Muhammad Azhar Ali, who was recently lauded by Malaysians for securing a prestigious NASA scholarship, has now said that he was scammed. 

Over the weekend, Azhar's claim that he was offered a scholarship from the world's most prestigious space agency came under the spotlight, as several local media pointed out several discrepencies in his announcement.


The things that don't add up include language errors, issues with the logo (which many says looked like a copy/paste job) and Muhammad Azhar's name not being found in the NASA database.

A scam victim

Now, the 20-year-old revealed that he was a victim of a scam through a series of tweets on Sunday (3 May).

In the tweets, Azhar clarified that he did participate in a suit designing competition organised by NASA, and about a month later, he received an e-mail saying that he was chosen as one of the top one per cent.

And at the same time, he claimed that he also received several e-mails from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Looks legit, right? So, how did he get scammed?

We thought it would be best to just embed the tweets. Read what he has to say, guys:

Asslm, today I am here to clarify a certain number of things. First and foremost, the genuineness of my NASA scholarship. Around 20 March, I participated in the NASA suit designing competition categorised under NASA for grades 9-12. I did my part.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

and waited for the best upon submission two weeks later. Upon another two weeks, I received an email claiming that I’ve been selected as top 1%. Out of content, I shared this great news with my friends.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

Two things happened upon this, many congratulated me and a certain few checked for the authenticity for the certification. Thank you, you guys are my heroes. The main email has only attachment & link.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

was given a link to a portal in which I was able to select a photo for my so call recognition the first indication that I was a potential Victim of Scam. I took a screenshot from the link as I wanted you guys to get a glimpse of how things would look like.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

In the meantime, I have also received ambiguous emails from NUS, and this time the emails came in without the NUS domain, another indication of scam. I have also written to NUS recently.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

On top of that, I raised the matter to NASA in their official website to further secure its entitlement. Using this opportunity, I would also like to make a request for people to stop making false statements on my behalf.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

Azhar then asked Malaysians to stop spreading false information on his behalf because it could jeopardise his studies and future career:

I am still a student, reaching the peak of my career. I have offers from reputable institutions from abroad and I would dearly request for the people of Malaysia to not jeopardise my future career for this uncertainty.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

What we, myself included, can learn from this is that we should always check for authenticity before engaging or posing any form of news to the public. I’m not going to apologise upon being a Victim of a Scam.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

I feel very sad for many unknown people like me who are brought to this kind scam, potentially lose their money and dignity. To all of you, please do not be afraid and keep silent.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

This can lead to depression and potential suicide as we can see teen suicide are rising due to depression. I would like to thank my parents who give me courage and guided me.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

I would also want to thank my friends who have dearly supported me through these tough times, and the people who congratulated me. I would also want to thank the individuals who point out the flaws and sense of realisation into me.

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

I am an astrophile, I love the universe and all it has to offer. Thank you my fellow friends for supporting me. Hope the very best is in for all of you. Thank you. Asslm

— Saturn 🪐 (@theotherazharal) May 3, 2020

No apologies but a lesson to learn

The bottom line is that he was basically scammed.

However, despite his explanation, some Netizens are still not very convinced.

Here's one of them:
 

I know Azhar. My interactions with him in real life have been pleasant. My thoughts when I saw the NASA scholarship tweets were "Good for him". However, it appears that he fooled half the country with that tweet and he's attempting to do so now.

This is a thread https://t.co/uu8KgfoRQJ

— eat the rich🔰 (@alexander_fong) May 3, 2020

First off, he claims to be a victim of a scam. But by who? Who else got scammed? He was the only known "winner" of this scholarship. Wouldn't a scam be more wide spread than a single guy?

— eat the rich🔰 (@alexander_fong) May 3, 2020

Secondly, if it's a scam, why did the scammers even bother sending him the poster and the email? Wouldn't they have his personal info by then? They could have taken money and ran, so why the puppet show?

— eat the rich🔰 (@alexander_fong) May 3, 2020

Regarding the email, Rene Holland is a real person and the email address his original screenshot is her real email address. NASA HR representative is quite a title for a scammer. Don't you think so? pic.twitter.com/YaJNmCADpe

— eat the rich🔰 (@alexander_fong) May 3, 2020

On a personal note, unfortunately, I don't believe Azhar. But that's up to you to decide. If this turns out not to be true (again), it's very low to play the victim, Azhar.

— eat the rich🔰 (@alexander_fong) May 3, 2020

Someone rather close to Azhar pointed this out (1/2). pic.twitter.com/e7kG2bN3uq

— eat the rich🔰 (@alexander_fong) May 3, 2020

So, was he scammed or was he the scammer?

Right now, nothing is certain. We guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

Good job to the netizens for sniffing out discrepencies in Muhammad Azhar's initial announcement.