Visa Agent Recommendations?

Hey Guys!

I am currently in the US and am looking for property in Lombok. I reached out to a RealEstate agent, who works for Ray White and she recommended her Visa Agent, who works at PT. Era Baru Sejahtera. Alarms went off when the agent emailed me from Gmail, contacts me from WhatsApp and asks for highly sensitive information to be emailed to her. In return, I asked for a secured site to fill out the forms and attach documents. I'll update when I hear back. Is this normal and I am just paranoid? Or does anyone know whether this company is legit? If not, whom have you successfully used for KITAS/KITAP visas?

UPDATE: The agent replied that everything is done in person, so I will have to send all the sensitive documents via Gmail. My "Spidey" senses are tingling and telling me to fly over there and do it myself because that's just opening the doors to allow someone steal my identity. Anyone can verify that this is indeed normal and have gone through this type of process with few hiccups?

Using Gmail and WhatsApp is nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of companies use Gmail, even when I contact the management companies where I have condos in Malaysia it is done through Gmail. Everyone uses WhatsApp because it's so convenient.

As for the sensitive information that they are requesting, what exactly are they asking your to send them? What is your nationality? What type of visa are you applying for? I cannot see the need to send any personal "sensitive" information unless you are ready to sign something. Sure if you are ready to apply for some kind of visa then the visa agent would need to see your passport, but it seems that you are only in the early stage of making an enquiry.

Hi Shill88,

She is requesting for copies of each family member's birth certificate, American passport, marriage certificate, last three months' bank statements and my mother's KTP. Apparently, with that she will be applying on my behalf for a family KITAS and KITAP for those who are old enough to work. I asked for a secured site, as Gmail is easily penetrable.

Additionally, how do I make sure she is a legit visa agent?

I'm not familiar with any agents and my local wife usually takes cares of our matters. In the beginning before moving to Indonesia she used an agent in Jakarta. I also do not know the documentation required for your situation but it seems reasonable for the items requested. Are you able to use an agent in Bali or Jakarta to do all this? I am sure some members here are familiar with visa agents in Bali.

Well not sure about how secure are Gmail, but I think many companies are using them.

The agent is located in Jakarta. You're lucky you've got someone on the inside who knows the deal.  I am thinking of uploading all required documents to OneDrive and password protect or encrypt it. It may seem a bit over- the- top but it's easier to do that than fix the mess of an identity theft.