Hoaxes Regarding Papua Circulate on Social Media, Authorities Urge Caution

Hoaxes and misinformation related to Indonesia's Papua region are circulating on social media, spreading various narratives that deviate from the facts. Authorities are urging the public to exercise caution. One of the confirmed hoaxes involves a video claiming that Papua Governor Mathius Derek Fakhiri is distributing aid from the government. In the video, individuals are instructed to leave comments or messages via messenger to receive the aid. However, a fact-check by Liputan6.com revealed this information to be false. The governor's purported statement in the video reads, "Hello, shalom. This is direct aid from the government. If this video appears on your timeline, leave a message in the comments or messenger." The post also included a comment expressing hope that the aid would benefit families and a link for sending messages. Another piece of misinformation concerns a photograph alleged to show fishermen in Papua capturing a mysterious, previously unseen creature. The photo depicts a strange, white animal resembling a lizard or amphibian, with four legs, each having four toes. This image was disseminated via a Facebook account on July 25, 2024, with the claim, "Papuan fishermen captured an animal never seen before." The post was shared 58 times and garnered numerous comments from netizens. Furthermore, claims about a grand lottery promotion by Bank Papua are also circulating. This information, shared on a Facebook account on June 3, 2024, under the title "Bank Papua 2024 Program," targets Bank Papua Mobile users. It promises prizes such as Alphard, CR-V, HR-V, Xpander, Fortuner, BR-V, Brio, and BMW cars, Scoopy and XMAX motorcycles, large televisions, smartphones, gold bars, Singapore tour packages, and Umrah packages. The information includes a link that directs users to a form requesting personal data, including full name, ATM card number, account number, NIK KTP (Indonesian ID number), mobile phone number, and card expiry date. Liputan6.com established its "Cek Fakta" (Fact Check) channel in 2018 to promote media literacy. The channel is a member of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) and partners with Facebook. Information regarding hoaxes can be submitted via email to [email protected] or through the WhatsApp chatbot at 0811-9787-670. Source: Liputan6