Malaysian phonies

I was doing my regular grocery shopping at Sogo in Kelapa Gading Mall on May 22, 1996, at 3:30 p.m. when I was approached by a man in his late forties or early fifties. He was very well dressed (looks can be deceiving), five feet and one inch tall, on the plump side, and had a receding hair line and a moustache. He started the conversation by casually asking me how to cook the "Edamame" beans on display. This led him to ask for my address (he pretended to be Malaysian, like me, and spoke in a phony Malaysian accent), claiming he was new to Jakarta and that since we were fellow Malaysians he asked if I could show him around. I refused politely. He didn't give up and jumped into an impressive background of his business (he gave me a phony business card) and eventually asked me to leave Sogo and sit somewhere for a chat to show him the way to an electrical shop. I replied I didn't know where the store was. This was when his accomplice made his entrance.

He was a taller man in his late twenties. He was dark, medium built, approximately five feet and six inches tall, and clad neatly in office attire. Pretending not to know one another, they started their little act. The older man kept touching me lightly on the shoulder trying to maintain eye contact, which I avoided. I grew more suspicious and finally made my exit rather rudely. Realizing their plan had been foiled, they left in a hurry.

I then informed the Sogo security, and they acted appropriately and promptly. I was escorted to my car safely and I am appreciative of their concern.

So let this be a warning to those who shop alone, be they expatriates or Indonesians (but especially Malaysians), to be alert at all times and do not speak to strangers, regardless of how well dressed they are.

I was later informed by a Sogo employee that they had actually followed me into the Sogo supermarket. Do take care.

ANTONIA

Jakarta