POSTERS offering government assistance programmes including eKasih, eMADANI and maternity aid have been spreading widely on social media, complete with QR codes for recipients to scan and claim their money.
The posters look convincing enough, carrying government logos, images of leaders and the names of official agencies.
But are these government aid QR codes actually legitimate?
Verdict:
TRUE
Scammers are actively circulating fake government aid posters on social media using QR codes to steal personal and banking information from victims, as reported by MyCheck.my.
The tactic is known as "quishing", a term combining "QR code" and "phishing," in which fraudsters plant fake QR codes in social media posts, public spaces or messages that direct victims to bogus websites designed to harvest their personal details.
MyCheck.my found that a viral poster purporting to offer eKasih assistance in 2026 contained several red flags, including job vacancy links, a Hari Kebangsaan 2024 tagline and a Facebook account for a job listing page, none of which have any connection to the eKasih programme.
For context, eKasih is Malaysia's National Poverty Data Bank, managed by the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department, and applications are made in person at district offices or through local community leaders, not through social media links or QR codes.
Scammers have also been recycling the eMADANI branding, with fake posters circulating on social media offering cash assistance via QR code.
The Finance Ministry has denied these claims on its official Facebook page, noting that no such eMADANI assistance has been announced for 2026.
A separate wave of fake posters has been offering RM450 in maternity assistance under the "Bantuan Ibu Bersalin 2026" branding, again using QR codes to direct victims to fraudulent websites.
The Finance Ministry has also denied these claims in a statement on its official Facebook page.
"The public is advised not to scan QR codes, click any links or provide personal and banking information through such posts," the Finance Ministry said.
"Always be wary of content that uses the national coat of arms, images of leaders or names of government agencies to convince the public. Such tactics can be used to deceive victims and obtain personal information," it added.
Scammers have also been exploiting the Hari Kebangsaan 2026 celebrations by circulating fake RM100 reward posts that ask users to share the message with five groups or 15 contacts before directing them to advertisement pages.
In some cases, scammers have been using a separate tactic known as Telegram Takeover, in which victims are asked to provide their Telegram phone number, allowing the scammer to hijack the account and use it to spread further scams to the victim's contacts.
The public is urged to obtain information about government assistance only through official government websites and verified agency social media accounts, and to verify any offer or link before taking action.
Sources:
2. https://semaklayak.nt-vt.com/
3. https://ekasih2.icu.gov.my/
4. https://www.astroawani.com/
7. https://bernama.com/bm/news.
12. https://kpwk.sarawak.gov.my/
13. https://ganjaran-hari-
