A Malaysian pisang goreng seller has gone viral after falling victim to a heartbreaking scam — receiving a counterfeit RM100 note from a customer, only to realise that it was a fake note too late.
The incident was shared on TikTok by user @kakemikitchen, who expressed her frustration after being duped during a routine transaction.
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“Even small traders like me get scammed with fake money,” she wrote in a caption accompanying the video, clearly disappointed.
According to her, the fake note wasn’t flagged until she tried to deposit it at the bank and was told it wasn’t real currency.
In a follow-up video to silence skeptics, the vendor demonstrated a water test on the note. Though it initially appeared legitimate — complete with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s image and other familiar markings — rubbing water on its surface exposed the truth.
Purple dye began to bleed from the front, and faded ink patches emerged on the reverse side.
“You be the judge. Does this look like real money to you? To those who said I faked this for content, I’m showing this just to prove it’s real,” she stated.
The video has since garnered millions of views and triggered an outpouring of support from Malaysians online.
Many were outraged at the dishonesty shown toward a small-time food vendor and urged others in similar businesses to be extra cautious when handling large denomination notes.
One user called mirayasmin56 commented, “Back then, you could tell fake money just by looking at it once. Now, even after looking two or three times, it looks exactly the same. Next time, keep some water ready—if anyone gives you a RM100 note, dip it in water first.”
“That’s not a good thing to do. Pity the trader. May the trader be blessed with abundant sustenance,” A wrote.
“Maybe the person who bought it didn’t even know it was fake money... because it looks exactly the same,” auraputeri04 suggested.
