Influencer faces backlash after allegedly staging iPhone giveaway in Vietnam
An influencer known online as Master Sanker has come under fire from Vietnamese netizens after allegedly staging an iPhone giveaway.
The influencer, who has over 19.4 million followers on Instagram, is known for filming street giveaways across Southeast Asia, where he gives away cash, gadgets, and other items to members of the public.
Earlier this week, several of his posts showed him giving away an iPhone 18 to people who recognised him.
Source: @master.sanker on Instagram
However, footage suggesting that one of the giveaways was staged later began circulating online.
Woman allegedly returns iPhone to cameraman
On Wednesday (20 May), a clip was posted on r/Vietnam showing what allegedly happened after Master Sanker “gave away” one of the iPhones.
The clip shows Master Sanker interacting with a woman in a park.
He holds her phone up towards the offscreen cameraman, flashes a grin, and then pulls out what appears to be the latest iPhone in a box.
Source: Reddit
After handing the iPhone to the woman, he walks away.
Moments later, the woman veers to the right, where she is flagged down by the cameraman.
She then hands the iPhone box back to him before leaving.
Source: Reddit
The cameraman also appears to pass the woman a note, which some netizens speculated could have been cash.
Content creator responds to allegations
The clip sparked outrage among commenters, with the original poster (OP) criticising the influencer for allegedly building “a whole persona around charity” while appearing to take the item back once the cameras stopped rolling.
Source: Reddit
Many Vietnamese netizens also flooded the comments section of his recent videos to call him out.
Source: @master.sanker on Instagram
Following the backlash, Master Sanker addressed the clip in an Instagram Stories video.
According to him, the woman in the video allegedly approached him first and asked to appear in his content in exchange for 100,000 Vietnamese dong (around S$5).
Master Sanker also responded to broader allegations that his content is fake in a recent Q&A, saying that while some of his clips are scripted, most of them are genuine.
However, he did not directly clarify whether the viral iPhone giveaway clip had been staged.
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Featured image adapted from Reddit.
