Bali scams: fake sites, money changers and ATMs

What are the common scams in Bali?

Bali’s recurring scams take money at the moment you pay: on a copied website, at a money changer’s counter, at a tampered ATM or in a car with no agreed fare. None of them needs you to be careless. The copies look official, and the counts happen fast.

In practice, each one fails against a single habit. The table pairs each scam with the move that beats it.^{[2, 4, 5, 11, 14, 16]}

How do you spot a fake tourist levy site?

The Bali tourist levy, the tourist tax, is IDR 150,000 (about AUD 12) a person, paid on lovebali.baliprov.go.id or the Love Bali app, at the airport and port counters, or through a hotel, agent or attraction registered with Love Bali, by card, transfer or QRIS, never cash.^[1]

Type lovebali.baliprov.go.id yourself, since look-alike sites can sit above the real site in search ads. Look-alike sites can charge more than the levy; some can send a voucher that fails a check, others can pass the real levy on and keep the difference.^{[2, 3]}

Every official arrival address is in the official sites guide, and the payment steps are on the tourist levy page.

Are there fake e-VOA and arrival card sites?

Yes. The All Indonesia arrival card is free, and any site or emailed link that asks you to pay for it is not the government. The card is on allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id, and the e-VOA (electronic visa on arrival) is on the two addresses immigration's visa page lists, evisa.imigrasi.go.id and indonesiavoa.vfsevisa.id, or at the airport's bank counter.^{[5, 7, 8]}

Copies of the arrival card site often charge a processing fee for the free card, and fake visa agents can take a fee and deliver no visa, or the wrong one, so type the official address yourself and ignore any email link that asks for payment.^{[4, 5, 6, 7]}

A copy can rank first. In 2022 immigration warned that a look-alike e-VOA site, indonesia-evoa.com, appeared at the top of Google search results and took payment like the real site.^[9]

How do money changers short-change you?

Some unlicensed changers short-change you with a fast, distracted count, so the first defence is to pick a licensed one. A licensed money changer shows three things: Bank Indonesia’s licensed-changer logo, its licence certificate, and a sign reading “Penyelenggara Kegiatan Usaha Penukaran Valuta Asing Berizin” (Authorised Money Changer). Licensed exchanges also show a QR code that opens the business’s name and licence.^{[10, 11]}

The warning sign is the rate. Unlicensed changers often post a better rate than the others, and have no fixed premises.^[10]

At unlicensed changers, short counts often follow a routine: the teller recounts, mixes look-alike notes such as IDR 2,000 and IDR 20,000, and keeps you talking while the count runs. Count it yourself at the counter, keep the receipt, and go straight back if it is short.^{[11, 12, 13]}

Are Bali ATMs safe from card skimming?

Not all of them: skimmers and hidden cameras are sometimes fitted to machines, and a fake help number can be stuck on one so that a caller asks for your card details. Use a machine at a bank branch, check the card slot for a bulky casing, and never phone a number stuck to the machine.^{[4, 11, 14]}

Sources differ on ATMs in shops and shopping centres; see Conflicts. A bank-branch machine is the one choice every source accepts.

How do you avoid taxi scams in Bali?

Ride on the meter, in an app, or from an official counter, and check that the car and driver match the app before you get in. Overcharging is a risk with taxis hailed on the street and with drivers who approach you in the airport arrivals hall: most of them quote with no fixed fare, and some claim to drive for Grab or Gojek.^{[4, 11, 15]}

The official taxi counter and the app pickup lounges at the airport are mapped on the airport arrival page.

Is it safe to pay a villa deposit online?

Not until you have checked the listing: a fake one can use stolen photos and a sham agent who disappears once the deposit lands. Single losses run from IDR 10 million to hundreds of millions, and travel insurance does not refund money sent to a scammer.^[16]

The association's database at bvrma.org is open to anyone and lists about 3,000 villas from 70 member companies, each with its own code. Ask the owner or agent for the code and enter it there. It covers member villas only, so a missing code means ask for a viewing, not that the listing is fake. If a code fails, or the explanation is odd, don't transfer.^[16]

The checks before a long lease are on the long-term rentals page.

What should you do if you are scammed in Bali?

First protect your money: check your bank statements, then follow the step for your scam below.^[4]