Chicken-bone ‘charity’ prank costs Malaysian influencer $12,800

Tang Sie Luk, 23, admitted creating and uploading the clip to his Instagram account “aluk_777,” which went viral in August 2025. As of writing, the account has nearly 140,000 followers. 

In the video, the teenagers are seen saying they “want to do a good deed” before eating fried chicken at a fast-food outlet. One remarks that the chicken bones would be wasted if thrown away. They then pack the bones into rice and hand it to a man sleeping outside a Johor Bahru restaurant. The man thanks them, though it is unclear whether he ate the food.

Tang, who represented himself in court, was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 with creating and posting an offensive video intended to cause annoyance, according to state-run news agency Bernama.

In court, Tang apologised and asked for a minimum fine, saying he was remorseful for the stunt.

The prosecution described the video as a “calculated act of exploitation,” noting that the victim felt “insulted and angry” after being used for social media content. 

Deputy public prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab called for a deterrent sentence to prevent others from posting similar videos.

Judge Sazlina Safie ordered Tang to pay the RM40,000 fine, adding four months’ imprisonment in default of payment. Tang has since settled the fine.

Under Malaysian law, the offence carries a maximum penalty of RM500,000 ($127,000), up to two years’ imprisonment, or both, with additional daily fines if the violation continues after conviction.

Tang later posted another Instagram video admitting his mistake, promising not to film similar content again, and kowtowing three times in apology.

The over-one-minute clip has been viewed more than 400,000 times, sparking a debate online about the limits of social media pranks and the ethics of exploiting vulnerable individuals for content.