Australian Woman Reportedly Gets Conned By Bali Airport Staff, Asked To Pay Rs 82,000 Over 'Dirty Passport'

In a typical case, an Australian woman was stopped by the authorities at Bali airport and asked to pay $1000 (over Rs 82,000) for an unacceptable "dirty" passport. The woman, Monique Sutherland, was allegedly conned by the border staff while she was travelling to the Indonesian country with her 60-year-old mother.?

The Woman Was Pulled Aside By The Australian Airport Staff

News 7

The mother-daughter duo were jetting off to Bali together for a “much-needed” vacation. Things started to turn dusty when the duo checked into the Batik Air counter at Tullamarine Airport, Australia. The staff pulled aside the 28-year-old and questioned her about the state of her passport.?

She informed?7 News, "I was made to sign an additional blue form, which I was told I had to show whenever I showed my passport." She says it was because her passport was slightly dirty, given that it was seven years old.

Once she got her paperwork in order and got through immigration, the mother and daughter were finally able to board the plane to Bali and reached the country in just over six hours.

Things Went South After They Arrived In Bali

Unsplash

Upon arriving in Bali, things quickly escalated as the airport staff noticed her blue note. The "petrified" Melbourne woman was then pulled aside and escorted to the interrogation room, where she claims she was questioned for over an hour.

Sutherland recounted that the staff started speaking Indonesian and laughing at her before accusing her of breaking the law and travelling with a damaged passport. "They told me they would be able to sort out the issue for a fee of $1000," she explained. They also told her that if she did not pay up, she would not get her passport back.

Sutherland, who recently became unemployed, stood her ground and refused to pay the fee. But the staff next approached her elderly mother and tried to convince her to pay the fee if they wanted her passport back.

Eventually, the family paid the $1000 fee and was allowed to continue their holiday.

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