Doctored Malaysian news reports falsely claim that shaman can conjure cash out of thin air

This article is more than one year old.
Published on April 4, 2023 at 09:51
4 min read
By Arfa YUNUS, AFP Malaysia

Doctored videos have racked up thousands of views after they were shared in Facebook posts that falsely claim it shows the Malaysian state broadcaster RTM promoting a shaman who can conjure cash out of thin air to help people in financial hardship. Footage from RTM's news programmes has been spliced together with unrelated clips featuring stacks of cash and a computer-generated voiceover to persuade viewers to hand over personal information. The original news segments do not mention anything about shamans or magic money-making schemes.

A two-minute video was shared on Facebook here on January 22, 2023, where it has been viewed more than 180 times.

It begins with a female presenter introducing a news bulletin for Malaysian public broadcaster RTM's Conty News programme.

The footage then cuts to clips showing piles of 50 and 100 ringgit banknotes.

At the 27-second mark, a male voice can be heard saying in Malay: "The community was disturbed by Syeh Muhammad Rasyid who is able to produce magic money. It turns out that all this time the magic money ritual really exists and is real but this can only be done by a knowledgeable person named Syeh Muhammad Rasyid."

He then continues to promote the said person: "That's why we, from the news team for Conty News, would like to convey to everyone who have economic problems such as: want to increase business, have debt, want to own a house or have other financial, economic problems can contact Syed Muhammad Rashid on WhatsApp number 081-356-698-770."

The post's caption also promotes Syeh Muhammad Rasyid's "metaphysical spiritual" skills and urges people to contact him via the WhatsApp number.

Screenshot of the first misleading post, taken on March 30, 2023

The same video was also shared on Facebook here.

It is unclear who "Syeh Muhammad Rasyid" is.

The WhatsApp number shared in the video and the post is a business account using an Indonesian phone line.

When contacted by AFP, a person handling the number asked for personal information including a full name, home address and a copy of an identity card.

Another video, purporting to be a news segment from RTM's Berita Pagi Sarawak (Sarawak Morning News), was shared here and here, alongside a similar claim about a different shaman who also "can conjure magic money". The one-and-half minute clip has racked up a total of more than 1,900 views in both posts.

Screenshot of the second misleading post, taken on March 31, 2023

Both false videos feature an identical format: a genuine news presenter appears at the start and the end of the footage, with clips displaying bundles of cash shown in between.

First false video

A search on RTM’s official YouTube channel found the first false video used a genuine news segment the Malaysian broadcaster uploaded on October 28, 2022.

In the five-and-half minute segment, the radio presenter opens with news about the Malaysian king urging people to vote in a general election that was held on November 19, 2022. She then continues with assorted news, such as the additional US aid for Pakistan, the rise of tuberculosis cases in the world, and American billionaire Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. She then closes with a football update on the UEFA Europa League.

No mention is made of any shaman, money-making scheme or Syeh Muhammad Rasyid.

Second false video

Another search on RTM’s official YouTube channel found the second false video lifted a news segment the Malaysian broadcaster originally uploaded on January 1, 2023.

During the 11-minute, 16-second segment, the TV news anchor delivers assorted local news, such as Sarawak's port development and a Christmas and New Year celebration at a multireligious village in Sarawak.

There is no mention of any shaman nor any money-making scheme in the news segment.

Between the opening and closing scenes of the news presenters, the false videos insert assorted clips showing stacks of cash, including an Indonesian YouTube video partly titled: "Saw 1.5 Million Malaysian Ringgit for the First Time".

Computer-generated

The narration in the doctored videos has been created using computer software similar to speech production program Narakeet.

AFP used Narakeet to convert the speech audio in the fake reports to written text. We then fed that text back into Narakeet for it to produce its own version of the narration. With the software's "Adipati" option activated, the resulting audio was identical to the voice in the offending video.

AFP has previously debunked a similar cash-conjuring claim involving a shaman in Indonesia. This scam was advertised in fake reports doctored from broadcasts by Indonesian media Tribunnews and Liputan 6.

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