Fake videos of Indonesian President-elect Prabowo “announcing financial aid” are spreading online

Manipulated videos of Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto, in which he allegedly announces financial aid for the archipelago’s residents, have repeatedly appeared on the Internet ahead of his inauguration in October. His spokesman told AFP that the posts, which have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, are a “hoax”.

In a video shared on the SnackVideo platform on August 12, 2024, Prabowo appears to be saying, “On the occasion of Indonesian Independence Day, I will provide assistance to all Indonesian citizens, especially those who follow and are truly in need.”

A text accompanying the video said the cash assistance would be between five and 50 million Indonesian rupiah (about $320 to $3,200), depending on the recipient’s eligibility.

The post added that Prabowo – who is set to succeed Indonesian President Joko Widodo in October – would pass on the financial support to those who follow the account.

Similar posts – including here, here and here on SnackVideo – circulated as Indonesia celebrated its Independence Day on August 17.

Some people apparently believed that Prabowo was actually distributing cash.

“Mr. President, help me get out of debt,” one wrote in the comments.

“I need help renovating the house, sir,” said another.

In another video shared on TikTok on August 6, Prabowo was apparently seen saying he would disburse financial assistance to “the unemployed, widows, students, the elderly and housewives.”

Other posts with different footage have been viewed over 200,000 times on TikTok here, here and here, alongside the false claim that he promised help to all Indonesian families.

Prabowo’s spokesman Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak said the calls for financial aid were a “hoax”.

“There is no such thing,” he told AFP on August 22.

Manipulated videos

A reverse image search on Google revealed that the audio of the videos in circulation had been manipulated from unrelated recordings in which Prabowo had not promised any such financial help.

The first video comes from footage posted on Prabowo’s official Facebook account on June 21, 2018 (archived here).

It shows him announcing a fundraising app called “Galang Perjuangan” ahead of the country’s general elections in 2019.

He said, among other things: “I stand before you to share some of my thoughts and make some demands as we work together to find solutions and address the challenges facing our nation.”

Below you can see a comparison of the fake video (left) with the original material (right):

The second video corresponds to footage posted on Instagram by a member of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party on April 19, 2024 (archived here).

It was also uploaded to YouTube by local media Tribunnews and shows Prabowo discusses an election protest filed against him and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka following their victory in 2024. (archived here).

“Ladies and gentlemen, I, Prabowo Subianto, urge the entire Indonesian people, especially the 96.2 million citizens who voted in the presidential election between Prabowo and Gibran, to refrain from any actions in front of the Constitutional Court building,” he said in Indonesian.

Below you can see a screenshot comparison of the fake video (left) and the original clip (right):

Finally, the third video comes from a YouTube post by the coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs dated July 18, 2024 (archived here).

It shows Prabowo talking about how outgoing President Joko Widodo tried to prepare him for the country’s top job.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have been appointed to represent the President, Mr Joko Widodo, and what I am conveying here are actually notes and advice from him,” says Prabowo.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the edited video (left) and the original video from the coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs (right):

AFP has previously exposed videos by other Indonesian officials here and here that were doctored to support false claims about the handouts.