From Illicit Activity to the Pursuit of Social Status: The Passobis (Swindlers) as Socially Legitimate Crime in Sidrap, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

This article analyzes the transformation of passobis (swindlers) from illicit activity to socially legitimate crime in Sidrap, South Sulawesi. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in five villages (2023-2025), it shows that swindling, historically rooted, has moved from the physical to the virtual world. Passobis offers instant money and social status, displayed through consumerism and generosity, creating reciprocal obligations repaid in acceptance and protection. This rests on distant victims and selective state presence. It distinguishes passive tolerance, active celebration, and institutionalized incorporation. Social legitimacy is produced relationally, as illicit gains convert into status, reciprocity, and protection, and communities justify offenders in return.