Thousands of Malaysian burger lovers were set to troop to the different McDonald's outlets in the country only to be told that the free-burger Friday announcement is a hoax.

McDonald's said on its official Facebook account that the rumor that it will give away free burgers and drinks in Malaysia on Friday was not true and that the announcement did not come from the company.

Like Us on Facebook

McDonald's immediately issued the denial after rumors about its burger giveaways on Friday went viral online, with several Malaysians saying they will come to McDonald's outlets near them very early to avoid competition.

"We would like to clarify that the notices on free McDonald's food posted on Facebook were not issued by McDonald's and will not be honored," McDonald's said.

The company said the rumor was produced by an irresponsible party in Malaysia.

One such announcement was allegedly made on local radio station Hitz.fm, in which McDonald's was said to be giving out burgers and drinks at selected mosques. Hitz.fm, however, denied broadcasting the announcement.

Other than the free burger rumor, McDonald's is also facing another issue in Malaysia as some Malaysians protesting Israel's attacks on the Palestinians in Gaza call for a boycott of McDonald's outlets this Friday.

The group claims that McDonald's allegedly channeled some of its profits to fund Israel interests, a claim earlier denied by the company.

Last month, McDonald's said there was no truth to claims that it was funding Israel or any other group to support any form of conflict.

McDonald's issued the statement after allegations spread online that it funded Zionists in Israel because Jack Greenberg, its former chief executive, was a Jew, a report published by the national news agency Bernama said.

The company, however, said Greenberg left McDonald's more than 10 years ago and he no longer functions as head of the US-based corporation.

TagsMcdonalds