M'sia fatal school stabbing: Scammers allegedly share girl's obituary with their own QR codes for donations

After a 14-year-old girl died in an alleged school stabbing in Selangor, Malaysia, her obituary was allegedly circulated with altered QR codes to scam victims out of "condolence money".

The obituary of the deceased girl, Yap Shing Xuen, was first shared online by her family on Oct. 15.

The obituary also contains Touch-n-Go QR codes for the public to donate condolence money to the family for Yap's funeral expenses.

However, images of the obituary with altered QR codes have been spotted online, China Press and The Rakyat Post reported.

Don't donate via the QR codes: Victim's mother

Yap's mother, Wong, confirmed at a press conference on Oct. 16 that some scammers had reshared the obituary with their own QR codes to scam victims.

Wong urged the public not to donate via the QR codes shared online.

Instead, those who wish to contribute condolence money to the family can do so in person at Nirvana Centre Kuala Lumpur, where the wake is held.

This will also allow them to pay their respects to Yap, she said.

Her wake is being held until Oct. 19.

The practice of including QR codes in funeral announcements became more widespread during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Rakyat Post reported.

This was because movement restriction orders in Malaysia made it difficult to attend wakes in person.

Between 2019 and 2023, the Malaysia police investigated 85 cases of donation fraud nationwide, involving RM667,845 (S$204,047) in donations, Bernama reported.

Authorities have urged the public to verify donation channels before making donations, and to report any suspicious activity online.

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Top image from China Press/Canva