Posts share false claim about monthly cash assistance for Malaysians

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on August 22, 2023 at 14:05
  • 2 min read
  • By AFP Malaysia

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Multiple social media posts have shared a false claim that all Malaysians are entitled to a monthly aid of 100 Malaysian ringgit ($21.50), which will be credited to their identification cards, also known as MyKad. The Malaysian government has dismissed the claim as false -- it only provides an additional 100 ringgit monthly allowance for those already receiving social security payments, who are considered to be in extreme poverty.

The claim was shared here on a Facebook page with around 187,000 followers on July 29, 2023.

The Malay-language caption translates: "100 Malaysian Ringgit Assistance Credited Into MyKad Every Month for All Malaysians!"

The post also shares an image showing several MyKads and text repeating the claim.

Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on August 13, 2023

The same image also appeared in this article, published on the website seen at the bottom of the image.

A similar claim also appeared on Facebook here, here and here, and in blog posts here and here.

Some Facebook users appeared to believe that the assistance is for all Malaysians.

"Try transferring it into the bank account, easier for the people," one wrote.

"How to check," asked another.

Screenshot of Facebook users' comments

However, the claim is false.

'Fake news'

On July 28, 2023, the Malaysian finance ministry said in a post published on its official Facebook page that the claim is false (archived link).

"This is fake!" the post's Malay-language caption reads. "The Ministry of Finance insists that the information about the '100 Malaysian Ringgit Aid Credited In MyKad Every Month' is false. Be careful and don't be easily fooled by such news on social media."

It includes the screenshot of the misleading image, stamped with text that reads: "FAKE".

The Malaysian government provides an additional 100 ringgit each month between July and December 2023 for citizens who receive social security payments, but only those considered to be in "extreme poverty" are eligible, according to a document posted on the Inland Revenue Board's website (archived link).

Eligible recipients must have a household income of no more than 1,169 ringgit monthly and be considered "extremely poor" under Malaysia's national poverty data bank system (archived link).

More than 210,000 Malaysians will receive the additional 100 ringgit monthly financial assistance, according to a statement published on the Ministry of Finance's Facebook page on July 16, 2023 (archived link).

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