Hoax claims about cash aid misuse images of Malaysian PM, news logo

Published on September 30, 2025 at 09:41
2 min read
By Najmi Mamat, AFP Malaysia

An altered graphic misusing a local newspaper's logo and a photo of Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim has circulated alongside false claims he announced a subsidy to single and stay-at-home mothers, as well as unmarried people. The finance ministry told AFP the posts were a "phishing scam", while the Malay-language daily Sinar Harian also said it had not reported on any such subsidy.

"Anwar Ibrahim has approved assistance amounting to RM1,500 ($357) for single mothers, stay-at-home mothers, and unmarried people only," reads the Malay-language text of a TikTok post shared on September 17, 2025.

It accompanies a screenshot of a purported news graphic by Malay-language daily Sinar Harian featuring a photo of Anwar standing at a podium.

"Applications can be submitted from 17 September to 21 September 2025," it says.

Screenshot of the false post taken on September 24, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

Similar graphics imitating Sinar Harian's social media posts and featuring various photos of Anwar spread elsewhere on TikTok.

Fraudulent posts claiming the government is handing out cash aid to needy citizens regularly circulate on social media in Malaysia.

AFP has previously debunked accounts impersonating government schemes and online scammers targeting Malaysian citizens who seek financial aid and application for immigration documents by using AI clips.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance told AFP on September 30 the circulating claim was a "phishing scam".

"There is no dedicated assistance provided for single mothers that offers RM1,500," she said.

Keyword searches also revealed that Sinar Harian has not published any report about the prime minister announcing a new cash aid scheme (archived link).

In addition, the circulating graphic is inconsistent with genuine Sinar Harian social media posts (archived link).

Sinar Harian uses a different font, while the marker for "national" news is red and placed at the top left corner of the graphic, instead of under the photo.

The date of Sinar Harian's posts is also at the bottom of the image along with the official news site URL and logos for all its social media accounts.

Screenshot comparison between the false post (left) and a genuine Sinar Harian post (right), with the red X added by AFP

Sinar Harian told AFP it had not published any such report about Anwar announcing the cash assistance as of September 30, 2025.

"This is not our house style," the spokesperson also said, pointing out other misspelled words in the graphic as an indication it was fabricated.

A Google reverse image search followed by keyword searches found the photo of Anwar used in the false graphic was originally published by Reuters news agency on November 5, 2023 (archived link).

Its caption reads: "Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at a press conference during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit, at Putrajaya, Malaysia, 05 November 2023."

Screenshot comparison between the fabricated picture (left) and a genuine Reuters photo (right)

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