Latest news with #Hujic
Online Citizen
5 days ago
- Business
- Online Citizen
LinkedIn post misidentifies Piyush Gupta, sparking viral mix-up and scrutiny over fundraising claims
SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman, Janney Hujic, has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after a LinkedIn post about a 'chance encounter' with former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta turned out to be a case of mistaken identity — and possibly more. In a now-deleted LinkedIn post published on 19 May, Hujic claimed she had run into Gupta at a café in Bali, writing: 'I glanced across the room and thought, that looks an awful lot like Piyush. Curious, I walked over — and sure enough, it was him.' She described the encounter as memorable and inspiring, and posted a photo of herself with a man in a floral shirt, appearing relaxed and friendly. 'No entourage. No airs. Just quiet conviction,' she wrote, praising what she believed was Gupta's humility. However, the post quickly unraveled when Gupta himself responded in the comments: 'Sorry to disillusion you. That isn't me!' His reply garnered over 2,000 likes — more than the original post — and sparked a social media frenzy. The man in the photo was later identified as Kumar H Subramaniam, a 58-year-old Singaporean living and working in Bali. In an interview with Mothership, Kumar said he told Hujic and her companion right away that he was not Gupta. He also revealed he had been mistaken for Gupta before, but this was the first time it had gone viral internationally. 'I don't know why she still went ahead and posted the photo and tagged Gupta after I told her I wasn't him,' said Kumar. Hujic had written in her post that the two spoke briefly about her travel startup. She recalled how 'his eyes lit up' when she described her women's expedition project and fundraising goals. She also admired his 'humility and presence.' Social media reactions were mixed. Some users mocked the mistaken identity, calling it a blatant ploy for attention: 'They look nothing alike!' Others were more sympathetic: 'The similarity is impeccable.' The situation was widely described as 'peak LinkedIn', referring to the platform's reputation for overly polished and performative storytelling. Post Allegedly Made Without Consent, Manager Demanded S$5,000 According to 8World News on 24 May, Hujic later claimed the LinkedIn post was not written or approved by her, but was instead uploaded by her freelance social media manager — who then demanded S$5,000 to take it down. Screenshots shared with 8World showed the manager purportedly stating: 'Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take down.' Hujic alleged the same manager, who is reportedly based in the Philippines, also changed the login details for both her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. She told 8World that a message from the manager read: 'When I get paid I give you back access.' The manager had originally been hired in March on a freelance basis, recommended by a friend, and was being paid S$1 per like on posts. Hujic was on a cave expedition in Vietnam with no internet access when the viral post was published. By the time she returned online on 24 May, she said she was locked out of her social media platforms. Although her partner has since transferred an undisclosed sum to the manager, Hujic stated that she still does not have access to her accounts. Who is Janney Hujic? Hujic gained attention after she posted a photo taken in Bali with a man she claimed was Piyush Gupta. She tagged the former banking executive in a post that described a brief inspirational exchange, relating it to her upcoming all-women expedition to Mongolia in support of the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund (GCTEF). As the controversy escalated, Hujic did not immediately respond to media inquiries about the post's origin. However, an update posted to her LinkedIn account on 22 May — seemingly written by her team — stated that she was currently away on an expedition in Vietnam without internet access and would only return on 25 May. 'Be assured that she tagged Piyush with the hope that he would respond to her post, fully thinking that she had spoken with him,' the update read. 'Yes, GPT might have been used to improve the wording, as this was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter for her. But at no point was there any intention to deceive anyone. Please hold your thoughts until she has put her side of the story.' The statement added that Hujic would personally address the situation upon her return on Sunday. Questions Over Fundraising Efforts The controversy has also drawn scrutiny toward Hujic's claimed fundraising efforts for the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund (GCTEF) – a community fund that aims to provide people with disabilities the opportunities to actively contribute to society. In a statement issued 23 May, the organisation clarified that neither Hujic nor her company, Elysian Expeditions, had been authorized to raise funds on its behalf. 'We reached out to Ms Hujic on 21 May 2025 to seek clarifications about the fundraising campaign and to date, we have not received a response from her or Elysian Expeditions.' said the GCTEF. 'We would like to inform the public that Ms Hujic and Elysian Expeditions are not authorised fundraising partners of SG Enable, and we have not endorsed their fundraising campaign. The GCTEF logo and fundraising messages on their website are used without our knowledge and permission.' Hujic told 8World News she had submitted an application for fundraising approval but had not seen the email from GCTEF until recently due to being offline. She said she has since responded and intends to clarify the nature of the expedition and its connection to her company.
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
Woman Blames Manager For Viral LinkedIn Post Misidentifying DBS Bank's Ex-CEO
A Singapore woman, who in a LinkedIn post identified a stranger as former DBS Bank CEO Piyush Gupta, has now broken her silence over the viral claim. This came after Mr Gupta clarified he wasn't in the picture. "Sorry to disillusion you. That isn't me!" he wrote in the comments section of the post. In an interview with 8World News, Janney Hujic, a Singapore resident, claimed her freelance social media manager posted it without her consent to gain traffic. She alleged that the manager, based in the Philippines, even blackmailed her for S$5,000 (approx. Rs 3.08 lakhs) based on the number of likes. Ms Hujic added the freelancer was paid one dollar for every like her posts received. Narrating the incident, Ms Hujic said her manager, whom she hired in March to manage her Instagram and LinkedIn, posted the story without her permission when she was on a cave trip to Vietnam with no internet connection. When she came into the network zone area, she found the freelancer had changed her LinkedIn password and she couldn't log back in, according to a report in Mothership. She even shared the screenshot of the blackmailed message, which was accessed by Mothership, that read, "Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take down. Profile now is down. I changed access and all. When I get paid I give you back access." Ms Hujic said that on her trip, she approached the man, identified as Kumar H Subramaniam, who resembled Mr Gupta. She clicked a picture and shared it as a joke among her friends in a group, which also included her freelance social media manager. When she regained access to the internet on May 24, she found that she was being heavily trolled online. By then, her freelance social media manager had logged her out of her LinkedIn account. Speaking with Mothership, Mr Kumar, the man in the picture, said he was having lunch with a colleague at a cafe in Bali when he was approached. She showed him a picture and asked if he was Mr Gupta. "She and her guy mentioned that they had worked at DBS before and we joked about her pranking her friends that she had bumped into Mr Gupta by chance in public while on their holiday here," he said. "I never, at any point, said that I was indeed Mr Gupta. I never agreed for my picture to promote any business or social ventures on anyone," he said.
AsiaOne
5 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
Woman accused of making fake ex-DBS CEO 'Piyush Gupta' LinkedIn post blames social media manager, Singapore News
PUBLISHED ON May 26, 2025 10:37 AM By Khoo Yi-Hang Janney Hujic, the woman who purportedly made a LinkedIn post claiming to have met ex-DBS CEO Piyush Gupta, has claimed in an interview with 8world last Saturday (May 24) that the post was made by her social media manager. The 30-year-old Hujic claimed in the interview that the now-deleted post was uploaded in order to drive engagement and was done so without her permission. In screenshots shared by Hujic, messages in a WhatsApp chat with the "social media manager" stated: "Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take it down." According to the "manager", the profile was "down" and he had changed the access details to it. "When I get paid I give you back access," the manager said. Hujic told 8world that she had hired the freelance "manager" based in the Philippines to create engagement. Hujic, who used to work with DBS, had travelled to Bali in May and met a Singaporean man who she mistook for Gupta. A photograph of her with the man, later identified as Kumar H Subramaniam, was uploaded to her LinkedIn account, along with a post that claimed she had met Gupta. Gupta then commented on the post, clarifying that the man in the picture wasn't him. Account held hostage? Speaking with 8world, Hujic explained that she had contacted the manager after receiving a recommendation from a friend, and offered to pay $1 per engagement with her post to the manager. Not only did the manager have access to her LinkedIn account, they were also added to a chat group where Hujic shared pictures with her friends, she said. While she had initially uploaded the photograph to her friends and uploading it on Instagram, jokingly captioning, "Oh my god, it's him," Hujic claimed that she did not expect the social media manager to use this photograph to make the LinkedIn post. While this was happening, she claimed she had no Internet access as she was in Vietnam for a trip, exploring a cave. When she got back online on Saturday, Hujic, who runs a travel agency offering "bespoke" travel experiences, claimed that she was unable to log in to either her LinkedIn or Instagram accounts. Hujic and her partner claimed that they have since paid the social media manager an unspecified amount, but still have not been able to log back in, she told 8world. 'Racism at work': Kumar Meanwhile, Kumar clarified with local media that Hujic and her partner were aware that he is not Gupta, also adding that he has been mistaken for the ex-CEO before. Kumar, who works as a teacher in Bali, has lived in Indonesia for 25 years after leaving Singapore. "She said she used to work at DBS and we had a laugh," he recalled. He also remembered that they had joked about pranking Hujic's friends with his semblance, Kumar said. "But I never, at any point, said I was Gupta — and I definitely did not agree for my photo to be used to promote any business or social venture." Kumar highlighted the racist comments that were made following Hujic's post, specifically ones that referred to "scam centres" or alluding to all Indian men being "the same". "This is racism at work," he stated. "Bald Indian men with glasses look alike?" Kumar said he is not planning to take legal action, explaining that this is "just an online storm in a teacup", suggesting that it will blow over soon. "I just want people to stop stereotyping and making offensive remarks. That's all," he said. [[nid:626881]] khooyihang@ LinkedInSocial mediaviralracial discrimination This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.
India Today
5 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Woman blames manager for fake 'Piyush Gupta' post, claims she was blackmailed
A Singapore-based woman at the centre of a viral LinkedIn post involving a supposed encounter with former DBS Bank CEO Piyush Gupta has claimed that she was blackmailed by a freelance social media manager who published the fake story without her Hujic, a Singapore-based professional, went viral on May 21 after sharing a detailed post and a picture of her 'chance encounter' with a man whom she mistook for the Indian-origin CEO. Piyush Gupta, however, responded to her viral post soon after to say it wasn't him Hujic had facing backlash over the post, Hujic claimed she had no idea the misleading post had gone viral until the evening of May 24, when she returned online after a trip to Vietnam, according to a report published by Mothership, citing 8world News. Hujic told 8world News that her LinkedIn post featuring a fabricated conversation with 'Piyush Gupta' was created and uploaded by a social media manager she had hired in manager, Hujic claimed, is based in the Philippines and exploited her offline status to post the fake story in a bid to gain traction. The manager, soon after, changed her account passwords and demanded S$5,000 to delete the viral post.'Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take down,' read one message allegedly sent to Hujic's partner by the social media manager, according to a screenshot accessed by 8world the payment, Hujic claimed that she has still not been able to access her LinkedIn and Instagram the man in the picture in her LinkedIn post, later identified as Kumar H Subramaniam, had informed Hujic at the time that he was not Piyush Gupta. Hujic said the photo was taken and shared as a joke among friends. Screenshot from Janney Hujic's post The now-deleted LinkedIn post, however, falsely described her encounter with Gupta, prompting the real ex-CEO to publicly state it wasn't him. Janney Hujic claimed that the manager had been paid based on post engagement and had access to both her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. She is in a state of utter shock after a joke shared privately was twisted into a viral hoax.
New Paper
5 days ago
- New Paper
Woman behind viral Piyush Gupta LinkedIn post says social media manager uploaded it
The LinkedIn user who falsely claimed she met former DBS CEO Piyush Gupta in Bali has broken her silence - blaming a freelance social media manager for posting the now-deleted content without her consent. Speaking to 8World News on Saturday, May 24, Ms Janney Hujic said the post was uploaded while she was away on an expedition in Vietnam, and she was unaware of it until the controversy went viral. She alleged that the social media manager, whom she hired in March through a friend's recommendation, later demanded S$5,000 to take the post down. Screenshots of messages provided to 8World show the manager saying: "Post has over 6k engagement. Pay me 5k SGD and I take down." According to Ms Hujic, the manager - based in the Philippines - also changed her LinkedIn login credentials. One message read: "When I get paid I give you back access." Ms Hujic said the individual had been paid S$1 per like on posts and was given access to both her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. Her partner had transferred a sum in hopes of restoring access to the accounts, but Ms Hujic did not specify how much was paid to the social media manager. The original LinkedIn post, published on May 19, was titled "A chance encounter with the ex-CEO of DBS - in the last place I expected." It described a supposed meeting with Mr Gupta at a café in Bali, where Ms Hujic said she shared details about her upcoming all-women expedition to Mongolia in support of the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund (GCTEF). A photo accompanying the post showed Ms Hujic beside a man in a floral shirt - who turned out not to be Mr Gupta. Mr Gupta himself debunked the post the next day, commenting: "Sorry to disillusion you. That isn't me!" The man in the photo was later identified as 58-year-old Singaporean Kumar H Subramaniam, who told Mothership that he had made it clear to Ms Hujic and her companion at the café that he was not Mr Gupta. He said the pair mentioned they had previously worked at DBS, and Ms Hujic joked about pranking her friends. While he agreed to take a photo, Mr Kumar stressed that he never consented to having his image used to promote any business or social initiative. Ms Hujic told 8World that she had shared the photo privately in a group chat and on Instagram with a light-hearted caption noting the resemblance. She claimed she had no knowledge the photo had also been posted on LinkedIn. She said she lost access to her social media accounts on Monday, the day she began a cave exploration trip in Vietnam's Tu Lan region, where there is no internet connection. By the time she regained connectivity on Saturday, the post had gone viral - and she was unable to log back into her accounts. Ms Hujic also responded to concerns raised by SG Enable, which manages the Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund (GCTEF). The organisation issued a statement saying that neither Ms Hujic nor her company, Elysian Expeditions, were authorised fundraising partners, despite the use of the GCTEF logo on the company's promotional materials. The Goh Chok Tong Enable Fund logo and name used in Elysian Expeditions' promotional materials without authorisation. PHOTO: MOTHERSHIP "We reached out to Ms Hujic on May 21, 2025 to seek clarifications about the fundraising campaign and to date, we have not received a response," the statement read. In response, Ms Hujic said she had applied for authorisation to raise funds under her company's name, but had yet to clarify the relationship between her expedition and the company. She added that she only saw SG Enable's email after regaining internet access and would be responding to them with further clarification. As of now, she remains locked out of her LinkedIn and Instagram accounts.
