Prabowo's Name Used in Hoaxes Spreading on Facebook, Countermeasures Strengthened

Hoaxes impersonating Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto have resurfaced on social media, particularly on Facebook. These fabricated posts often use edited footage from past events or add false narratives, posing a risk of misleading the public. Liputan6.com's fact-checking team has identified several types of hoaxes circulating: 1. Cheap Motorcycle Program Announcement: A video falsely claims President Prabowo announced a promotion for motorcycles priced at Rp 600,000 (approximately USD 38). The video, which includes celebrity names, directs users to a specific WhatsApp number. It appears to be an edited clip of past events with fabricated announcements. The transcript of the video reads: "I prove to you, Prabowo Subianto, as President of the Republic of Indonesia, that this cheap motorcycle promo program of Rp 600 thousand from Ibu Gigi's store is official from Mr. Raffi Ahmad and Nagita Slavina. This program is presented as a form of appreciation and care for the community." Accompanying narration states: "For those of you who find this video, try pressing the love button and the arrow, type 'amin' in the comments, and I will immediately send a new motorcycle to those who say it's a hoax and don't believe it, just skip it. The price is Rp 600 thousand, fully paid, fixed price, daily motorcycle delivery." The post also included: "Motorcycle promo from the president, how to order, contact WA 0822-6188-5751 #prabowo #president #indonesia #fyp #viral #everyone." In the comments section, the poster directed netizens inquiring about the promo to contact a specific WhatsApp number. 2. 35% Income Tax Hike: Another hoax alleges President Prabowo instructed a 35% cut in income tax (PPH21) directly from workers' salaries. It provides specific calculations, such as a Rp 5 million gross salary resulting in a Rp 3.25 million net salary after tax, all of which is unsubstantiated. The post, which circulated last week, featured a photo of President Prabowo with the caption: "Prabowo Subianto instructs PPH21 to be deducted by 35% from workers' salaries for the progress of the nation." The post also included a table showing the new PPH 21 calculation, stating that workers with a gross salary of Rp 5 million would receive a net salary of Rp 3.25 million after tax deduction. Similarly, workers with a gross salary of Rp 10 million would receive a net salary of Rp 6.5 million. The account added the caption: "If this is true, let's go for 2 periods for Mr. Prabowo." 3. Presidential Demotion Ceremony: Screenshots of footage depicting a ceremony for President Prabowo's demotion are also circulating. These are accompanied by inflammatory captions like "The time has come," exploiting television news visuals to spread disinformation. The post, uploaded on August 17, 2026, showed a screenshot from tvOne with President Prabowo in a salute pose, captioned "Prabowo Subianto Demotion Ceremony." The account added the caption: "The time has come." Liputan6.com's fact-checking division, established in 2018 and a partner of Facebook and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), actively works to enhance media literacy and verify such false claims. They encourage public submissions of suspicious information and offer rapid verification via a WhatsApp chatbot. Fighting hoaxes is equivalent to fighting ignorance. This principle underlies the creation of the Liputan6.com Fact Check Channel in 2018, which continues to provide media literacy to the wider community. Since July 2, 2018, Cek Fakta Liputan6.com has been a member of the International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) and a Facebook partner. They are also part of the cekfakta.com initiative. Cooperation with any party will not affect their independence. If you have information about hoaxes that you would like us to investigate and verify, please send it to the email address [email protected]. For faster answers, contact the Liputan6 Check Fact WhatsApp Chatbot at 0811-9787-670.