A conman has been arrested today after confessing to dressing up as a pilot in order to date attractive female flight attendants and trick them out of thousands of pounds.
Ride Roeslan, a 25-year-old Indonesian man, allegedly donned a captain’s uniform before trawling airports and social media platforms to target pretty airline staff.
He would arrange dates with dozens of single stewardesses then claim he needed up to £300 wired to him, according to police reports in Indonesia.
Police Chief Commissioner Zainal Azhab said the man had conned his victims out of a total of 200 million Indonesian Rupees — the equivalent of £12,000.
He added:
Data from the police shows he targeted a total of 50 flight attendants. The offender would say to victims he was off to work and could go to see them but had to borrow some money.
But after getting the money, the perpetrator would disappear, and change the name and number of his cell phone.
There are transfers of one million to five million Indonesian Rupees. We will try to find all the victims who’ve been cheated to help develop the case.
The scenes are wildly reminiscent of the Hollywood blockbuster which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, Catch Me If You Can.
It told the story of Frank Abagnale, one of America’s most notorious conmen, who used eight identities to hoodwink his victims for eight years before being caught by police and charged with fraud, forgery and swindling.
Police claim Roeslan operated from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
His scam was uncovered when he was arrested for allegedly stealing an iPhone.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.