E-Commerce: The No-Payment Plan

Thousands of young Indonesians commit cyberfraud for fun and profit

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty

It's another lazy day in this university town in the mountains southeast of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and hundreds of kids are lolling around the ubiquitous Internet cafes. In one popular "warnet," as these hangouts are known, a pack of high schoolers is waging a ferocious online battle against a gang of digital thugs, while another gaggle of teenagers gleefully downloads Japanese porn. Off in the corner, Sweetnurse and his friends are also busy online, but they will have much more to show for their efforts. "What would you like to buy today?" inquires Sweetnurse, a twentyish musician who asks to...

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