Travel Content Creator Scammed by Man Claiming to be from the Ministry of Transportation

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - A travel content creator, Chery Gus (38), was scammed by a man named Sadam who claimed to be an employee of the Ministry of Transportation while at Duri Station, West Jakarta, on Thursday, May 7, 2026.

Chery recounted that she was quite tired after a trip from out of town. That day, she intended to visit a relative and then return home to rest.

While she was in transit at Duri Station, several people greeted Chery, who is known for frequently sharing travel content on the social media platform TikTok.

Then, Sadam offered Chery travel accommodations ranging from trains to airplanes to ships.

“He said he was from the Ministry of Transportation. He could help me travel for free,” Chery explained to Kompas.com via telephone on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Considering that she often receives collaboration offers for her work, Chery thought Sadam was offering something similar.

She was quite tired that day and eventually agreed to the offer. They exchanged phone numbers afterward, and Chery continued her journey to the hospital.

“I thought it was like an endorsement, that maybe I would make a video about the Ministry of Transportation. I was okay with it because it would help me get home quickly,” she said.

At that time, Chery admitted that her mind was not stable. She felt as if she was being hypnotised. The effect is still felt even now.

“Yes, it was like that (hypnosis), my brain couldn’t process things. Usually, I also analyse people, but this time I don’t know why, maybe because I was tired from traveling, and I wasn’t focused,” she explained.

That night, Sadam contacted Chery via WhatsApp. He began to ask Chery to provide payment.

Sadam said that he needed some money for the administrative process. However, Sadam did not mention the amount.

Finally, that night, Sadam came to Chery’s house to collect the money he had requested.