Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

AnakPinang brings to the attention of the State Government of Penang and the Penang general public an alarming attempt to mislead the general public by opponents of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP). We have wolves in sheep's clothing in our midst.

Their modus operandi is to create shadow Facebook Pages that mimic the genuine and legitimate Facebook Pages of those who support PTMP. But instead of supporting PTMP, their purpose is to bring it down and to ensure that it fails.

The first shadow Facebook Page that was created by these people is the one that duplicates the Support Penang Transport Master Plan Facebook Page. Take a look at the decoy page here. You will see that the name is exactly the same, however despite it saying "Support" Penang Transport Master Plan, this page was not created to support but to oppose the plan. Their URL, www.bettercheaperfaster.my is a giveaway over whom their page belongs.

Comparing the Real from the Fake

Real "Support Penang Transport Master Plan" page
https://www.facebook.com/PenangTransportMasterPlan/



Fake "Support Penang Transport Master Plan" page
https://www.facebook.com/PenangTransportMasterPlanPTMP/

Comparing Start Dates of Real and Fake pages

How do we tell which is the real page and which is the fake? The real "Support Penang Transport Master Plan" page is not afraid to reveal when it was created. You can get that information by clicking on "About" on the left column.

"About" page of the real "Support Penang Transport Master Plan" page:
https://www.facebook.com/PenangTransportMasterPlan/about/?ref=page_internal





In comparison, the fake "Support" Penang Transport Master Plan page does not show what date it was created. The owner knows that by showing the page, people will be able to tell that this page was created in response to the genuine page. Take a look:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/PenangTransportMasterPlanPTMP/about/?ref=page_internal

You will notice that although this Facebook Page has the name "Support" to it, if you follow their link, http://www.bettercheaperfaster.my, you will see that these people are opposed to PTMP.

Finding out who knows about the Fake page

We do not know who created and manages the fake Support Penang Transport Master Plan page, but we can tell who has knowledge of that page, and who has given his/her support to that fake page. We can tell simply by looking at who has liked the posts on that page. Anybody who liked the post on this fake page is either directly or indirectly involved in setting it up.

Take the post that was made on August 29, 2018 (this post) as an example. By pointing our cursor to the date on that post, we can tell exactly when it was posted. Be quick - we believe the moment the scammers find out that their deception has been discovered, they will remove their post, and even their fake Facebook Page!





At the time that we investigated on this post, which is 1:43PM, 9 November, 2018, there are 22 persons who have liked that post. We can see who they are simply by pointing our cursor to the thumbs up and click.

Here are their names and their Facebook accounts:

These are the people who like the post on the fake page

(Only 20 names are visible)


Of the 22 persons who like that Facebook post, the names Estelle Washington, Sarah Nelson, Jean Shah, Zoe Walkman, Steven Donaldson, Augusta Orlando, Bethany Wood, Frances Turner, Donald Wilson, Travis Glickman, Arlene Jude and Warren Arianna do not sound like your regular Ahmad, Ah Beng and Arul, and if you check each of their Facebook accounts, you will find that they are indeed foreigners, living not in Malaysia, let alone Penang. Moreover, their Facebook timeline makes no mention of Penang or even Malaysia, so it is highly suspect what business they would have to LIKE a page that is about Penang?

From this alarming discovery, we can only conclude that (a) this fake "Support" Penang Transport Master Plan page is liked mostly by foreigners, who are possibly attempting to dictate their opinion on Penang, a place which they have no connection whatsoever, nor interest to post about on their respective Facebook timelines, or (b) all the foreigners who like the fake Support Penang Transport Master Plan page are themselves fake accounts whose likes were purchased. Yes, it is entirely possible to buy fake Facebook likes. We believe they bought Facebook likes in order to give an inflated appearance of popularity, and to mask the reality that the majority of Penangites reject their negative position.

As the entire purpose of the fake "Support" Penang Transport Master Plan page is actually to oppose the plan, the credibility of all the people who oppose PTMP is likewise questioned. Whether they are demonstrating with placards in front of our state assembly, or shooting down our state government's initiatives for our future, we are no longer sure if they have a hidden unspoken agenda, other than to discredit the state government that the people of Penang have voted in. What is proven here is that they are cunning and deceitful.

All the screenshots that appear on this page were made on or before 3:00pm, 9 November, 2018. These screenshots carry digital dates which cannot be altered, so even if the owner of the fake page should remove the foreign likes and get local people to like the page, we have the evidence that this is a manipulation after getting caught.

Zealous opponents of PTMP may say that it is just a "coincidence" that two Facebook Pages happen to have the same name. But this has happened more than once.

Comparing Look-and-Feel of Fake Pages

When we, AnakPinang, created our own Facebook Page, barely a day would pass before a shadow Facebook Page of the same name also appeared.

The fake AnakPinang page bears the same look and feel as the fake "Support" Penang Transport Master Plan page.

Just compare:





One common element of these two fake pages is that they both have trams as the cover photo. As trams are central to those who oppose PTMP, this is as clear as it gets that both fake pages bear similarities. But that's not all.

As with the fake "Support" Penang Transport Master Plan page, the owner of the fake AnakPinang page has removed the date when the page was created.



In comparison, the genuine AnakPinang page is not afraid to let the public know when it was created.





Again, we do not know who created the fake AnakPinang page, but we can tell who supports them. Just take a look at who likes the post on that fake page. Take for example the post appearing on fake AnakPinang on 25 October:



These are the people who have put their Facebook like that post:


Again, be quick in checking out the fake AnakPinang page, because we know the moment they realise their deception is know, they will make changes such as removing the post or even the entire page.

By putting your like to this fake page, these people give themselves away, that they have knowledge of the existence of the page. Of course, they can claim that they have no idea this fake page was created in response to a genuine page of the same name. That would be the claim, if they wish to continue with the deception, but we at AnakPinang believe the general public can see through it.

The people associated with the fake AnakPinang page may even go so far as to suggest that we - the real AnakPinang - deliberately created a fake AnakPinang page just to discredit them. If that were the case, then it demonstrates how stupid the people who oppose PTMP to LIKE posts in a decoy Facebook Page created purposely to bait them. Is the public so stupid as to believe that?



We, the real AnakPinang, register our indignation over our identity theft. We demand that the state government take strong action against this deception happening right before our eyes. It has been carried out by a shadowy group of people to purposely mislead the general public of Penang. It is an underhanded, conniving method, and we fully deplore it.

We do not know who these people are, but we call upon the authorities to investigate their attempt to sabotage genuine pages that support PTMP. Their action is nothing less than dishonourable, and shows that opponents of PTMP have no credibility. We are concerned over what their ulterior motive may be, what agenda they harbour, and the fact that their post is LIKED by foreigners with no connection to Penang is particularly frightening, that unknown persons are attempting to force their will on the people of Penang. We urge the public to be aware of their deception and to stop paying heed to any statement from opponents of PTMP.