THE sun had just set when a convoy of sedans left Kebumen for Yogyakarta. Unlike on a picnic, the faces of the passengers showed tension mixed with worry. On the second Wednesday that January, they were on their way to seek the fate of their missing money.

The money was “gobbled up” by the Serasi Land Plot—a product sold by Lippo Karawaci, a “sibling” of Lippo Bank. Many victims used their own personal money to buy