QuickCheck: Is the Social Welfare Dept giving out RM500 to senior citizens?

A VIRAL post is making its rounds on social media claiming that the Social Welfare Department (SWD) is asking senior citizens to give their personal details so that they can secure a special RM500 in monthly aid.

Is what is stated in the post true?

Verdict:

FALSE

The SWD has released a statement on its social media accounts stating that the post is fake, adding that the public should not easily trust any information circulated on social media.

It then urged people to refer to the department's official portal, www.jkm.gov.my, for accurate information on the aid schemes it offers.

Scams like this are a form of social engineering run by unscrupulous individuals and syndicates to collect information on potential marks.

Those that applied would then be targeted with any number of scams to try and separate them from their money.

According to the police, over RM5.2bil has been lost to commercial crimes and scams since 2020.

"RM5.2bil is a big figure and that is why we need to continue engaging the public and share with them some of the latest modus operandi or tactics used by these scammers so that they will not fall easily for them," said Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani recently on the matter.

"Only by equipping members of the public with knowledge of scam activities can we protect them from harm," the Inspector-General of Police added.

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