A 23-year-old woman, “Khairun Nisya” from Palembang went viral for all the wrong reasons. On Jan 6, Indonesian authorities detained Khairun Nisya for pretending to be a Batik Air cabin crew member. Full uniform. Airport vibes. Main character energy — just that it wasn’t real.
Naturally, the internet went into full CSI mode.
Actually, the official story was pretty sad. Police said she wore the uniform because she felt paiseh in front of her family after failing to land a flight attendant job. No scam ring. No master plan. Just pressure, expectations, and a young woman trying to save face.
But here’s the thing. Social media didn’t like that simple explanation. So it upgraded the story.
The Internet Decides to “Help” (And Makes It Worse)
Soon after, posts started popping up claiming Nisya was actually a scam victim. Then it escalated again. Suddenly, she was “officially hired” by Garuda Indonesia. Congrats, right?
The so-called proof?
A photo of her shaking hands with a Garuda executive. Big sign overhead. Staff clapping behind. Very corporate. Very inspiring. Very fake.
If you looked closer, though, things got weird fast.
The sign looked pasted on. People overlapped like bad Photoshop layers. Faces didn’t quite match. Even her facial features looked different. Yes, makeup exists — but this was giving uncanny valley, leh.
Plot Twist: The Photo Was AI-Generated
We ran the images through Google Gemini’s AI image checker. Result? Either edited or straight-up generated by AI.
Confirm-plus-guarantee fake.
Garuda Indonesia didn’t mince words either. Their corporate communications head came out and said the image was “not true and misleading.” No job offer. No handshake. No recruitment happening at all.
They also reminded everyone that real recruitment info only comes from their official careers site. Anything else? Treat as noise.
Honestly, this part is scary. Because even legit news outlets got fooled. At least two published stories based on that fake claim. One even had to quietly change its headline later. Oops.
The Only Real Good News in This Mess
Now, moving on to the one genuinely positive thing.
An aviation training institute in Indonesia, Aeronef Academy, stepped in and offered Nisya a full scholarship for flight attendant training. Completely free. No strings. No AI photos required.
They said her desire to make her parents proud touched them. And instead of mocking her, they decided to give her a real shot — with real training and real certification.
That part? Respect.
More Than You Think
This isn’t just about one woman or one fake photo. This is about how fast nonsense spreads when emotions + AI + social media collide.
One fake image. One feel-good caption. Suddenly, everyone sharing without checking. Newsrooms included.
And people are watching all this like: “Wah, easy game.”
If something sounds too perfect, too emotional, too movie-like — pause first. Check twice. Share later.
Between You & Me
This whole thing screams pressure. Family pressure. Society pressure. “By 23 must be successful” pressure. Some people crack quietly. Some crack publicly.
I don’t think she wanted fame. I think she wanted validation. And the internet turned her into content.
What annoys me more is how easily people believe AI-generated nonsense just because it looks professional. A logo here, a handshake there, suddenly everyone forgets common sense.
We need to slow down, lah. Not everything viral is real. And not every sad story needs a hero arc created by fake images.
