Jakarta - Two Indonesian jobseekers were tricked into getting their faces tattooed by a bogus official offering government jobs, a report said on Sunday.

Village chief Sawiyono - who was helping the men find jobs - claimed he had received a text message from a government official offering them work as intelligence officers but saying they would have to be inked first, Antara state news agency said.

Sawiyono realised he had been tricked after checking with the subdistrict chief of the Bojonegoro district of North Java who told him there was no such requirement. But by then it was too late and the men had already been tattooed, the report said.

"I am fully responsible for the mistake and I will do my best to help the men remove their tattoos," Sawiyono was quoted as saying.

The men made a complaint to police on Friday and were seeking treatment at a local hospital on Monday.

source: http://www.iol.co.za