a migrant worker without an official job order (SIP2MI) is prohibited (Law 18/2017, Article 72(c)).
  • The Ministry of Manpower lists departing on a visit, tourist or pilgrimage visa as a sign of an overseas job scam.
  • Indonesian migrant workers may not be charged placement costs (Law 18/2017, Article 30(1)).
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On this page
  1. How does the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam work?
  2. What are the warning signs of the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam?
  3. How is the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam different from a real vacancy?
  4. I have already been caught. What should I do now?
  5. How do I spot a fake overseas job offer in Indonesia?
  6. How do I recognise an illegal migrant worker agent?
  7. Can I go to work abroad on a tourist visa?
  8. Who pays the costs of working abroad under the rules?
  9. How is this different from the Cambodia online scam and human trafficking?
  10. Where do I report an illegal overseas recruitment agent?

How does the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam work?

The overseas job scams through illegal agents 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: An individual recruiter spreads overseas job offers on social media or by word of mouth, with high pay and easy requirements.
  2. Step 2 of 5: The recruiter asks for a registration or processing fee, or promises that all departure costs are covered.
  3. Step 3 of 5: Personal data and original documents go straight to the recruiter instead of being uploaded through your own SISKOP2MI account.
  4. Step 4 of 5: You leave on a visit, tourist or pilgrimage visa, without a clear placement agreement and employment contract.
  5. Step 5 of 5: On arrival, the position and the work can differ from what the visa states or what was promised.

What are the warning signs of the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam?

The overseas job scams through illegal agents scam has the 7 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.

  • The recruiter is an individual social media account that is not registered as a P3MI.
  • You are asked to pay a registration fee before there is a placement agreement listing the costs.
  • You are told to travel on a visit, tourist or pilgrimage visa instead of a work visa.
  • There is no clear employment contract before departure.Kompas TV (official statement via media)
  • The recruiter cannot show a job order (SIP2MI) under its P3MI's name in SISKOP2MI.Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)
  • The destination has no placement cooperation with Indonesia, such as Cambodia, Myanmar or Thailand.Metro TV News (official statement via media)
  • The recruiter or agent wants to keep your passport or original documents.Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id)

How is the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam different from a real vacancy?

The table compares each step of the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam with how legitimate employers recruit, row by row.

Scam tactics compared with legitimate recruitment practice
Scam tacticLegitimate practice
An individual recruiter on WhatsApp, Facebook or through someone in your village.Placement only by KP2MI/BP2MI, a licensed P3MI or a company placing its own staff (Law 18/2017, Article 49).
The vacancy cannot be found in the official system.The job order (SIP2MI) is listed under the P3MI's name in the SISKOP2MI vacancy list.
Upfront payment to a personal bank account for 'processing'.Migrant workers may not be charged placement costs; any cost a worker may bear must be written and itemised in the placement agreement (Law 18/2017, Article 30(1); P2MI Regulation 17/2025).
Leave on a tourist visa, contract to follow.A work visa, placement agreement and employment contract are in hand before departure (Law 18/2017, Article 13).
The agent keeps your passport.Migrant workers have the right to hold their own travel documents while working (Law 18/2017, Article 6(1)(j)).

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

If you have followed the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam, stop all contact, send no more money or data, keep every piece of evidence, then report to the official channels below.

  1. Stop paying, and do not hand your passport, ID card or original diploma to the recruiter.
  2. Check the P3MI on SISKOP2MI, including the list of sanctioned P3MI, then look for its job order in the official vacancy list.
  3. Keep the ad, the messages, the receiving account number and any receipts.
  4. Report the illegal recruiter to KP2MI and the police; if family members are already abroad and in danger, contact the foreign ministry's Peduli WNI service.

Where should I report?

Check a similar message with the job checker

How do I spot a fake overseas job offer in Indonesia?

Fake overseas job offers target prospective Indonesian migrant workers, or PMI (formerly called TKI), through recruiters working outside the legal route. The Ministry of Manpower lists eight signs: an individual social media account not registered as a P3MI, easy requirements, very high pay, a registration fee, requests for personal data directly, a promise that all departure costs are covered, travel on a visit, tourist or pilgrimage visa, and no clear contract before departure. One sign alone is enough to stop and check.

KP2MI reports that its cyber patrol unit took down thousands of fake overseas job ads during 2026; the figures are on job scam statistics.

  • 7,908

    Fictitious overseas job ads taken down (P2MI and Komdigi cyber patrol)

    1 January 2026 to 31 August 2026

    Investortrust (official statement via media)

  • 6,668

    Prospective migrant workers stopped from non-procedural departure (2025 to July 2026)

    1 January 2025 to 31 July 2026

    The source gives the period as 2025 to July 2026.

    Investortrust (official statement via media)

How do I recognise an illegal migrant worker agent?

An illegal agent places workers without a licence and without an official job order. Under Law 18/2017, only KP2MI/BP2MI, a migrant worker placement company (P3MI) holding a SIP3MI licence, or a company placing its own staff may place workers (Articles 49 and 51). Individuals may not place migrant workers (Article 69), and placing a worker without a job order (SIP2MI) is also prohibited (Article 72(c)). To check:

  1. Look up the company in the P3MI list on SISKOP2MI and check that it is active.
  2. Open the list of P3MI under administrative sanctions on SISKOP2MI.
  3. Search for the job and destination in the official SISKOP2MI vacancy list; a genuine job order is listed under the P3MI's name.
  4. Register through your own SISKOP2MI account.

A licence alone is not enough. In October 2026 KP2MI sanctioned a P3MI that had placed workers in Saudi Arabia without a SIP2MI. The full steps are in checking a licensed agency.

Can I go to work abroad on a tourist visa?

No. Article 13 of Law 18/2017 requires a prospective migrant worker to have a work visa, a placement agreement and an employment contract before placement. The foreign ministry's Safe Travel service reminds travellers that each country has a specific visa for foreign workers and that the visa used must follow the destination's immigration rules. The Ministry of Manpower lists departing on a visit, tourist or pilgrimage visa as a sign of an overseas job scam. Working on a tourist visa leaves you without a work permit in the destination country.

Who pays the costs of working abroad under the rules?

The rules on placement costs apply in this order. First, Law 18/2017, Article 30(1): migrant workers may not be charged placement costs. Second, P2MI Regulation 17/2025: the employer bears placement costs, and the worker may be charged only costs written and itemised in the placement agreement. Third, any request for money outside that document, in cash or to a personal account, is a red flag. Article 72(a) of Law 18/2017 also bans anyone from charging a prospective worker for cost components the employer already bears. Details are in placement costs.

How is this different from the Cambodia online scam and human trafficking?

This page covers illegal agents and non-procedural placement to any country. The specific pattern of admin or online operator jobs that end in scam compounds in Cambodia, Myanmar or Laos is covered in overseas online scam jobs. When recruitment involves fraud, debt bondage, confiscated documents or restricted movement for exploitation, it is human trafficking under Article 1 of Law 21/2007, even if the victim first agreed to go. The signs and how to get help are in human trafficking through job offers.

Where do I report an illegal overseas recruitment agent?

Report the illegal recruiter or agent to KP2MI and the police, because placement by an individual is a criminal offence (Law 18/2017, Articles 69 and 81). If you or your family are already abroad and in danger, contact the foreign ministry's Peduli WNI portal or the nearest Indonesian mission. If money has already been transferred, also report it to IASC quickly. Prepare the recruiter's name and number, the ad or screenshots, transfer receipts and the documents you handed over.

Which careers are used as bait for the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam?

Vacancies for these careers are often used as bait for the overseas job scams through illegal agents scam, highest scam risk first.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I check that an overseas job offer is genuine?

Look up the agency's name in the P3MI list on SISKOP2MI, KP2MI's placement system, and check that it is active and not on the list of sanctioned P3MI. Then search for the job and destination in the SISKOP2MI vacancy list: a genuine job order is listed under that P3MI's name. Register through your own SISKOP2MI account, not through an individual recruiter.

I have already paid a recruiter. What should I do?

Stop any further payment, keep all transfer receipts and messages, and report the recruiter to KP2MI and the police. If you sent money by bank transfer or e-wallet, also report it quickly to the Indonesia Anti-Scam Centre (IASC) run by OJK. The full steps are on the page for people who have already paid a scammer.

Can an individual recruiter help me go abroad?

Not as a placement. Article 69 of Law 18/2017 bans individuals from placing migrant workers, and Article 81 makes it a criminal offence. After the adjustment by Law 1/2026, the penalty is up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine. If you will work for an incorporated employer you may travel as an independent migrant worker, but still without a broker.

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. Kenali Ciri-ciri Penipuan Lowongan Kerja ke Luar Negeri untuk PMI Kompas TV · official statement via media · accessed
  2. Undang-Undang Nomor 18 Tahun 2017 tentang Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia (Pasal 5, 6, 13, 30, 31, 49, 51, 65 sampai 72 dan 81) Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · UU 18/2017 · accessed
  3. Peraturan Menteri P2MI/Kepala BP2MI Nomor 17 Tahun 2025 tentang Biaya Penempatan Pekerja Migran Indonesia Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · Permen P2MI 17/2025 · accessed
  4. SISKOP2MI: daftar P3MI, detail status dan daftar P3MI dengan sanksi administratif KP2MI/BP2MI (SISKOP2MI) · accessed
  5. SISKOP2MI: Daftar Lowongan KP2MI (SISKOP2MI) · accessed
  6. Safe Travel Kemlu: tips bekerja di luar negeri Kementerian Luar Negeri RI · accessed
  7. Fakta-fakta Target 425 Ribu PMI Tahun 2025 hingga WNI Dilarang Bekerja di 3 Negara Ini (Metro TV) Metro TV News · official statement via media · accessed
  8. KP2MI jatuhkan sanksi kepada P3MI yang menempatkan PMI non-prosedural ke Arab Saudi (laporan Prokalteng) Prokalteng (Jawa Pos Group) · official statement via media · accessed
  9. Saring Iklan Kerja Fiktif, Unit Patroli Siber P2MI Blokir 7.908 Konten Ilegal Investortrust · official statement via media · accessed
  10. Undang-Undang Nomor 21 Tahun 2007 tentang Pemberantasan Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang Kementerian Hukum RI (peraturan.go.id) · UU 21/2007 · accessed
  11. Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2026 tentang Penyesuaian Pidana (Lampiran I nomor 126 dan 175) JDIH BPK RI (peraturan.bpk.go.id) · UU 1/2026 · accessed
  12. Kementerian P2MI/BP2MI: beranda dan kontak pengaduan Kementerian Pelindungan Pekerja Migran Indonesia/BP2MI · accessed
  13. Portal Peduli WNI: pelayanan dan pelindungan WNI di luar negeri Kementerian Luar Negeri RI · accessed
How to cite

KarirAman (2026). Fake overseas job offers: illegal agents, tourist visas, fake job orders and how to report. Updated 8 October 2026. https://kariraman.com/en/job-scams/fake-overseas-job-offers/

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