FB post that sent Malaysians into a frenzy

PETALING JAYA: Idah Basri (pic), the woman whose Facebook post on unclaimed money sent Malaysians into a queuing frenzy, never expected to score a RM14,000 “windfall” initially.

The 50-year-old businesswoman made a trip to the Accountant-General’s Department office in Menara Maybank, Kuala Lumpur, to check on problems related to her credit card, only to find out that she had that amount of unclaimed money.

“I was really surprised as I thought that whatever I had in my old bank account was gone for good.

“I remember not closing the account when I was a student and there was some scholarship money and other funds left,” she said, adding that part of the money was from an insurance matter.

Idah, the founder of herbal product company Seri Dewi Malam, said she did not realise her Facebook post would go viral, adding that it was something that the people needed to know.

Idah said that many people did not understand the banking system and would have thought that the money in their dormant accounts could not be recovered.

Her Facebook post, which included a photograph of a slip showing the amount of her refund and some simple tips on what documents to prepare, was shared more than 19,000 times and had 6,900 likes.

Idah also claimed that she only received RM752 in refunds early last month and that the balance, which came to about RM13,000, was still pending.

“I will use the money to cover my business expenses,” she said.