Indonesian mother-of-three Aslem was a domestic worker in Dubai when she started wiring cash to a self-professed shaman. Believing that he would honour his promise to magically multiply her hard-earned wages.
But she returned home last year penniless and in shock, saying she had swindled out of her life savings by a trickster. He now faces trial for his complex scams, and charges of murdering nine of his victims
In Indonesia, where nearly 10 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. Some view shamans as traditional healers.
Aslem is one of several Indonesians who say they have scammed by people claiming to be spiritual figures. Thus promising to turn small investments into immense wealth.
Police say some alleged scammers turn to violence when their victims come looking for their money
The scams have circulated widely on Indonesian social media.
Just two dozen Facebook posts advertising so-called shaman investment schemes have viewed more than 1.4 million times as of this week, according to AFP Fact Check reporters in Jakarta.
One post, viewed 643,000 times from Apr 8 to May 17, claimed a Muslim sheikh would help people multiply their funds, and that the service did not violate the tenets of Islam.