Deepfake videos of Malaysian leaders used to promote hoax Ramadan aid scheme
- Published on March 12, 2026 at 12:02
- 2 min read
- By Najmi MAMAT, AFP Malaysia
Online scammers have repeatedly targeted Malaysians with hoax aid schemes, with the latest using deepfakes of the country's royals and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to promote a supposed "Ramadan assistance" programme as the Muslim-majority country observed the holy month. The posts promise large cash payouts, but require victims to pay a registration fee when contacted. Malaysia's Royal Press Office has rejected the deepfake scams, and there are no official reports of Ramadan aid provided by the royal family.
A TikTok video shared on March 8, 2026 appeared to show Malaysia's Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah saying: "In this holy month of Ramadan, I announce that aid will be provided this month for all citizens, so that this assistance can help them live in prosperity".
The account that published the video -- which has since been deleted -- included a WhatsApp number in the comments, urging interested users to reach out there for "registration".
Raja Zarith Sofiah is the wife of Malaysia's current king, Sultan Ibrahim, who took the throne in 2024 under the country's unique constitutional monarchy system where nine state rulers who hail from centuries-old Islamic royalty take turns to rule every five years.
Other posts purportedly offering financial aid for Ramadan feature videos of the ruler of central Malaysia's Pahang state Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Anwar. Another post shows former Singaporean president Halimah Yacob.
AFP reached out via the provided WhatsApp number and was promised a cash aid of 50,000 ringgit (US$12,742) but was also asked to provide personal details and a registration fee of 200 ringgit (US$50).
As of March 12, AFP found no credible reports or official announcements about Ramadan aid schemes offered by the king or other Malay rulers.
Meanwhile, visual and audio anomalies -- including unnatural blinking and distorted mouth movements -- revealed the circulating TikTok clip of Raja Zarith Sofiah had been manipulated with AI tools.
An analysis of the falsely shared video by the Hive Moderation AI detector found it was "likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content" (archived link).
A reverse image and subsequent keyword search on Google found it was altered using a photo of the queen uploaded to the king's official Facebook page on February 25 (archived link).
The post is about Raja Zarith Sofiah breaking her Ramadan fast with the prime minister, along with cabinet ministers, foreign heads of missions and senior government officials.
It does not mention any aid programme offered by the royals.
The Royal Press Office has repeatedly issued statements warning about fabricated videos of the king and queen (archived here and here).
On August 20, 2025, it rebuffed another now-deleted AI-generated video: "The public is advised to be vigilant and not be easily influenced by these fake accounts which are often used by 'scammers' for fraudulent purposes on social media platforms."
The Pahang Palace also issued a statement in February 2026 warning against the misuse of Sultan Abdullah's likeness for "fraudulent and deceptive purposes" (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked deepfake videos of prominent Malaysian figures and authorities that trick victims into paying a "registration fee" for nonexistent aid or services.
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