F

redy Leoagni Nantama did not think twice about saying yes when an agent of an online shop offered him, through BlackBerry Messenger, an iPhone 6 for a mere Rp 4.2 million (US$329), way below the over-the-counter price of about Rp 11 million.

At first the agent, who identified herself as Sisilia, asked for Rp 4.6 million and Fredy was proud that he succeeded in bargaining it down by Rp 400,000.

So he promptly transferred the money as agreed to a bank account in the name of Cristi Karnadi as given by the agent.

A few days later, the 26-year-old Fredy received a package, and the shock of his life when he opened it to find it contained a set of toy lipsticks.

 '€œI thought it was fantastic [to get] an iPhone 6 for Rp 4.2 million,'€ he said when filing a criminal complaint with the Semarang Police as reported by Antara news agency on Monday.

The victim reported the case to the police after the agent did not reply to his requests for an explanation.

In line with the rising number of Internet users, online shopping has been gaining popularity in Indonesia despite reports of scams. Consumers have been advised to shop only at reputable online shops.