Phishing scam targeting expectant women masquerades as Malaysian govt aid scheme

Published on April 29, 2026 at 10:56
2 min read
By Raevathi SUPRAMANIAM, AFP Malaysia

The Malaysian federal government has not offered a 500 ringgit (US$127) aid scheme to pregnant mothers, contrary to social media posts that encourage interested users to apply via a messaging app. AFP found the purported scheme is in fact a phishing scam that attempts to gain access to the users' Telegram accounts. The finance ministry does not list such a scheme on its official website, and the ministry in charge of women's issues also said it did not provide aid to pregnant mothers at the federal level.

"Information on maternity assistance 2026. Pregnant mothers can apply now," reads a TikTok post shared on April 27, 2026.

It includes a graphic with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's "Malaysia Madani" policy framework logo and the Southeast Asian nation's coat of arms. Text in the graphic repeats the false claim that mothers who are pregnant or have given birth recently can apply for 500 ringgit cash aid.

Screenshot of the false post taken on April 27, 2026 with a red X added by AFP

Similar posts were shared elsewhere on TikTok, but the Malaysian government is not providing aid to expectant mothers or those who have recently given birth.

The account, which supposedly belongs to a doctor named Dr Faizan Irda Atty, encourages interested individuals to send a message to a WhatsApp phone number listed in the account's bio to apply.

A check on the Malaysia Medical Council's registry of doctors did not find anyone by that name (archived link).

AFP reached out to the WhatsApp number and was told to provide a phone number for Telegram, which the user claimed was the only way to apply for the assistance. After AFP provided a phone number, the user claimed to have sent a verification code and asked AFP for it.

Malaysian police have previously warned of such phishing scams, which they said aimed to hijack Telegram accounts for use in other cybercrimes, such as impersonation, extortion and online scams (archived link).

Targeted aid scheme

A Google keyword search led to the finance ministry's website, which lists all available government aid programmes (archived link). It does not include a maternity aid scheme.

Screenshot of the finance ministry's website with a list of all available financial aid schemes

Subsequent searches revealed that targeted cash aid for expectant mothers or those who have recently given birth is provided by the government of the East Malaysian Sarawak state, as well as by the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA) (archived here and here).

The cash aid provided by Sarawak is only available to expectant mothers born in the state who have the letter "K" on their identity card, indicating they are Malaysian citizens or permanent residents of Sarawak.

Meanwhile, MITRA's aid is limited to low-income women from the Indian community.

A finance ministry spokesperson confirmed to AFP on April 29: "We have consulted the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, which has confirmed that no such assistance is available at the federal level."

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.

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