HAVING a baby is expensive enough without scammers making things worse, and yet here we are.
A video doing the rounds on TikTok has been telling pregnant Malaysians and new mothers that the government is handing out RM500 to help with post-delivery expenses, complete with a helpfully provided link to apply.
It sounds generous. It also sounds exactly like something that should be checked before anyone clicks anything.
Is the government really offering RM500 to pregnant women and new mothers?
Verdict:
FALSE
No such scheme exists. The government has never offered this aid, and the whole thing is a scam designed to steal personal data and hijack Telegram accounts.
The claim spread through a TikTok video showing a pregnant woman alongside details of the supposed assistance, stating that applications were open to Malaysian citizens who were at least 22 weeks pregnant or within three months of giving birth, with a list of required documents thrown in for convincing effect.
Fact-checkers at MyCheck Malaysia investigated and the first thing that caught their eye was the TikTok account itself.
The username, @bantuan.ibu.bersa8, was immediately suspicious. Legitimate government agencies do not name their accounts like that. The account had also only just been created and had a grand total of seven posts, the first of which appeared on March 29.
When commenters asked how to apply, the account operator told them to message a phone number on WhatsApp for more information.
MyCheck did exactly that, posing as a prospective applicant, and received a link in return.
The link had no "gov.my" domain, which all genuine Malaysian government websites carry.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching had previously warned the public that any website claiming to be a government resource without a "gov.my" address should be treated with suspicion.
Clicking the link brought up a page dressed up to look like it belonged to the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, with fields asking for a full name, gender and phone number to supposedly check eligibility.
After MyCheck entered random details and hit "CHECK NOW", the page asked for a Telegram OTP verification code, which was where the scam revealed itself fully.
MyCheck identified this as a phishing tactic to harvest personal information, combined with a Telegram takeover attempt designed to seize control of the victim's account once the OTP was handed over.
For those genuinely looking for government support after giving birth, two legitimate schemes do exist, though neither is what the scam was advertising.
The Sarawak state government runs the Bantuan Ibu Bersalin scheme, which provides RM450 in cash to every mother who delivers in Sarawak regardless of race, religion or income, to help cover nutrition and self-care during the confinement period. The scheme has been running since 2020.
Separately, the Malaysia Indian Transformation Unit under the Prime Minister's Department, offers a maternal assistance programme specifically for B40 Malaysian Indian mothers to help with the costs of a newborn.
Anyone who receives similar offers online is strongly advised to verify everything through official government portals before sharing any personal information.
Sources:
1. https://mycheck.my/scam-
2. https://bernama.com/bm/news.
4. https://kpwk.sarawak.gov.my/
5. https://pbsc-mitra.my/page/
6. https://www.astroawani.com/
