Ministry of Transportation Denies Man Who Allegedly Scammed Content Creator at Duri Station is Their Employee
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Ministry of Transportation has denied the claim made by a man named Sadam, who allegedly scammed a content creator by claiming to be an employee of the Ministry and offering free travel.
The alleged fraud occurred at Duri Station, Tambora, West Jakarta, on Thursday, May 7, 2026, and the victim was Chery Gus, a 38-year-old travel content creator.
“We confirm that the person in question is not a civil servant of the Ministry of Transportation,” said the Acting Head of the Bureau of Communications and Public Information of the Ministry of Transportation, Farida Mahmudah, to Kompas.com on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
At the time of the incident, the victim claimed to have met Sadam, who was wearing a blue uniform of the Indonesian Civil Service Corps (Korpri).
“Regarding reporting to the police, we are currently seeking advice from our Legal Bureau,” said Farida.
Separately, VP of Corporate Secretary of KAI Commuter, Karina Amanda, also urged the victim to make a police report.
In addition, PT KCI officers have added Sadam’s face to the CCTV Analytic system throughout all stations. With this system, officers will receive a notification if Sadam returns to the station area.
Karina said that officers had also questioned the victim regarding the incident.
With this data, KCI will also assist the victim in the legal process that will be taken.
Meanwhile, Chery admitted that she had not yet reported the incident to the police. She chose to first “viralize” Sadam’s face on social media so that other public transportation users would be more vigilant.
“Initially, I didn’t intend to. I thought, ‘It’s only one million [rupiah],’ and the important thing is that netizens know his face so they can be more careful,” Chery said in a telephone conversation.
However, after receiving assistance from KCI, Chery began to consider making a police report. Moreover, she received information from her social media followers that Sadam had allegedly committed fraud several times before.
Sadam then claimed to have seen Chery’s travel content and offered free travel facilities. After that, the two exchanged phone numbers.
However, Sadam then asked Chery for money. The victim claimed that she was not fully aware when she was asked to send money, totaling Rp 1 million, in stages.
“Every time I said something in the chat, he would immediately give the code ‘Gopay Saddam Husein.’ It was like an order. I don’t know what it is. In fact, I’m usually quite stingy with people,” Chery said.
Despite the incident, Chery said that she would not be discouraged from using public transportation. She will only be more careful in the future.
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