Manipulated videos of Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati apparently promising to give away money to people who ‘like and share’ the clips on social media are a ‘hoax’, the official’s spokesperson told AFP. The original videos actually show the minister talking about meetings she attended.
“Peace be upon you, I am Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the Minister of Finance of Indonesia. I promise that those who watch this TikTok video will receive help,” Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati appears to say in a SnackVideo message on August 24, 2024.
“I will transfer 20 million to you. This is for business capital or to pay off debts, remember not to use it for extravagance.”
The video also appears to show the official asking people to “like and share” the video. after to obtain the alleged cash payment.
The top left corner of the video has a clip of people showing off stacks of money.
The video was also shared with similar claims on TikTok here, here And here.
Another version of the false claim used another video of Sri Mulyani speaking, seen on TikTok here, here And here.
The minister appears to be making the same offer of free money in these clips, with an identical memory to use the money for “working capital or paying off debts” and not for “extravagance”.
Users left comments showing they were convinced the flyer was authentic.
“I have a debt to pay, Mrs Sri Mulyani,” said one user.
“Mrs. Sri, I want it,” said another.
However, the videos are “Hoaxes,” said Yustinus Prastowo, spokesman for the Minister of Finance.
“The Ministry of Finance has never implemented such policies or actions. We urge the public not to simply believe in information that cannot be accounted for,” Yustinus told AFP on August 27.
Manipulated video
Google searches revealed that videos of the finance minister had been altered and given a fake audio track.
The first clip used in the fake news matches a video first shared on Sri Mulyani’s official Instagram account on April 30, 2024, in a after a summary of her visit to the Saudi capital Riyadh ((archived here).
The abused images match the Instagram videos 14 second mark.
In the original video, Sri Mulyani recounts her meeting with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud and Islamic Development Bank President Muhammad Al-Jasser.
“We talked about energy security, energy sustainability and energy affordability. A challenge of how countries around the world can keep their energy supply and access affordable and at the same time collectively protect the world from carbon dioxide and climate change,” Sri Mulyani said in the video.
There is no mention in the video of providing money or financial assistance.
Below is a screenshot of the manipulated video (left) and Sri Mulyani’s Instagram post (right):
The second video used in the fake news also comes from the minister’s official Instagram account pagefrom a May 4, 2024 vlog about her visit to Tbilisi, Georgia to attend a meeting between ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea – known as ASEAN Plus Three – and the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (archived here).
“Today, much of the important discussion is about how ASEAN Plus Three is dealing with global economic developments and in particular geopolitical tensions that are affecting the performance of the ASEAN Plus Three economies,” she says in the video.
“We also discussed financial safety nets, including the Chiang Mai Initiative, which is being expanded with new instruments.”
She makes no mention of monetary gifts.
Below is a screenshot of the modified video (left) and Sri Mulyani’s Instagram post (right):
Meanwhile, reverse searches on Google found the clip of people holding cash that was included in the minister’s video, which was shared in a YouTube video claiming that the money was earned in “less than three hours’ work”.
The video does not mention the Indonesian Finance Minister.
Similar manipulated scam videos promising money were targeted at other Indonesian politicians, including the president-elect Prabowo Subianto and president Joko Widodo.
