Malaysian influencers criticised for renting private plane for shoots

Social media users pounced upon the influencers for creating a fake illusion of success and wealth

People buy food at a shop with Petronas Twin Towers (C) seen in the night skyline of Kuala Lumpur on 4 June 2020 (AFP via Getty Images)

Malaysian influencers are receiving flak on social media for renting private air planes for shooting their video content — and not for flying.

The influencers who claim to be financial experts reportedly fake a jet-setting lifestyle but use the plane only for their content, according to local reports.

They allegedly just use the footage from inside the private plane in their TikTok videos and don’t fly anywhere in the rented planes.

This was first pointed out by a TikToker who goes by the name of Kaki Komen – which roughly translate to “commentator” in Malay.

According to Strait Times, Kaki Komen compiled videos of some influencers seen in their own videos boarding an aircraft with strips of yellow and green painted on its side.

The video – which had millions of views at the time of writing this report – showed several influencers inside the luxurious private plane. But local reports, citing TikToker Kaki Komen’s observations reported that the bunch of Malaysian influencers had rented the same plane to shoot their content and did not use it for flying anywhere.

The TikToker alleged that they were trying to create a fake image of being jet-setters and impress their audience using the footage from the private plane.

Kaki Komen alleged that all these influencers – which included several financial experts, and trader analysts — had all pitched in to rent the plane for their individual video shoots.”

Soon social media users pounced upon the influencers for creating a fake illusion.

Another TikToker who goes by the handle @mrturboprop handle — and who claims to be a pilot — said that he used Flight radar navigation data to find out that the private plane – a Bombardier Challenger 601-3R with licence number N888FJ — had not flown since 21 February this year.