"Get your driver's licence without a test," reads the Malay-language chyron on a video shared on TikTok on November 29, 2024.
The video, which was viewed more than 760,000 times, appears to show a news report by national public broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).
It features clips from a Ministry of Transport meeting and footage of Road Transport Department (JPJ) offices, as a voiceover repeats the claim about obtaining a driving licence.
The video's Malay-language caption added: "Is this licence fake? Of course not. The licence is originally from JPJ (can be checked in the system after getting the licence).
"Wherever you are, you can apply because we operate 100 percent online. And all your dealings are directly with JPJ officers."
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Screenshot of the false TikTok post, captured on December 11, 2024
The same account shared a similar video here that further claimed the licences cost between 300 and 1,550 ringgit.
Another similar video was shared on Instagram, which included a link to a WhatsApp chat on its bio where users could ask for more information.
AFP contacted one of the sellers and was given an order form that asks for the applicant's full name, the type of licence they want and a delivery address. Applicants are also asked to send a photo of their national identity card.
But new licences are only issued to drivers who have passed "all learning procedures and tests", according to a government website, and applications can only be made in person at JPJ state and branch offices (archived link).
'Fake licence syndicate'
A keyword search on Google found JPJ branded the circulating posts as "false" on its official Facebook page on December 2 (archived link).
The department called the accounts sharing the posts part of a "fake licence syndicate".
"JPJ advises the public not to fall for such claims and to contact the nearest JPJ office to get more accurate and authentic information," read its Malay-language post.
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Screenshot of the Malaysian road transport department's statement on Facebook
A separate reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a similar news segment published by RTM on its official YouTube channel on January 4, 2023 (archived link).
The falsely shared video corresponds to footage from the 21-second mark of the RTM news segment.
The segment is about improving the quality of services provided by Malaysia's transport authorities, and this is reflected in the superimposed chyron.
There is no mention of issuing driving licences without a test, and the voiceover used in the false video differs from that used in RTM's report.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the RTM report (right):
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Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the RTM report (right)
An RTM spokesperson told AFP the video was doctored and its original audio track had been replaced.
"The video from the RTM News YouTube channel was altered, edited and uploaded to TikTok," the spokesperson said on December 6.
The broadcaster also refuted the false posts on its YouTube channel on December 9 (archived link).
AFP has debunked other false claims that were shared by accounts impersonating Malaysian government departments here and here.