Images purporting to show new rupiah banknotes featuring President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka circulated widely across social media platforms in the first week of June 2026. These fabricated designs, with denominations of Rp18,000 and Rp1,000,000, included the Garuda Pancasila symbol and the Bank Indonesia (BI) logo. Bank Indonesia has confirmed these visuals are counterfeit, stating no new rupiah banknotes featuring Prabowo and Gibran are being issued.
The viral images appeared on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube. One Rp18,000 note depicted the National Monument (Monas), while another Rp18,000 note featured a Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) menu. A Rp1,000,000 denomination was also part of the circulated set. These claims prompted verification efforts due to their widespread dissemination.
Tempo verified the content using an artificial intelligence (AI) content scanner and compared it with credible information. The results showed the images were digitally fabricated. Bank Indonesia did not release new banknotes in early June 2026, according to official statements. The central bank confirmed through its official Instagram account that the visuals are counterfeit.
Bank Indonesia stated, “The Rp18,000 Rupiah note you attached is not available, and Bank Indonesia has never issued this denomination.” The public can check official banknote designs on the Rupiah menu of the Bank Indonesia website. The official website and social media channels of Bank Indonesia contain no information regarding the issuance of new banknote designs or currency redenomination.
Law Number 7 of 2011 concerning Currency grants Bank Indonesia full authority over the rupiah, from planning to destruction. Any official announcement regarding new banknotes must be made public by the central bank. This responsibility involves coordinating with various government agencies before launching new currency.
Image verification tools confirmed the artificial nature of the circulated designs. An AI content scanner detected that the Rp18,000 note depicting Monas was 77 percent an artificial intelligence product, likely generated using OpenAI’s GPT-40 model. The Zhuque AI Detector Assistant app corroborated this finding, indicating a 99.14 percent probability that the image was created by AI.
The Rp18,000 banknote featuring the Free Nutritious Meal menu was detected as a 99.8 percent imitation by the Zhuque AI Detection Assistant. Decopay.ai and Undetectable.ai also confirmed this image as a digital imitation. These tools noted the inclusion of food elements, which are unusual for currency, as a key indicator of fabrication. “This banknote displays a blend of traditional currency elements with unusual food-related imagery,” according to verification findings.
The spread of digitally fabricated content poses ongoing challenges for public information and trust. Authorities continue to monitor social media for misinformation, urging the public to rely on official sources for currency-related announcements. The incident highlights the increasing sophistication of AI tools in generating convincing but false visual content.
Future efforts will likely focus on enhancing public awareness regarding official communication channels for financial matters. Bank Indonesia’s consistent messaging through its official platforms remains crucial in countering such misinformation. The incident serves as a reminder of the need for critical evaluation of content encountered on social media platforms.
