Restaurant Job Scam Traps Young Women into Online Prostitution
Online prostitution involving a restaurant job scam operating in Serang, Banten, has been uncovered by police. The illicit business is run by a husband-and-wife duo identified as AB (927) and FA (26).
Public Relations Head of the Banten Regional Police, Kombes Maruli Ahiles Hutapea, said FA and AB targeted young women seeking work. The victims lured into becoming sex workers were promised work at a restaurant.
They recruited young women with the promise of restaurant work. However, once under the suspects’ control, the victims were employed as sex workers, Maruli said, as reported by detikNews on Thursday (5/3/2026).
At the time of their arrest on 16 February 2026, three victims had already been sold by the couple. Each victim was aged 33, 23, and 17 respectively. Two were from Bandung, and the youngest from Baros, Serang Regency.
Rates of hundreds of thousands per encounter
The victims were forced to service predatory men at rates of Rp 250-300 thousand per encounter via the MiChat app. Investigations indicate the two suspects said they had been running this illicit business for several years.
Maruli stated the victims were forced to serve up to five predatory men in a day. They were promised a wage of Rp 10 million if the targets were met.
For their actions, the suspects face charges under Article 2 in conjunction with Article 10 and Article 17 of Law No. 21 of 2007 on the Eradication of Trafficking in Persons (TPPO) and/or Article 455 of the Criminal Code. The penalties range from a minimum of 3 years to a maximum of 15 years’ imprisonment.
Police have ensured that the victims receive support. The Banten Regional Police has also coordinated with relevant agencies to provide protection and psychological rehabilitation for the victims.
As information, the case came to light following a public report about suspicious activities at a boarding house. Police raided the boarding house run by AB and FA on Monday (16/2) at around 01:00 WIB.
From the raid, police seized items including one mobile phone owned by the suspects, cash amounting to Rp 9.850 million, six boxes of contraceptives, lubricant gel, and screenshots of prostitution transaction chats.