(KAUAL LUMPUR) A Malaysian woman’s savings for her pilgrimage to Mecca in 2024 have been reduced to waste paper after termites ate through the banknotes stored in a cardboard box. The woman had stashed RM30,000 (S$8,700) in the box, which was discovered by her grandson, Khairul Azhar, who lives in Kelantan. Khairul posted a photo on Facebook on Monday (July 24), showing the notes that had been shredded by the termites. He has taken half of the eaten banknotes to the Central Bank of Malaysia in the hope of getting them replaced, while the other notes were beyond salvaging.
Khairul’s Facebook post has received over 260 comments and over 650 shares, with some expressing empathy for his grandmother and others suggesting better ways to store money. One Facebook user recommended keeping the money in a biscuit tin, while many suggested exchanging the cash for gold bars. Some also pointed out that even depositing money in banks would leave one susceptible to scams.
