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Nando's MY cleverly teases Sugarbook about 'hot chicks' amidst CEO arrest

Nando's MY cleverly teases Sugarbook about 'hot chicks' amidst CEO arrest

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Nando's Malaysia has poked fun at sugar daddy dating site Sugarbook, which recently came under the spotlight after a recent ban by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The restaurant chain said in a Facebook post: "You don't need sugar to find hot chicks. Have dinner with the hottest ones tonight." While the post only had 339 reactions, 24 comments and 65 shares, netizens were still amused with the brand's trolling.

https://www.facebook.com/NandosMY/posts/10157497492431326:0

Meanwhile, Sugarbook CEO Darren Chan was arrested on 18 February as part of an investigation into a case for "publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public, sharing offensive or menacing content, and prostitution," The Straits Times reported quoting Selangor Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Fadzil Ahmat. While the CID initially did not name the name, initial investigations found that the suspect confessed to being Sugarbook's founder, ST said.

An application to hold Chan in remand for police questioning after he promised to fully cooperate in the investigation was later rejected by the High Court. However, ST reported that Chan was rearrested on Thursday evening as he was required to "facilitate investigations into rape and prostitution cases involving a university student". The complainant had been a university student. A+M has reached out to Sugarbook for comment.

Earlier this week, MCMC banned access to Sugarbook and criticised the platform for a "marketing gimmick", which alleged that more Malaysian women, especially university students, are signing up as sugarbabies on its site. It also warned users of the increase in love scams.

Shortly after, Sugarbook attempted to circumvent the ban by changing its URL to Sucrebook. However, the new URL was once again inaccessible and the webpage currently shows a 404 server error. Its spokesperson told A+M then that the website is only affected in Malaysia and over time, it would have to invest more in SEO. However at this moment, its extensive PR presence online makes up for it, the spokesperson added.

At the same time, Sugarbook was also criticised by Sunway University for challenging the moral fabric of the community and its youth. This followed an infographic published by Sugarbook regarding the top 10  sugar baby universities in Malaysia. Sunway University, INTI International University, Taylor's University and TAR University College were among the top universities in the list.

CEO Elizabeth Lee said this is a "totally inaccurate reflection of our nation's students and other respectable institutions of higher education undermines our collective efforts in nurturing good citizens and developing a progressive nation".

Related articles:
Sugarbook reportedly changes URL to avoid ban, gets clamped down again
MCMC investigates dating site Sugarbook for alleged 'marketing gimmick'
Sugarbook CEO says controversial OOH ads were thought to be approved
myBurgerLab serves up juicy parody of Sugarbook OOH ad

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