German Scammer Who Begged For Money to Party Gets Deported From Indonesia

A German con artist who has scammed people across Asia by pretending to be a beggar to get money so he can party has been nabbed in Indonesia and deported accordingly.

Benjamin Holsts, a professional beggar-troll, has traveled to different Asian cities begging for money on the streets and partying at night with local girls with his earnings.

On the streets, he definitely looked the part — his giant swollen foot effectively makes sympathetic, kind-hearted people feel sorry for him. He has reportedly been exploiting people’s gullibility since 2014, according to Coconuts Jakarta.

This month, he was seen working the streets of Bali where he was found begging for money during the day but then would be posting pictures online of him partying at night in local bars.

Two weeks ago, he was trying his antics in Surabaya’s streets where he was finally arrested by local authorities.

For a week, Holsts was held in a local holding cell before he was forced to fly back to Germany on Sept. 19, though some reports indicated that he went to Denmark instead. He is now banned from ever returning to the country.

“At 10.00 am, the bule from Germany was deported to his country. Riding a Batik Air flight from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya to Jakarta, then to Germany,” explained Budi Sulaksana, Head of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in East Java.

In 2014, Holsts became internet famous when he was first found in Thailand begging for money with his swollen foot in Bangkok streets. After his infamous deportation from Thailand, the German was later spotted in Denmark and then in Manila.