Posts lure Malaysian users to imposter government website with bogus laptop offer
- Published on February 16, 2026 at 03:25
- 2 min read
- By Najmi Mamat, AFP Malaysia
The Malaysian government is not giving away free laptops to low-income groups, contrary to social media posts directing users to imposter government websites that ask for personal information. Malaysia's Finance Ministry says the posts are spreading "fake news" and warned the public against clicking suspicious links and sharing information with unauthorised sources.
"The application for free laptop assistance is now open! A limited opportunity exclusively for Malaysians," reads a Malay-language Facebook post shared on February 5, 2026.
The post, which includes a graphic featuring students and laptops, claims there is a limited quota and urges the public to apply as soon as possible by clicking the provided link.
The link leads to a website -- bearing the logo of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's "Malaysia Madani" (Civil Malaysia) policy framework as well as the country's coat of arms -- and a form where applicants are asked for their full name and telephone number (archived link).
The supposed offer of free laptops was also shared in other Facebook posts either linking to the website or similar pages with the same layout, as well as on TikTok.
But the Malaysian government says the free laptop scheme does not exist.
The purported free laptop offer was only promoted on pages created on February 5, 6 and 7, and the linked websites are not official government pages.
None of the websites linked to in the false posts end with ".gov.my", the domain suffix used by official Malaysian government sites. Checking the domain suffix is also highlighted on the Malaysian government's portal as a way to check whether a suspicious-looking site is an official website (archived link).
Moreover, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia Teo Nie Ching has previously said the public should not trust any website claiming to be a government page if it does not end with ".gov.my", warning they are likely to be run by scammers (archived link).
Malaysia's Finance Ministry addressed the circulating posts in a statement on its official Facebook page on February 12, branding them "fake news" (archived link).
"The ministry would like to emphasise that no free laptop scheme exists, contrary to claims circulating on social media and unofficial websites," it said.
It said the public should avoid clicking suspicious links, refrain from sharing personal information with unauthorised sources, and always verify information through official channels.
AFP has previously debunked fraudulent posts claiming the government is handing out aid, which frequently circulate in Malaysia.
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