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Bursa Malaysia Stock Investment Scam Alert!

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Warning – both Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift and Bursa Malaysia are NOT giving out free stock investment advice or books!

Find out what’s going on, and warn your family and friends!

 

Bursa Malaysia Stock Investment Scam Alert!

Scammers are running Facebook advertisements that claim that Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift and/or Bursa Malaysia are giving free investment advice, or free books on stock investing!

Hi everyone, I am Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift
The Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia Bhd.
Since 2023, the Malaysian stock market has been relatively sluggish🤕🤕🤕
This may be because many stock market investors do not understand stock market trading
I have been blindly following the investment, resulting in a lot of losses
I have also received many letters from investors recently:
Ask if I have improved my trading skills?
Here I recommend a few stock books to everyone!
This can effectively improve your trading skills 💖💖💖
I also prepared 2,000 stock books for everyone📖📖📖
Free gift to Malaysian stock market investors, yes, it’s free!
Please add my assistant’s wapp, she will mail you books for free👇👇👇

I am Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift
The Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia Bhd.
In the past 3 months, I have received many letters from stock market investors
They mainly explained the following issues:
1. Want to learn stock market investment, but don’t know where to start? Including opening an account and understanding stock market information, etc.!
2. Veteran investors have certain technical experience, but cannot grasp real-time information, and often miss the best buying or selling points?
3. For retail investors, if you can’t find a team to keep warm, you will never get the first wave of stock market dividends!
4. Novice stockholders want to sign up to learn stock diagnosis techniques. There are so many analysts in Malaysia. I don’t know what to choose?
5. Many stockholders are locked up after entering the market. Do you know how to get out?
6. The global epidemic is over and the economy is recovering. How will the stock market go in the second half of this year?
The above questions are the feedback from our Malaysian stock market investors.
I will create a Malaysian stock market investor exchange group
Answer questions about the stock market online for free in the next 3 days
If you also encounter the above problems, please join my classroom study 👇👇👇

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Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

 

Bursa Malaysia Investment Scam : What You Need To Know!

These Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift and/or Bursa Malaysia free book / investment group scams are being promoted heavily on Facebook in 2023, so please alert your family and friends!

Fact #1 : Bursa Malaysia Reported These Ads As Fake

Bursa Malaysia is aware of these fake advertisements on Facebook, posting this scam alert on May 17, 2023:

[SCAM ALERT] Don’t be fooled by Facebook ads or pages that offer stock advice. Scammers are known to impersonate Bursa Malaysia representatives to lure you into their fake investment schemes. If you have come across ads or pages like this, be sure to report it to Bursa2U along with a screenshot and source link at bursa2u@bursamalaysia.com or call Bursa Malaysia’s Help Centre at +603-2732 0067. Remember to check the Securities Commission Investor Alert List at http://sc.com.my/investor-alert before investing. Contact the National Scam Response Centre hotline 997 if you have been a victim of scam.

[AMARAN SCAM] Jangan terpedaya dengan iklan atau halaman Facebook yang menawarkan nasihat saham. “Scammer” seringkali menyamar sebagai wakil Bursa Malaysia untuk memujuk anda ke dalam skim pelaburan palsu mereka. Jika anda menjumpai iklan atau halaman seperti ini, pastikan anda melaporkannya kepada Bursa2U berserta tangkapan skrin dan sumber pautan ke bursa2u@bursamalaysia.com atau hubungi Pusat Khidmat Bursa Malaysia di talian +603-2732 0067 . Semak Senarai Amaran Pelabur Suruhanjaya Sekuriti di http://sc.com.my/investor-alert sebelum melabur. Hubungi talian hotline Pusat Respons Scam Kebangsaan 997 jika anda menjadi mangsa penipuan.

#StayAlert #ScamAlert #TakNakScam #JanganKenaScam

Fact #2 : Bursa Malaysia Is Not A Charity

Please do NOT be naive. Bursa Malaysia is not only the stock exchange of Malaysia, it is also a public listed company, whose focus is to make money, not a charity to give you free books or advice!

Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift is not only the CEO of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, he is also the director of its subsidiary companies. He certainly has more important (and profitable) things to do than to create a WhatsApp group to answer YOUR questions or advice YOU on what stocks to buy!

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Fact #3 : Bursa Malaysia Does Not Use WhatsApp To Communicate

Bursa Malaysia offers a multitude of contact options by snail mail, online forms on their Bursa2U portal, email or telephone.

What it does not have is a WhatsApp account. So when scammers message you to collect your “free books” using WhatsApp, or ask you to join the Bursa Malaysia WhatsApp group, be warned!

Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift (fake) : I’m sorry because too many people have privately messaged me, please click to add administrator 👇whatsapp👇, send “PM” to join our company’s free communication group! https://wa.me/6019527xxxx

The real Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift, and Bursa Malaysia, will never ask you to join a WhatsApp group for any reason, whether it’s for investment advice, stock tips, or to buy and sell stocks, etc.

Fact #4 : One Victim Lost RM480K To Investment Scam!

In November 2022, a 60 year-old housewife from Port Dickson fell for a similar “free book” scam, and lost almost RM480,000.

After being offered the free book on Facebook, she was asked to join a WhatsApp group called Family Discussion, where she was asked to convinced to “invest”.

The WhatsApp group administrator instructed her to download an application called Forza, and open a savings account. She was then asked to deposit money into certain bank accounts, and upload the slips using that Forza app as proof.

The lady withdrew her savings and borrowed from her children and friends to invest RM476,100. However, when she wanted to withdraw the interest paid by the company, her account was blocked. The group administrator told her that she would need to deposit an additional RM427,200 to withdraw the interest.

That was when the lady realised she had been scammed, and lodged a police report.

Please help us FIGHT SCAMMERS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Go Back To > Fact Check | Cybersecurity | Tech ARP

 

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Maybank ATM Card: How to disable Debit Card feature!

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Find out how to disable the Debit Card feature of your Maybank ATM card, and why you should do that right away!

 

Maybank ATM Card Is Also Visa payWave Debit Card

Many Maybank customers may not know this, but your ATM card is not just an ATM card – it doubles as a Visa payWave debit card as well.

Since Maybank introduced its first combined ATM + Visa Debit card in March 2008, it has progressively migrated all existing ATM cards to the new combined card.

Today, all Maybank ATM cards are effectively Visa payWave debit cards, even though we may not have applied for the debit card or payWave functions.

Recommended : How To Pay PDRM Traffic Summons Using Maybank ATM!

 

Maybank ATM Card : Why You Should Disable Debit Card Feature!

Banks are promoting the use of debit cards, because they charge an interchange fee for every debit card transaction. That is why banks are “forcing” these combined ATM + debit card onto customers.

However, debit cards only offer minimal fraud protection (if at all), as payments are considered to be directly withdrawn from your bank account. That is why personal finance experts always recommend using a credit card, instead of a debit card.

Even worse, these debit cards often include contactless payment technologies like Visa payWave or Mastercard contactless. This allows anyone to directly withdraw money from your account without even requiring the PIN number!

Transaction
Amount		 Required Action
Above RM250 Tap and use PIN to approve
RM250 and below Just tap. No PIN required.

Now, to be clear, the debit card and payWave feature will only be enabled after you perform at least one (1) successful PIN transaction at any point-of-sales terminal. But once that is done – both debit card and payWave features will remain activated.

This is one of the many reasons why money-savvy people do not use debit cards at all. It’s not only much safer to use credit cards, they also help build your credit rating and some benefits like cash back rebates, points, etc. There literally isn’t any benefit to using debit cards.

Unfortunately, many banks aren’t giving you the option of opting out. You may not want one, but you may not have a choice. The Maybank ATM card, for example, is a Visa payWave debit card which you cannot opt-out of. You cannot ask for a pure ATM card, and neither will Maybank disable the debit card or payWave features. I know. I asked.

Recommended : Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

 

Maybank ATM Card : How To Disable Debit Card + payWave!

To be clear – there is no way to actually disable the debit card or payWave functionality of your Maybank ATM card. But you can effectively disable both features by setting the debit card purchase limit to zero.

In this guide, I will show you how to do that using your Maybank2U online account, or at the Maybank ATM.

Maybank2U Online Account

Step 1 : Log into your Maybank2U account

Step 2 : On the right corner of the Maybank2U screen, click on the Settings option.

Step 3 : Click on the Cards tab, and it should show you the Manage Debit Cards section by default.

As you can see, by default, the Maybank ATM-debit card has a purchase limit of RM1,000 per transaction.

Step 4 : Click on the Edit icon, and you will be able to change the Purchase Limit, from RM0 all the way to RM10,000.

Step 5 : Select RM0.00 from the drop-down list, and the click the SAVE button.

Step 6 : Look for this yellow banner at the bottom of the screen, and click the REQUEST button to request the 6-digit SMS TAC on your registered mobile number.

Step 7 : Once you receive the 6-digit SMS TAC, key it into the box, and click on the CONFIRM button.

If you keyed in the correct SMS TAC, you should see this notice telling you that your new purchase limit has been set.

Now that you have successfully reduced your Purchase Limit to RM0.00, it doesn’t matter that Maybank refuses to disable the debit card or payWave function. They both just won’t be able to transfer any money from your account!

Maybank2U Online Account

Step 1 : Insert your ATM card and key in your PIN number.

Step 2 : Select Other Transaction in the main menu.

Step 3 : Select the  Change Limit / Language / Maybank One option.

Step 4 : Select the Purchase Limit option.

Step 5 : Select No Purchase to prevent the card from being used to make any purchases.

Alternatively, you can select Preferred Limit. Then you need to key in RM 0.00, and then select Yes to confirm that decision.

After you set No Purchase or a Preferred Limit of RM0.00, the debit card and payWave functionality of your Maybank ATM card is effectively disabled.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Go Back To > Cybersecurity | Money | Tech ARP

 

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Sunway + Jeffrey Cheah Free Books Scam Alert!

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Please note – Jeffrey Cheah and the Sunway Group are not giving away free books on stock investing, to help new investors!

Find out what’s going on, and warn your family and friends!

 

Sunway + Jeffrey Cheah Free Books Scam Alert!

Scammers are running Facebook advertisements that claim that Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah and/or the Sunway Group are giving away free books on stock investing, to help new investors!

Hello everyone, I am Jeffrey Cheah, Chairman and Founder of Sunway Group
Since 2023, the Malaysian stock market has been relatively sluggish🤕🤕🤕
This may be because many stock market investors do not understand stock market trading
I have been blindly following the investment, resulting in a lot of losses
I have also received many letters from investors recently:
Ask if I have improved my trading skills?
Here I recommend a few stock books to everyone!
This can effectively improve your trading skills 💖💖💖
I also prepared 2,000 stock books for everyone📖📖📖
Free gift to Malaysian stock market investors, yes, it’s free!
Please add my assistant’s wapp, she will mail you books for free👇👇👇

Investors, we have an exciting surprise for you! 🎁🎁
Sunway Group is launching a thrilling event to make your investment journey even more exciting – Stock & Book Bonanza!
Whether you are a novice or an experienced investment guru, we believe that knowledge is the key to your success. Therefore, we have carefully selected a series of captivating best-selling books on stocks. These books will serve as your guide on your investment path and open wider doors to wealth for you!
Sunway Group has prepared 1000 stock book sets (1000 books) 📚📖📖
We are offering them as a free gift to our dedicated investors.
Please click on the session and add the assistant’s wapp to send your address.
We will ship the stock books to the address you provide free of charge.
Quantities are limited, so it’s first-come, first-served! Don’t wait until the last moment to regret missing this opportunity!

Show more
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Recommended : TNG RFID Bar Code Scanning Scam Debunked!

 

Sunway / Jeffrey Cheah Free Books Scam : What You Need To Know!

This Sunway / Jeffrey Cheah free book scam is being promoted heavily on Facebook in May and June 2023, so please alert your family and friend!

Fact #1 : Sunway Group Reported These Pages / Ads As Fake

The Sunway Group is aware of these fake advertisements being run by scam Facebook pages, posting this scam alert:

SCAM ALERT

Please be alert of several scams using fake Facebook accounts, bearing the names “Sunway Investment” and “Sunway Global Investment”, claiming to be affiliated with Sunway entities.

These Facebook accounts have NO association with Sunway Group nor that of our chairman.

We urge all to be cautious and to not fall victim to these scams, and report these fake accounts to Facebook immediately.

Fact #2 : Sunway Group Is A Business, Not A Charity

Please do NOT be naive. The Sunway Group (Sunway Berhad) is a public listed company, whose focus is to make money, not a charity to give you free books!

Fact #3 : Giveaways Were Not Posted In Official Website / FB Page

If the Sunway Group was really giving away free books, it would have posted the offer on:

These scams are being run off fake Facebook pages that are brand new, and have nothing to do with Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, or the real Sunway Group.

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Fact #4 : Sunway Group Does Not Use WhatsApp To Communicate

The Sunway Group offers a multitude of contact options by online forms, email or telephone number. What it does not have is a WhatsApp account. So when scammers message you to collect your “free books” by messaging a WhatsApp number, be warned!

Please add my WhatsApp message, send me your mailing information, and I will mail you stock books for you for free! My WhatsApp: https://xxxx.xx/60113906928

The Sunway Group will also not ask you to join a WhatsApp group for any reason, whether it’s for investment advice, stock tips, or to buy and sell stocks, etc.

Fact #5 : Scammers Will Try To Scare You

Scammers will try to scare you into contacting them, by telling you that stock is running out. Just ignore them!

There are only 3 free places left, which have been reserved for you, please add and leave a message as soon as possible Whatsapp : https://xxxx.xx/60113906928

There are many friends who have claimed it, please tell us whether you have added it successfully! If you do not add or reply, it means that you will give up the quota by default and automatically transfer it to the next friend. Thank you for your understanding!

Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

Fact #6 : One Victim Lost RM480K To A Free Book Scam!

In November 2022, a 60 year-old housewife from Port Dickson fell for a similar “free book” scam, and lost almost RM480,000.

After being offered the free book on Facebook, she was asked to join a WhatsApp group called Family Discussion, where she was asked to convinced to “invest”.

The WhatsApp group administrator instructed her to download an application called Forza, and open a savings account. She was then asked to deposit money into certain bank accounts, and upload the slips using that Forza app as proof.

The lady withdrew her savings and borrowed from her children and friends to invest RM476,100. However, when she wanted to withdraw the interest paid by the company, her account was blocked. The group administrator told her that she would need to deposit an additional RM427,200 to withdraw the interest.

That was when the lady realised she had been scammed, and lodged a police report.

Please help us FIGHT SCAMMERS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Cybersecurity | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Scam Alert : How Fake Job Syndicates Operate!

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Find out how fake job syndicates operate, and how they reel you into their scams, and cheat YOU of your hard-earned money!

Make sure you SHARE this article, to warn your family and friends to avoid the fake job scams!

 

Fake Job Scams : What Are They?

Fake job scams have been around for a long, long time. But fake job syndicates have become more active recently, probably because more people are getting laid off, and inflation is eating into our money.

Fake job scams come in a variety of ways, but most commonly, you get unsolicited messages through WhatsApp or iMessage, offering you the opportunity to make a lot of money through part-time work, in the comfort of your own home.

Good day YouTubers!! This is Alexa from Youtube Entertainment. We invite you to participate in our event by liking and subscribing to our channel and we will give you XXX. Please reply “YES” if you are interested. Thank you.

Hi, I’m the recruitment manager of XYZ company. XYZ invites you to do regular work at home.

You can easily earn [large amounts of money] with your mobile phone every day, and your salary will be settled on the same day.

Please add my WhatsApp to sign up. The number of places is limited, only for today.

Hey! You have been selected for a job. Daily salary XXXX to YYYYY. WhatsApp [number removed]. Reply YES to apply.

Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

 

Scam Alert : How Fake Job Syndicates Operate!

I personally have received many of such fake job offers, and have always ignored them. But when I saw a sudden surge of fake job offers, I decided to look into it. I also wanted to find out how they worked.

So I took a dive into two different fake job scams last week, and here was what I found…

How They Reel Their Victims In

It all starts with scammers tasked with “fishing” for victims. They will try to contact you by email, Facebook Messenger, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or iMessage. Regardless of the method, the hook is simple – we are offering you an EASY way to make A LOT of money!

Once you are suitably impressed, these “fishing” scammers will offer you a simple task to show you just how easy it is to make a lot of money. To entice me, the two scammers offered me a pretty good sum of money for a very simple task:

Syndicate A : Subscribe to this YouTube channel, and send me the screenshot to receive XXXX.

Syndicate B : Like this YouTube video, and send me the screenshot to receive YYYY.

Recommended : Watch Out For Telegram Phishing Attack!

The Fishing Scammer Hands You Over To The Syndicate

After you complete that task, the fishing scammer then hands you off to the actual fake job syndicate, ostensibly for payment. You are asked to contact the company secretary / account manager on Telegram, with a “payment code”.

From what I surmise, the “payment code” is actually the fishing scammer’s referral code – they get paid for every victim they send the syndicate.

This will be your last contact with these fishing scammers. They are off to reel in more victims!

Recommended : Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

Syndicate Baits You With Payment

The syndicate secretary / account manager will ask you to register your details with them, but they are not too particular with any details, except for your phone number. If you give them the fake number, they will know because they will check with the fishing scammer using their referral code. But feel free to give them other fake details – they won’t care.

The fake job syndicate will then send you the payment for that “test” job, using a mule account. If you ask them why they are sending you the money through a different company account or even a random person’s account, they will tell you that they have many bank accounts because of daily transaction limits.

Syndicate Baits You With Simple Tasks

The syndicate will then add you to their Telegram channel offering multiple tasks per day. Instead of YouTube channels or videos, you are tasked to very simple tasks like:

  • open a link to a product page on an online shopping platform
  • take a screenshot of that product page
  • post that screenshot to the Telegram group
  • share that screenshot with your syndicate agent

You will breeze through the first three tasks easily, and the fake job syndicate will pay you promptly.

Fantastic, isn’t it? What could go wrong? After all, there are hundreds of other people participating in the same tasks, and getting paid!

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Syndicate Tempts You With Pay To Earn Scam

At this point, you have done some calculations, and realise that you can easily make good money every day doing these simple tasks.

That’s when the fake job syndicate offers you the opportunity to make some serious cash. But there’s one catch – you need to PAY them to get access to jobs with serious money.

For every dollar you prepay, the fake job syndicate promises that you will get that back PLUS 10% to 30%, within minutes. Just in case you are worried about losing your money, hey, they are offering a refund. Honest!

And how can they offer you so much money for so little work? The syndicate throws in the magic word – cryptocurrency! Of course! That’s the only way anyone can make tons of money easily, with both eyes closed!

Recommended : BitiCodes Scam Alert : Fake Celebrity Endorsements!

Syndicate Pressurises You With Bots

To convince you that they are legit, you will see many people posting screenshots of their payments to the Telegram group. They will also publicly announce how much they are investing. In some cases, they also post excitedly about how much money they already made, and how much they plan to make today.

This is just a charade to make you believe that people are really making money through this scheme. Most of these “participants” appear to be bot accounts, with a few sock puppet accounts. If you monitor these accounts over time, you will see them change names. I even spotted one of these fake participants (mercado livre in the screenshot above) become the Telegram group admin!

The genuine victims are those asking questions in the group like “We have to prepay?” But oddly enough, no one else in the group (except the Telegram group admin) will respond. That’s not how real people behave.

And if you check their receipts, you will notice some discrepancies in their receipts, which suggest that they were edited:

  • transfers within the same bank were labelled as transfers “to other banks”.
  • account numbers are too short / long for that particular bank

The others are possibly genuine receipts (by people who were scammed earlier), with their dates and times changed.

Recommended : 2023 Turkey Earthquake : Fake Photos + Scam Alert!

Once You Pay, It’s Game Over

I managed to get in touch with two victims of this scam, who claimed that once they deposited the prepaid amount, they were ghosted and removed from the Telegram group.

So that appears to be the scam – they bait you with a bit of money, until you are convinced that they are real. Then once you prepay them for the “big job”, they dump you right away.

Your assigned syndicate agent will block you, and you will get kicked off the Telegram group, which often disappears after scamming a few victims. Often, you will find your Telegram conversations with them mysteriously deleted. By then, it’s much too late – you have already lost your money.

To ensure they don’t lose money, they will price the introductory offer low enough to entice victims, but high enough to cover their costs and then some. But they will inevitably score some big fish, which is why the fake job scam persists.

Now that you know how the fake job scam works, please DO NOT get trapped into it! NEVER pay to get a job. It is just a scam!

Please SHARE this article out, and WARN your family and friends!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Cybersecurity | Tech ARP

 

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Watch Out For Kenanga Free Books Scam!

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Is the Kenanga Investment Bank giving away free books on stock investing, to celebrate its 50th anniversary?!

Find out what’s going on, and warn your family and friends!

 

Watch Out For Kenanga Free Books Scam!

Scammers are running Facebook advertisements that claim Kenanga Investment Bank is giving away free books on stock investing, to celebrate its 50th anniversary!

good news 🎉 good news 🎉 good news 🎉
Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad,
Now it is the largest independent investment bank in Malaysia Established in 1973, it is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary 🎉🎉🎉
Kenanga Group will give away 2,000 stock books for free If you are interested in the stock book, you can get it for free Please click on the messenger to get the book for free 📖📖📖
The number of books is limited, and the activity will stop after the gift is completed 👇👇👇

Hi everyone, this is Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad
Now it is the largest independent investment bank in Malaysia
Established in 1973, it is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary 🎉🎉🎉
During these 50 years, we have helped countless stock investors make profits in the stock market
In order to thank investors for their support all the way, 💝💝💝🎊🎊🎊
We will give out the first gift for stock market investors 🎁🎁🎁
Kenang Group has prepared 5000 stock books (1000 sets) 📚📖📖
Free gift to investors who support Kenang Group all the way
Please click on the session, add the assistant’s wapp, and register the mailing address
We will mail the book to your registered address for free
The number of stock books is limited, while supplies last 💝💝💝

Recommended : TNG RFID Bar Code Scanning Scam Debunked!

 

Kenanga Free Books Scam : What You Need To Know!

This Kenanga free book scam is being promoted heavily on Facebook in May 2023, so please alert your family and friends!

Fact #1 : Kenanga Reported These Pages / Ads As Fake

Kenanga is aware of these fake advertisements being run by scam Facebook pages, posting this scam alert on May 12, 2023:

Once again we would like to remind our clients and the public to be careful of scammers impersonating our brand to provide fraudulent product and services.

We are not offering any free books/e-books or make anyone join a WhatsApp group.

If you received any of this communication recently, stop responding and report the page/numbers immediately.

If you have been scammed, contact the National Scam Response Centre hotline 997.

Fact #2 : Kenanga Is A Business, Not A Charity

Please do NOT be naive. Kenanga is an investment bank – a business, not a charity. Just because it is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2023, does not mean it’s giving anything away.

Even if it wanted to celebrate its anniversary by giving away books, it would be giving them to clients, not to the public!

Kenanga is a public-listed company, whose focus is to make money, not a charity to give you free books!

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Fact #3 : Giveaways Were Not Posted In Official Website / FB Page

If Kenanga was really giving away free books, it would have posted the offer on:

These scams are being run off fake Facebook pages that are brand new, and have nothing to do with the real Kenanga.

Fact #4 : Kenanga Does Not Use WhatsApp To Communicate

Kenanga offers a multitude of contact options by online forms, email or telephone number. What it does not have is a WhatsApp account. So when scammers message you to collect your “free books” by messaging a WhatsApp number, be warned!

Please add my WhatsApp message, send me your mailing information, and I will mail you stock books for you for free! My WhatsApp: https://xxxx.xx/60113906928

Fact #5 : Kenanga Will Not Ask You To Join WhatsApp Groups

Just to be clear, Kenanga states that it will never ask anyone to join a WhatsApp group for any reason, whether it’s for investment advice, stock tips, or to buy and sell stocks, etc.

Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

Fact #6 : Scammers Will Try To Scare You

Scammers will try to scare you into contacting them, by telling you that stock is running out. Just ignore them!

There are only 3 free places left, which have been reserved for you, please add and leave a message as soon as possible Whatsapp : https://xxxx.xx/60113906928

There are many friends who have claimed it, please tell us whether you have added it successfully! If you do not add or reply, it means that you will give up the quota by default and automatically transfer it to the next friend. Thank you for your understanding!

Fact #7 : One Victim Lost RM480K To A Free Book Scam!

In November 2022, a 60 year-old housewife from Port Dickson fell for a similar “free book” scam, and lost almost RM480,000.

After being offered the free book on Facebook, she was asked to join a WhatsApp group called Family Discussion, where she was asked to convinced to “invest”.

The WhatsApp group administrator instructed her to download an application called Forza, and open a savings account. She was then asked to deposit money into certain bank accounts, and upload the slips using that Forza app as proof.

The lady withdrew her savings and borrowed from her children and friends to invest RM476,100. However, when she wanted to withdraw the interest paid by the company, her account was blocked. The group administrator told her that she would need to deposit an additional RM427,200 to withdraw the interest.

That was when the lady realised she had been scammed, and lodged a police report.

Please help us FIGHT SCAMMERS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Can Restaurant Menu QR Code Hack Your Phone?!

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Did the FBI just warn people to avoid using the restaurant menu QR code, because it can hack your phone?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : FBI Says Restaurant QR Code Can Hack Your Phone!

People are sharing a Daily Mail article, or screenshots of it, which claims that the FBI just warned people not to use any restaurant menu QR code because it can allow hackers to steal your data!

Here is an excerpt from the Daily Mail article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Why you should ALWAYS ask for a physical menu: FBI warns hackers are planting fake QR CODES in restaurants that steal your data when you click the link

  •  Scammers are making fake QR codes to place on top of real ones 
  • This is letting them access smartphones and steal personal data

QR codes have become the new default for accessing restaurant menus across the US post-Covid — but scammers are seizing upon the new practice.

The FBI warns thieves are creating fake QR codes and planting them at eateries, retail shops and even parking meters.

Instead of taking you to an online menu or checkout, the links instantly download malware onto your device, stealing your location and personal information

The FBI has urged consumers to look out for typos or misplaced letters in URLs accessed through QR codes and ask restaurants for a physical menu.

Recommended : MSI Users At Risk Of Rogue BIOS / Firmware Updates!

 

Truth : FBI Did Not Say Restaurant QR Code Can Hack Your Phone!

This appears to be a “misunderstanding” of an actual FBI warning about QR codes. Here is what you need to know about the risks of scanning a QR code for a restaurant menu.

Fact #1 : FBI Issued QR Code Warning In January 2022

I could find no reference to a recent QR code warning by the FBI, and oddly enough, The Daily Mail did not provide a source or link to the FBI warning its article was referring to.

The FBI only released one public service announcement (PSA) about QR codes, and that was Alert Number 1-011822-PSA which was released on January 18, 2022.

If that was the source for the Daily Mail article, then it’s more than a year old, and not recent as the article appears to suggest.

Fact #2 : FBI Warned About General QR Code Risk

The FBI advisory was a general warning about the risks of tampered QR codes. Specifically, it warned about cybercriminals tampering with both digital and physical QR codes.

The FBI is issuing this announcement to raise awareness of malicious Quick Response (QR) codes. Cybercriminals are tampering with QR codes to redirect victims to malicious sites that steal login and financial information.

Cybercriminals tamper with both digital and physical QR codes to replace legitimate codes with malicious codes. A victim scans what they think to be a legitimate code but the tampered code directs victims to a malicious site…

Fact #3 : FBI Advisory Did Not Mention Restaurant / Menu

Interestingly, the entire FBI advisory did not once mention restaurants or menus, and that makes a lot of sense.

It is odd to focus on the risk of using QR codes for online menus in restaurants, when they are used in so many other ways today – from making mobile payments, as mobile tickets, login tokens, etc.

Any security risk involving restaurant menu QR codes would also apply to QR codes used for other purposes. So it really doesn’t make sense for the FBI to “pick on” restaurant menu QR codes.

Recommended : Can Approve New Participant block WhatsApp hackers?!

Fact #4 : QR Code Is Not Malicious In Nature

QR code (which is short for Quick Response code) is not nefarious or malicious in nature. The FB advisory specifically pointed that out – “QR codes are not malicious in nature“.

The QR code is merely a type of two dimensional barcode that was invented in 1994 by the Japanese company, Denso Wave, to track automotive parts. It has since been adopted for other purposes because it is more efficient and can support more than just numbers. For example, Version 40 QR code can contain up to 7,089 numbers or 4,296 characters.

Ultimately, a QR code is nothing more than a series of numbers or characters – data which can be used for a variety of purposes, including providing a link to an online restaurant menu.

Fact #5 : QR Code Can Be Tampered With

It is true that QR codes can be tampered with. In fact, the FBI advisory was issued after Texas police departments discovered fraudulent QR code stickers on parking meters in San Antonio and Austin. Drivers who scanned those fake QR codes were taken to a scam website. instead of the real payment website.

Hence, the FBI issued that warning to remind people to check the URL link to make sure that it is the intended website, and not a phishing page with a similar link. For example, the fake website may use www.quikpay.com when the real website is www.quickpay.com.

To completely avoid this risk, avoid using QR code to access a payment website. Always go directly to the payment website on your smartphone’s web browser by keying in the link yourself. Genuine payment labels with a QR code will often include a direct URL link for you to use as a safer alternative.

Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

Fact #6 : Restaurant Menu QR Code Is Low Risk

While scammers can place fraudulent QR codes over genuine ones at restaurants, bars, and other eateries, this is a very unlikely attack vector.

That’s because restaurants often use QR codes to redirect you to an online system to order food and drinks for your table. Imagine if you scan a fraudulent QR code and are asked to key in your credit card details. That would be absurd, and you would surely complain to the waiter since you haven’t even ordered your food!

In most cases, you are not expected to pay at the table using QR code. You either pay using cash / credit card / mobile payment using QR code at the payment counter. Even if that QR code is compromised, the cashier would notice it immediately as any payment made using that QR code would not reflect in the restaurant’s point-of-sale (POS) system.

And payment only occurs after dining – a fraudulent QR code that leads you to a fake website won’t allow you to actually order anything, since it’s not connected to the real restaurant and its ordering system. That’s why this attack vector is highly improbable.

In any case, many restaurants now generate temporary QR codes on disposable paper stubs to avoid this risk. The QR code is only valid for your dining session. The next person to dine at the same table will receive a different QR code.

Fact #7 : QR Code Can Potentially Inject Malware

It is possible for QR code to inject malware into the smartphone that you are using to scan. In fact, there are apps like QRGen that allow scammers / hackers to easily generate malicious QR codes. However, it isn’t quite as simple as the article makes it out to be.

For one thing – malware and exploits are limited to specific operating systems or phone models. For example, an Android exploit / malware won’t work on iPhones. Or an exploit / malware that makes use of an Android 11 vulnerability won’t work on newer / updated Android smartphones since they would have patched the exploit.

Second – any malware will require considerable amounts of code to load. The scammer / hacker will have to use an enormous QR code like the version 40 example below, or it will need to convince you to download and install the malware package itself.

Recommended : Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

Genuine restaurant menu QR codes are simple – like the version 1 / version 10 examples above, because they only serve a link to their online menu / ordering system. If you see a large and complex QR code like the version 40 example, avoid scanning it, and ask the restaurant staff to verify its authenticity.

Restaurant menu QR codes would also never ask you to download or install anything. They only serve to load a link to an online menu / ordering system, so if you are asked to download or install anything, do NOT proceed, and notify the restaurant.

These tips also apply to other businesses that use QR codes to show you a menu, discounts, offers, information, etc.

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Touch ‘n Go eWallet, PayDirect + RFID Are Okay Now!

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Touch ‘n Go eWallet, PayDirect + RFID services have just been restored, after going down for most of the day!

 

Touch ‘n Go eWallet, PayDirect + RFID Went Down!

Touch ‘n Go eWallet, PayDirect and RFID services went down for most of the day today. Many users were logged out of the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app, and had difficulty logging back in. They often received error messages like:

Sorry, something wrong happened there! But don’t sweat it, we’re doing our best to fix this for you. Please try again.

Sorry, but heavy traffic is causing delays in processing your request. Don’t fret, we’re fixing this. Hold tight & try again later.

Recommended : TNG RFID Bar Code Scanning Scam Debunked!

Even when users could log in, they reported that their ewallet balance were either wiped out, or incorrect. Some even reported that their ewallet balance kept changing randomly!

Many users were also unable to make payments, or perform NFC card reloads. PayDirect payments also is not working.

Even worse, Touch ‘n Go eWallet outage this time has cut off access to TNF  RFID, with highway users reporting long queues at the RFID lanes. The RFID lanes at the SPRINT Expressway, Penchala Link and Kerinchi Link have consequently been closed down.

The only way for motorists to get through the tolls is to use their Touch ‘n Go card. So please make sure you reload your TNG card before using the highways!

 

Touch ‘n Go Finally Solves eWallet, PayDirect + RFID Problems!

Hours after users started complaining, the Touch ‘n Go eWallet team finally responded, saying that they are working on a fix.

All they can tell their users is that if they have sufficient balance in their eWallet, they can still pay for tolls and parking via PayDirect and RFID.

Dear valued users,

We are currently facing technical issues but be rest assured, we are rectifying the matter.

If you have enough balance in your Wallet, you are still able to pay for tolls and parking via PayDirect and RFID.

We apologise for the service interruption and inconvenience this may have caused.

Thank you for your kind patience and understanding.

The Touch ‘n Go Wallet team.

But as many users have reported, that is just not possible. Both PayDirect and RFID appear to be down, which is why several highways have already closed their RFID lanes.

In addition, some users have reported that their eWallet balance is now empty, or has the wrong balance, or has insufficient balance. So they won’t be able to make payments, unless they have a physical TNG card as backup.

Recommended : Watch Out For TNG eWallet SMS Phishing Scam!

Finally, at around 3:36 PM, the Touch ‘n Go eWallet team reported that they finally restored all its services!

Touch ‘n Go eWallet and its services are up and running.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused earlier and thank you for your kind patience.

However, it looks like it will take time for all issues to be resolved. Users loading TNG eWallet after this will see a banner telling them not to worry about mysterious transactions that appear in their history, because they are just “delayed notifications”.

Got a txn you didn’t perform? Reset assured, it’s a delayed notification. Apologies for the confusion.

Several Touch ‘n Go eWallet users continue to complain that they still are unable to login, or make payments / transfers, or have wrong balances in their accounts.

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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You Can Renew Expired Driving Licence Without Retaking Test!

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You can now renew your long-expired Malaysian driving licence without retaking your driving test!

 

Amnesty For Expired Driving Licence!

On Wednesday, 3 May 2023, Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced an amnesty for those with expired driving licences. If you have a driving licence that expired as of January 1, 2018, you will be able to renew it without having to take a driving test.

Motorists with expired driving licences longer than a year will have until December 31, 2023, to renew their expired driving licences. The driving test requirement will apply again, from January 1, 2024 onwards.

The government decided to offer this amnesty because many Malaysian living abroad were unable to return during the COVID-19 pandemic to renew them.

We decided to allow the renewal of expired licences given the fact that many Malaysians living abroad were unable to do so during Covid-19 with the movement control order.

This amnesty will also begin on Monday, May 8, and end on December 31, 2023. Please note that this initiative only applies to Malaysian citizens, and not to foreigners holding special passes like the MyKAS card.

In addition, only those who have not been blacklisted by the police, or have any existing restrictions imposed by JPJ, and are free from any suspension due to a conviction or court order may renew their expired driving licence.

Recommended : JPJ : Renew Driving Licence Or Retake Full Driving Test!

 

Earlier : Retake Driving Test If Licence Not Renewed On Time!

The Malaysia Road Transport Department (JPJ) had been warning motorists to renew their driving licences on time, or risk getting them revoked.

These are the four categories of expired licences that may be revoked, if they are not renewed in time :

  • Learner’s Driving Licence (LDL) : Up to 2 years
  • Probational Driving Licence (PDL) : More than 1 year
  • Competent Driving Licence (CDL) : More than 3 years
  • Public Service Vehicle / Goods Driving Licence (PSV / GDL) : More than 3 years

If your licence is revoked, you will need to undergo the full process to re-qualify and obtain a new licence.

The moratorium on revoking expired driving licences actually expired on 31 December 2021, but JPJ extended it to 30 June 2022 after discovering that hundreds of thousands of drivers have yet to renew their expired licences.

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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You Can Now Renew Driving Licence For 10 Years With 10% Off!

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You can now renew your Malaysian driving licence for 10 years, with a 10% discount to boot!

 

You Can Renew Driving Licence For 10 Years With 10% Off!

On Wednesday, 3 May 2023, Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that you will now be able to renew your Malaysian driving licence for 10 years, with a 10% discount to boot!

This new initiative doubles the validity of your driving licence between renewals from 5 years. On top of that, motorists will get to enjoy a 10% discount on their renewal fees.

The only caveat is that your driving licence must not have expired for more than a year.

They will be charged the same fee of RM30 per year, but if they renew for 10 years at one go, the fee is RM270. This means they will only be paying for nine years.

Those who want to renew must ensure that their licence has not expired for more than a year.

You will be able to renew your driving licence for 10 years, and receive the 10% discount from Monday, May 8, 2023 onwards.

Recommended : Malaysia Adopts Digital Driving Licence In MyJPJ App!

 

Amnesty For Expired Driving Licence!

The Minister also announced an amnesty for those with expired driving licences. If you have a driving licence that expired from January 1, 2018 onwards, you will be able to renew it without having to take a driving test.

Motorists with expired driving licences longer than a year will have until December 31, 2023, to renew their expired driving licences. The driving test requirement will apply again, from January 1, 2024 onwards.

For those who are not aware, the Road Transport Department can revoke your expired driving licence if you do not renew them on time. You will then have to undergo the full process to re-qualify and obtain a new licence.

These are the four categories of expired licences that may be revoked, if they are not renewed in time :

  • Learner’s Driving Licence (LDL) : Up to 2 years
  • Probational Driving Licence (PDL) : More than 1 year
  • Competent Driving Licence (CDL) : More than 3 years
  • Public Service Vehicle / Goods Driving Licence (PSV / GDL) : More than 3 years

The moratorium on revoking expired driving licences actually expired on 31 December 2021, but JPJ extended it to 30 June 2022 after discovering that hundreds of thousands of drivers have yet to renew their expired licences.

Recommended : Where + How To Renew Driving Licence In Malaysia!

This time, the government has decided to offer this amnesty because many Malaysian living abroad were unable to return during the COVID-19 pandemic to renew them.

We decided to allow the renewal of expired licences given the fact that many Malaysians living abroad were unable to do so during Covid-19 with the movement control order.

This amnesty will also begin on Monday, May 8, and end on December 31, 2023. Please note that this initiative only applies to Malaysian citizens, and not to foreigners holding special passes like the MyKAS card.

In addition, only those who have not been blacklisted by the police, or have any existing restrictions imposed by JPJ, and are free from any suspension due to a conviction or court order may renew their expired driving licence.

 

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Malaysian Telcos Ban SMS Links To Prevent Scams!

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Malaysian telcos have started banning SMS links, as part of the MCMC’s initiative to prevent scams! Here is what you need to know!

 

Malaysian Telcos Ban SMS Links To Prevent Scams!

On Tuesday, 2 May 2023, four Malaysian telcos – Maxis, Celcom, Digital and U Mobile started banning SMS links, as part of the MCMC’s initiative to prevent scams.

From this day onwards, users will be blocked from sending or receiving SMS with a link. MCMC had earlier issued the directive to all telcos on February 14, 2023, but the ban on SMS links is only now being implemented.

The ban on SMS links is currently not mandatory for all telcos, and is being implemented in phases. Currently, the ban is limited to SMS between individuals.

Businesses using short codes like 6XXXX, 2XXXX and 1XXXX will eventually be banned from including a URL link in their SMS messages. They will be given time to switch to other methods to send promotional messages with links to their customers.

The MCMC has issued a directive to all telcos to block sending and receiving of SMS with URL link. The objective is to prevent users from becoming victims of online scams

MCMC issued the directive to all service providers on Feb 14 and is currently assessing the progress. For now, the block is still not mandatory.

The blocking of person-to-person SMS with URL links will take effect from 2 May 2023. For SMS sent by business via short codes such as 6XXXX, 2XXXX and 1XXXX, this will be done later and specific notification to business users will be sent.

Malaysia Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching said in February 2023 that blocking such SMS links will ensure that people won’t click on them and possibly end up as a scam victim.

Recommended : Scam Alert : Watch Out For Telegram Phishing Attack!

 

Only SMS Links Banned, Links Via Other Platforms Still A Risk

While this measure is really helpful in reducing scams, the ban is limited to SMS links. Scammers can still send links through instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, etc.

That does not mean that links are inherently bad. Links in messages, even SMS messages, are mostly safe.

Perfectly Fine

  • Clicking on a link to read an article / terms and conditions of a promotion
  • Clicking on a link to enrol in a promotion which does not require you to log into any website
  • Clicking on a link to check in for a flight, or get a travel update

However, they can be used to send you to a phishing website which is designed to look like a genuine bank / payment website. Hence, it is critical that you should NEVER log into any website through a link.

NEVER DO THIS

  • Clicking on a link to log into a bank website
  • Clicking on a link to make a purchase or payment
  • Clicking on a link to log into any account / email

Phishing attacks work by tricking you into going into a fake website that looks like the real website. But you still have to log into the fake website to give the scammers your login details.

If you click on a link, and you are asked to login – this is likely a phishing attack. But don’t worry – as long as you refuse to log into any website after clicking on a link, the phishing attack fails.

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Did BMW MINI Give Ice-Cream Only To Foreigners In China?!

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Chinese netizens are calling for a boycott of BMW MINI, after claiming that it only gave free ice-cream to foreigners!

 

Chinese Netizens : BMW MINI Only Gives Ice-Cream To Foreigners!

On Thursday, 20 April 2023, Chinese netizens exploded over a viral video recorded a day earlier at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition.

It showed BMW MINI employees giving free ice-cream to a foreigner, but refusing to give it to the Chinese man recording the video, and his girlfriend.

That led to claims that BMW MINI was discriminating against China, with many saying that it was insulting to China and its citizens. The story has since been spread across the Chinese diaspora and promoted in pro-CCP groups by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

In old days, there was sign “No dog and Chinese in the park”…. nowaday “No ice cream for Chinese”. Time passed, change a little only….

#BMW #Shanghai #MINI
Shanghai Station BMW MINI has racial discrimination, only giving ice cream to white men, not to Asian women, and arranging security guards to beat female anchors, resulting in gender discrimination🤮🤮

1,6 billion losses for #BMW 🤣for ice cream. it’s little bit expensive.don’t play with Chinese people next time👺

Recommended : Did US Send 7000 Insects To Destroy Crops In China?!

BMW MINI Ice-Cream Fiasco Show True Character Of Chinese Netizens

Chinese netizens are crowing about the losses that BMW MINI sustained from this free ice-cream fiasco, saying that China will not bow to foreigners, and that it shows the “power” of the Chinese cancel culture.

The truth is – the whole BMW MINI ice-cream fiasco is much ado about nothing. Even worse – it exposed the true character of these Chinese netizens, showing the world just how petty and superficial they really are.

First, let me start by pointing out some salient facts about the BMW Mini ice-cream fiasco…

It Was A Car Exhibition In Shanghai

The incident happened at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, where MINI China had a booth.

Generally, people go there to view the latest car models, or prototypes. But it looks like some Chinese netizens go to these exhibitions for the freebies…

More importantly – most of the visitors there were Chinese citizens, not foreigners. Keep this in mind.

BMW MINI Gave Out 300 Ice-Cream Tubs Per Day

MINI China was giving out 300 tubs of ice-cream at its booth, over two days. So that’s a total of 600 tubs of ice-cream.

While some Chinese netizens have said that BMW MINI should not have given so few, or should have anticipated a higher demand, they should ask themselves if they are at the Mini booth to view its cars, or to demand freebies?

Even if BMW MINI brought in 1,000 tubs a day, they would likely run out as well, and these demanding guests would still have complained.

Recommended : Pinduoduo App Contains Persistent Spy Malware!

Most Ice-Cream Tubs Went To Chinese Guests

The vast majority of these free ice-cream tubs went to Chinese guests who visited the MINI booth, because it was a car show in Shanghai, where the vast majority of people are Chinese citizens!

Only a few tubs were reserved for BMW / MINI staff members at the car show, who happen to be foreigners. How many foreigners do you reckon will fly to Shanghai to check out the MINIs there?

A total of 600 ice creams were distributed to those who came to our booth through the MINI App. In fact, in addition to the 300 copies distributed each day, we also reserved a very small portion for our very hard-working colleagues on site, the 4-5 “foreigners” you see in the video are colleagues wearing staff badges.

It Was Chinese Ice-Cream

In fact, MINI China reserved those ice-cream tubs specifically for the foreign BMW / MINI executives to try, because the ice-cream was made by Shanghai ice-cream maker, Luneurs!

While many Chinese citizens can easily buy and enjoy ice-cream from Luneurs, this was likely the only opportunity for these foreigners to try ice-cream made by a famous Shanghai brand.

Instead of expressing pride that these foreigners were enjoying a local product, these Chinese netizens instead turned the whole incident into unnecessary drama… over free ice-cream.

Instead of capitalising on MINI China’s support of a local brand, Luneurs was forced to issue a public statement on Weibo that it had nothing to do with the BMW MINI free ice-cream drama.

Recommended : Was TikTok CEO Denied Recess In US Hearing?!

The Two Girls Were Temporary Help

Like in many car shows, the models and booth staff are often temporary help hired for the show. It was the case with the two Chinese girls in the video – they were hired to distribute the free ice-cream to guests visiting the Mini booth.

It is important for me to point this out because they are local Chinese citizens, and have no reason to be biased against their fellow Chinese citizens.

In addition, they were not BMW MINI staff members, and were merely instructed to distribute most of the free ice-cream to guests, and reserve a few for BMW/MINI staff members.

For diligently doing their jobs, they were hounded by Chinese netizens who called them names for allegedly obeying foreigners, or helping foreigners bully the Chinese people, etc.

Not only are these Chinese netizens shameless in demanding freebies, they have also shown themselves to be disgusting bullies. MINI China even came out to defend the girls against these cyberbullies.

… the two ladies in the incident are also young people who have just entered society, can you please give them more tolerance and space?

Recommended : China Unveils New Incentives For Wumao + CCP Uncles!

IMHO, this BMW MINI ice-cream fiasco should serve as a lesson to all foreign brands trying to penetrate the Chinese market – don’t give them any freebies. As it is said, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

No one, but BMW MINI, thought of giving guests some ice-cream for visiting their booth. But instead of appreciating that small gesture, Chinese netizens made it all about them, them, them.

Never mind that it was a car exhibition where no one in their right mind would have expected free ice-cream, or free anything. Never mind that the vast majority of the free ice-cream went to Chinese guests. Never mind that it was two Chinese girls who distributed them.

No, these idiots believe that this is actual Western oppression of the Chinese people. They are a disgrace to China and the Chinese diaspora. The truth is – most Chinese people are not jingoistic cheapskates like these shameless Chinese netizens.

Even the infamously jingoistic former editor-in-chief of Global Times, Hu Xijin, came out to caution Chinese netizens against their excesses:

We shouldn’t excessively magnify a problem to become a question of principle or an ideological issue.

Let the staff learn their lessons and let their future events return to normal as much as possible. Let’s avoid other vendors getting nervous because of this.

Chinese citizens are free to boycott BMW MINI all they want for this “ice-cream fiasco”, but make no mistake – this fiasco does not cast BMW MINI in poor light. It actually shows just how shameless and disgusting some Chinese citizens can be.

China may have made great strides in improving the economic circumstances of its citizens, but it looks like there is much work to be done to improve the grace and thoughtfulness of some of its citizens… as well as their lack of self esteem.

 

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Jho Low Paid $20 Million For Photo With The Obamas!

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Jho Low paid a cool $20 million for a single photo with the Obamas, but guess how much he paid to influence the Trump Administration?!

 

Jho Low Paid $20 Million For Photo With The Obamas!

On Tuesday, 18 April 2023, Prakazrel “Pras” Michel – a member of the Fugees, together with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, testified in his own defence against charges of criminal conspiracy, foreign lobbying and campaign finance crimes.

Pras Michel stands accused of conspiring with fugitive Malaysian financier, Jho Low, to influence the Obama and Trump administrations. During his trial in Washington, D.C., Pras Michel revealed how Jho Low hired him to be a “celebrity surrogate” in order to finagle that photo with the Obamas.

Michel described Jho Low as a “wealthy man willing to do anything, spend any type of money” to get his photo with President Barack Obama, but that Low’s reputation made him “too hot” get an invited to fundraising events. He himself witnessed Low’s wild lifestyle, which was filled with celebrities, models, night clubs, and free-flowing cash.

My understanding is that the campaign thought he was too hot. They didn’t want the optics at that time. At that point, Jho Low was a party guy – Vegas, champagne, parties with Paris Hilton. The campaign just didn’t want that.

Michel told Low that he would try to help him get that photo with the Obamas, but for a price.

I basically asked for US$1 million to begin to think about how I would get this photo. I was going to try.

Jho Low would end up paying Pras Michel $20 million over nine months, before the fugitive tycoon finally got his wish – a photograph with President Barack Obama, and First Lady Michelle Obama, at the 2012 White House Christmas party!

The photo with the Obamas may have cost Jho Low $20 million, but prosecutors claim that Pras Michel pocketed $18 million of the money, and funnelled $2 million into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Recommended : PDRM Offers Up To 60% Discount On Traffic Offences!

 

Jho Low Paid $70 Million To Influence Trump Administration!

If you are shocked by how much Jho Low paid to get that single photo with Barack and Michelle Obama, you will be shocked by how much he paid to influence the Trump Administration!

Prosecutors alleged that Jho Low paid Michel, 50, another $70 million to lobby the Trump Administration to drop its civil and criminal investigation of Low in the 1MDB scandal, as well as have Miles Guo Wengui, a Chinese billionaire dissident, extradited to China!

Jho Low was indicted in 2021 together with Pras Michel by a federal grand jJury, but remains at large and is believed to be in China.

The indictment issued Thursday by a grand jury in Washington accuses Low and Michel of conspiring with Broidy, a woman named Nickie Lum Davis and others “to engage in undisclosed lobbying campaigns at the direction of Low and the Vice Minister of Public Security for the People’s Republic of China, respectively,” according to the Justice Department.

The goals of those campaigns were “both to have the 1MDB embezzlement investigation and forfeiture proceedings involving Low and others dropped and to have a Chinese dissident sent back to China.”

If convicted, Jho Low faces a maximum penalty of five to 10 years in prison, per count, while Pras Michel could face a range of maximum penalties from five to 20 years in prison, per count.

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Scam Alert : Watch Out For Telegram Phishing Attack!

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Watch out for the phishing attack that will allow scammers to take over your Telegram account!

 

Scam Alert : Watch Out For Telegram Phishing Attack!

Scammers are now targeting Telegram users with a phishing attack that is designed to trick them into giving up their accounts! The Telegram phishing attack works like this:

Step 1 : The scammer gains control of your friend’s Telegram account, and sends this message to you:

Dear Telegram users. The system detects that this account is abnormal and has potential security risks.

To ensure that you can log in to your account normally, you need to invite friends for auxiliary verification  

The risk control account has not been verified. The system will cancel the account after 24 hours! 

Personal Information Authentication：[link removed]

Step 2 : The scammer, masquerading as your friend, asks you to help him/her verify his/her Telegram account by clicking on the link.

There are security risks in my account, and I need friends to help me verify it. Please click on the official link to help me verify it and follow the prompts. thank you

Step 3 : If you click on the [removed] link to help your friend, you will be taken to a website that looks like an official Telegram website. DO NOT DO THIS.

Step 4 : You will be asked to log into your Telegram account on the fake website. DO NOT DO THIS.

Step 5 : The fake Telegram website will ask you to key in your Login code, or take and upload a screenshot of your Telegram. DO NOT DO THIS.

Step 6 : If you continue, the scammer will be able to take over your Telegram account, and use it to scam your friends by asking them for money, etc.

The scammer will also have access to your Telegram chats, and all associated media including photos and videos, which could potentially be leaked or used to extort you or other people.

Recommended : Beware Of Telegram Screenshot Hack + Scam!

 

How To Protect Against Telegram Phishing Attack

A phishing (pronounced as fishing) attack is a social engineering attack, that uses your trust for an institution (like a bank), authority (Telegram), or someone you know, to give up your login details.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself against any phishing attack on Telegram, or other platforms.

Verify Identity Before Trusting

Many people fall for phishing attacks because it is human nature to trust your friends and to help them. However, on instant messaging apps, you don’t actually know if it’s really your friend on the other end!

So if a friend messages you on Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc to ask for help, ALWAYS verify their identity before proceeding.

If possible, call or message your friend on the phone, or via a different platform (use WhatsApp if the request came on Telegram, for example).

But if you are unable to call your friend, try asking the other person something that only your real friend would know:

  • Do NOT ask questions like “Are you really Sarah??“
  • Do NOT ask questions that can be answered by reading previous chat messages.
  • Ask something that only you and your friend would know, like “Hey Sarah, what was that restaurant we went to last week?“
  • Ask a fake question that your friend would readily know is not true, like “Hey Sarah, are you coming over tonight?“

If the other person cannot answer or gives you the wrong answer, he/she is not your friend, and that account has likely been taken over by a scammer.

Recommended : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

Look At The Link

Whenever you see a link being shared, always check if it leads to a legitimate website, or attempts to masquerade as a real website, by substituting characters in the link.

This Telegram phishing attack, for example, uses a link to telegram.0rg.ee. The real Telegram domain name is telegram.org. This is called domain spoofing.

If you see an attempt to impersonate a legitimate website by using a similar-looking domain name, do NOT click on it.

Never Login Via A Link

It is common for people to share links on Telegram, and in Telegram groups. Heck, we share links to our article in the Tech ARP Telegram group!

Clicking on links in Telegram, WhatsApp, emails, etc. is not dangerous, because most lead to legitimate websites that do NOT require you to log in.

What is dangerous is logging into any website through a link. I cannot hammer this enough – NEVER LOG INTO ANY WEBSITE through a link!

Phishing attacks work by tricking you into going into a fake website that looks like the real website. But you still have to log into the fake website to give the scammers your login details.

If you click on a link, and you are asked to login – this is likely a phishing attack. But don’t worry – as long as you refuse to log into any website after clicking on a link, the phishing attack fails.

Turn On Two-Step Verification

All banking platforms, and many mobile apps now offer two-step verification to prevent scammers from taking over user accounts. However, this is often an optional feature that you must manually enable.

Telegram has a two-step verification feature, which prevents scammers and hackers from hijacking your account by requiring a secret password that only you will know.

Please follow our guide on how to turn on Two-Step Verification in Telegram.

Just make sure you do NOT give that password out to anyone, or key it into any website!

Read more : How To Turn On Two-Step Verification In Telegram!

Warn Your Family + Friends!

It is important to publicise phishing attacks, whenever they happen. If people are alerted, they are less likely to fall for such attacks.

However, scammers and hackers can quickly change the way their phishing attack works, so it is important that people understand how phishing attacks work in general.

You can help prevent phishing attacks by sharing this articles, and other cybersecurity warnings, with your family and friends.

Please help us FIGHT SCAMMERS by sharing this cybersecurity article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Pinduoduo App Contains Persistent Spy Malware!

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One of China’s most popular apps – Pinduoduo apparently contains a malware that monitors user activities and is difficult to remove!

Take a look at what CNN and multiple cybersecurity researchers have discovered about Pinduoduo!

 

Pinduoduo : What Is It?

Pinduoduo is actually a Chinese online retailer. Think of it as China’s Amazon. While Amazon started as an online bookstore, Pinduoduo started as an online agricultural retailer.

Since then, Pinduoduo has become one of China’s most popular online shopping platform, with its app offering its 750 million users access to cheap products in China, by offering steep discounts on group buying orders.

Despite its meteoric rise, Pinduoduo has not been without its controversies. In 2018, the company was criticised for hosting inferior and imitation products, to which it responded by taking down more than 4 million listing and shutting down 1,128 stores.

In 2019, Pinduoduo was hit by hackers who stole discount coupons worth tens of millions of Yuan. And just last month, Google suspended the Pinduoduo app after discovering that versions offered outside its Play Store contained malware.

The Off-Play versions of the e-commerce app that have been found to contain malware have been enforced on via Google Play Protect.

Read more : How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

 

Pinduoduo App Contains Persistent Spy Malware!

Western interest may have been initiated by Google suspending the Pinduoduo app, but cybersecurity experts had already started looking into the app, and what they discovered was very troubling.

Alert First Raised By Chinese Cybersecurity Company

I think we should start by noting that it was a Chinese cybersecurity company called Dark Navy that first raised concerns about malware in the Pinduoduo app in February 2023.

Although Dark Navy did not name Pinduoduo in its report, cybersecurity researchers knew who it was referring to and soon followed up with their own investigations and reports, confirming Dark Navy’s report.

Sophisticated Malware

Half a dozen cybersecurity teams from Asia, Europe and the United States identified sophisticated malware in the Pinduoduo app that were designed to exploit vulnerabilities in the Android operating system used by many smartphones.

The malware allows the Pinduoduo app to bypass Android security features to monitor activities in other apps, check notifications, read private messages, and even change settings. It is also difficult to remove once installed.

Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at WithSecure, a Finnish cybersecurity firm, said that:

We haven’t seen a mainstream app like this trying to escalate their privileges to gain access to things that they’re not supposed to gain access to. This is highly unusual, and it is pretty damning for Pinduoduo.

Read more : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Dedicated Hacking Team To Look For Vulnerabilities

Even more damning, CNN reported that a current employee revealed that Pinduoduo set up a team of about 100 engineers and product managers to look for vulnerabilities in Android smartphones, and find ways to exploit them for profit.

To avoid exposure, the source said that the company targeted users in rural areas and smaller towns, and avoided users in megacities like Beijing and Shanghai.

By collecting expansive data on those users, Pinduoduo was able to create a comprehensive portrait of their habits, interests, and preferences; while improving its machine learning models to personalise push notifications and ads.

Pinduoduo App Gained More Access Than Allowed

Three cybersecurity companies – WithSecure, Check Point Research, and Oversecured conducted independent analysis of version 6.49.0 of the Pinduoduo app that was released in late February 2023, and found code designed to achieve “privilege escalation” – a type of cyberattack that exploits vulnerabilities in the operating system to gain a higher level of access to data that it’s supposed to have.

Our team has reverse engineered that code and we can confirm that it tries to escalate rights, tries to gain access to things normal apps wouldn’t be able to do on Android phones.

The Pinduoduo app was able to continue running in the background, and prevent itself from being uninstalled. This was apparently done to boost the platform’s statistic for monthly active users.

Pinduoduo App Has Access To User Data Without Consent

Delware-based app security start-up, Oversecured, found that the Pinduoduo app had access to user data like locations, contacts, calendars, notifications, and photo albums, without their consent.

The app was also able to change system settings, and access user social media accounts and chats.

Recommended : Beware Of Telegram Screenshot Hack + Scam!

Pinduoduo App Also Snooped On Other Apps

The Pinduoduo app also had the ability to snoop on competing shopping apps, by tracking activity on other shopping apps, and gathering information from them.

Pinduoduo App Able To Secretly Receive Updates

Check Point Research found that Pinduoduo was able to push updates to the app, without first going through an app store review process to detect malicious code.

Pinduoduo App Programmers Attempted To Obscure Malicious Code

Check Point Research also found that some plug-ins used by the Pinduoduo app tried to obscure potentially malicious code by hiding them under legitimate file names, such as Google’s.

Such a technique is widely used by malware developers that inject malicious code into applications that have legitimate functionality.

Pinduoduo Targeted Android Devices

According to Sergey Toshin, founder of Oversecured, Pinduoduo’s malware specifically targeted Android operating systems used by Samsung, HUAWEI, Xiaomi and OPPO.

He also described the app as “the most dangerous malware” ever found in mainstream apps, exploiting about 50 Android system vulnerabilities. Most of these exploits targeted customised OEM code used by smartphone brands to customise their smartphone software.

I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like, super expansive.

Recommended : Chinese Netizens Explode Over WPS Office Censorship!

Pinduoduo Removed Exploit + Canned Hacking Team

After cybersecurity researchers started reporting about the app, Pinduoduo released version 6.50.0 on March 5, which removed the exploits they found. Two days later, Pinduoduo disbanded its Android hacking team, according to the same employee.

The hacking team members found themselves locked out of Pinduoduo’s workspace communication app, called Knock, and lost access to files on the company’s internal network, with their privileges revoked.

Most of the team was later transferred to work at Pinduoduo’s sister app, Temu. A core group of about 20 cybersecurity engineers however remain at Pinduoduo.

In addition, Sergey Toshin of Oversecured noted that while the exploits were removed in the new version of Pinduoduo, the underlying code remained and could be reactivated to carry out attacks.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

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Many Facebook users are getting hit by the Facebook Ads and Facebook Pay scams! Here is how you can prevent it from happening to you!

 

Facebook Ads + Pay Scam Hits Many Bank Customers!

Many bank customers are complaining that they are being charged for fraudulent Facebook Ads advertisement campaigns!

They discovered that their debit cards were charged for Facebook advertisements that they never approved. Some have also stated that their credit or debit cards were used to purchase goods and services using Facebook Pay.

Stephanie Wong : I found out the money deducted from my bank acc through multiple continuous transactions yesterday, then I called Maybank customer service immediately. They helped me to cancel the card but then the thing happened again this morning.

@ruffleseed : I heard tens of millions of Ringgit were reported misappropriated through @facebook
on multiple bank over the past few weeks.

Delete your phone number from Facebook now and do not let @messenger handle your SMS. @MyMaybank has yet to answer us re: this intrusion.

@ItsNeoah : Banyak kali kena kat credit card ambank. Alhamdulilah call ambank dia mintak isi dispute form then tgok next cycle bil dah takde. Letih ngan scammer ni.

Translation : [My] Ambank credit card got hit many times. Alhamdulillah, after calling Ambank, they asked me to fill out a dispute form, then when I checked the next bill cycle [the charges] was removed. Tired of this scammer.

[/su_note]

Read more : Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

 

How To Block Facebook Ads + Pay Scammers!

Here are some ways to prevent getting hit by the Facebook Ads scam, whether you are a bank customer in Malaysia or other countries.

Do NOT Use Debit Cards

First, you should NEVER use a debit card if you can help it. You should certainly not use a debit card online, or register it on any online or mobile payment platform, whether it’s for Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Facebook Pay.

It doesn’t matter if Bill Gates or Elon Musk or BTS endorses debit cards. DO NOT USE DEBIT CARDS!

You should certainly never use your debit card to fund Facebook advertisements. Always use a credit card, which offers you some protection against such fraudulent transactions.

Disable Your ATM Card’s Debit Card Function

Even if you have never requested for a debit card, you likely already own one – your ATM card likely doubles as a debit card! Banks have been forcing customers to take on debit cards, often by making ATM cards double as debit cards.

If possible, ask your bank to disable debit card function in your ATM card. But it is likely that they will refuse to do so – they make money from debit card transactions after all!

If your bank refuses to disable the debit card function in your ATM card, you can ask them to set the limit to ZERO. That will effectively block scammers from accessing your bank account!

Monitor Your Credit Card Transactions

Using a credit card to purchase products and services on online and mobile payment platforms offers you some protection against fraud, but you must always monitor the transactions and report any fraudulent transactions right away.

Depending on the country and card network, you usually have about 60 days to dispute credit card charges. So don’t wait. Report them as soon as you spot them! This will reduce the loss and reports you make, and speeds up the refund process.

Recommended : Maybank FB Ads Scam : How To Recover Your Money?!

Remove Your Credit Cards ASAP

If you register your credit cards for use with Facebook Ads or Facebook Pay, try to REMOVE them as soon as you are done.

Do NOT leave them registered to your Facebook Ads or Facebook Pay account, as a scammer or hacker who gains access to your Facebook account can make fraudulent purchases or run fraudulent advertisements using those credit cards without additional verification.

That appears to be the modus operandi of the Facebook Ads scam that has affected so many Maybank customers in recent weeks.

But if you have never registered your credit or debit cards with Facebook, or removed them after using, even if scammers hacked into your Facebook account or gained access through phishing attacks, they won’t be able to use your credit or debit cards!

Enable PIN For Facebook Pay

If you are using Facebook Pay, a scammer who gains access to your Facebook account could potentially use the debit or credit cards you registered earlier to make fraudulent transactions.

To prevent that, you should enable PIN confirmation for Facebook Pay:

  1. Go to Settings in the Facebook website (not app).
  2. Go to Account Settings, and select Orders and payments.
  3. In the Orders and payments page, select Settings.
  4. In the Security section, select Require PIN Confirmation.
  5. You will be asked to enter a 4-digit number as your PIN.
  6. Key in the 4-digit number again to confirm your PIN.

After that, you will be required to key in the 4-digit PIN whenever you make a payment, or change your bank account details, or connect your payment info with other Meta apps.

Recommended : Can Greeting Photos + Videos Hack Your Phone?!

Turn On Two-Factor Authentication

To make it harder for scammers / hackers to gain access to your Facebook account, turn on two-factor authentication:

  1. Go to your Security and Login Settings.
  2. Scroll down to Use two-factor authentication and click Edit.
  3. Choose the security method you want to add and follow the on-screen instructions.
When you set up two-factor authentication on Facebook, you’ll be asked to choose one of three security methods:
Once you’ve turned on two-factor authentication, you can get 10 recovery login codes to use when you’re unable to use your phone.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Maybank FB Ads Scam : How To Recover Your Money?!

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If you are one of the many Maybank (MBB) customers who got hit by the Facebook Ads scam, here is how you can recover your money!

 

Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

Many Maybank customers are complaining that they are being charged for fraudulent Facebook Ads advertisement campaigns!

They discovered that their debit cards were charged for Facebook advertisements that they never approved.

Stephanie Wong : I think i am a very cautious person as I did not link my card to any platform or make purchase through any unsafe website at ALL, but it still happens to me.

I found out the money deducted from my bank acc through multiple continuous transactions yesterday, then I called Maybank customer service immediately.

They helped me to cancel the card but then the thing happened again this morning.

@ruffleseed : I heard tens of millions of Ringgit were reported misappropriated through @facebook
on multiple bank over the past few weeks.

Delete your phone number from Facebook now and do not let @messenger handle your SMS.

@MyMaybank has yet to answer us re: this intrusion.

Read more : Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

 

Maybank FB Ads Scam : How To Recover Money?!

Generally, you should NEVER use a debit card because it does not offer the protection a credit card does – money is withdrawn directly from your bank account, and the bank is not legally obliged to refund any money lost through scams.

However, Hafizah Ayko who was once a victim shared her experience on how she managed to recover money, even though the scammers used her debit card to run those fake Facebook advertisements.

To help you recover any money you may have lost to Facebook Ads scammers, I translated and “improved” her instructions for you:

Disable Your Debit / Credit Card

First, you need to quickly disable your debit or credit card. You can call up the bank, or in Maybank’s case:

Step 1 : Log into your Maybank2U account.

Step 2 : Go to Cards, and select Manage My Debit Card.

Step 3 : Select Debit Card – Replace, Renew, Activate & Block.

Step 4 : Select Block Debit Card. You will need to get a replacement card from any Maybank branch later.

If you feel that the above steps are too complicated, an alternative method would be to immediately transfer your money to another bank account, if you have one.

But please DO NOT transfer your money to another person’s account. Only transfer your money to another bank account that you own.

NEVER EVER transfer your money to a third party, especially they claim to be police officers or bank officers trying to help you. That is a scam!

Police departments and banks do NOT have special bank accounts to hold and protect your money during scams. And legitimate police and bank officers are NOT authorised to receive money, and will NEVER ask you to transfer money to their bank accounts.

Recommended : Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

Disable Facebook Ads

Next, you need to immediately disable all advertisements that the scammer has set up using your Facebook account. The longer they continue to run, the more you are being charged for them!

Step 1 : Go to your Facebook account, and select See all.

Step 2 : Select Ads Manager.

Step 3 : You should see a bunch of fraudulent advertisements running. Turn all of them off.

Recommended : Beware Of Telegram Screenshot Hack + Scam!

Ask Facebook For Refund

After turning off the fraudulent advertisements, you need to report them, and ask Facebook for a refund.

Step 1 : Go to Ad account settings, and select Report a problem at the lower right corner.

Step 2 : Select Ad Policy or Fraud. Then select Fraudulent Activity.

Step 3 : Explain your situation the best you can, and upload any screenshots you have, and send the report.

After that, Facebook should respond that they would issue a refund for the fraudulent transactions in 3-5 business days!

Alternatively, you can submit report unauthorised or unknown charges to Facebook using this online form.

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Ask Your Bank For A Refund

You should also report the fraudulent transactions to your bank and request for a refund. This works for credit cards, but you should nevertheless give it a try even if the scammers hit your debit card.

Step 1 : Download the Maybank Dispute Form.

Step 2 : Print or directly fill in the information into the PDF form.

Step 3 : Email the form to disputemgmt@maybank.com.my, together with any relevant screenshots, within 20 days from the closing date of the billing period.

Again, banks are not obliged to refund fraudulent charges to debit cards, as the money is withdrawn directly from your bank account. But there is no harm trying.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

MILO Malaysia Ramadan Contest Scam Alert!

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Please watch out for the MILO Malaysia Ramadan contest scam!

Find out why it is just a SCAM, and WARN your family and friends!

 

MILO Malaysia Ramadan Contest Scam Alert!

People are now sharing the MILO Malaysia Ramadan contest on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger :

MILO Malaysia Ramadan gift

Through the questionnaire, you will have a chance to get 2000 Ringgit.

MILO Malaysia Ramadan gift

We have prepared a lot of cash gifts as Ramadan gift.

Recommended : Petronas 50th Anniversary Scam Alert!

 

MILO Malaysia Ramadan Contest : Why This Is A Scam!

Unfortunately, this is yet another survey scam, like the Tenaga Nasional 33rd Anniversary scam!!

Nestle confirmed that the viral MILO Malaysia contest a scam in a 30 March 2023 statement on their website:

Nestlé Malaysia Notification on Scams

We have been alerted of a MILO Ramadan Contest offering cash prizes to the public upon completion of a questionnaire. Please be informed that this is a scam which aims to mislead the public.

Nestlé views this matter seriously and has reported it to the relevant authorities.

If you have received a post or message on this, or know anyone who has:

DO NOT share the post
DO NOT provide any personal details (e.g. bank account numbers)
DO NOT make any payments

This is yet another example of a survey scam, that scammers have been using for years:

Now, let me show you how to spot these scams next time!

If you spot any of these warning signs, DO NOT PROCEED and DO NOT SHARE!

Warning Sign #1 : Bad Grammar

Most of these scammers do not have a good command of the English language, so if you spot bad grammar, stay away.

Proper contests or events sponsored by major brands like Nestle will have at least one PR or marketing person who will vet the text before allowing it to be posted.

Recommended : Petronas 50th Anniversary Scam Alert!

Warning Sign #2 : Offering You Free Money Or Gifts

Please do NOT be naive. No one – not even large companies like Nestle – is going to give you money or free gifts just to participate in a survey!

Nestle is a corporation whose business is to make money, not a charity to give you free money.

Warning Sign #3 : Not Using The Real MILO Domain

A genuine Nestle or MILO marketing campaign would use their real domains – www.milo.com.my or www.nestle.com.my.

Or they would run it off the official MILO Malaysia page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/MiloMalaysia/.

If you see nonsensical domains like findinggreedy.cn, consequentlybewilder.cn, merefamily.top, 0yjjg61.cn, 1eaf1rnbeef.top, ldxqw.bar, etc. that’s a sign it’s a SCAM!

Warning Sign #4 : Asking You To Forward The Offer

No brand will insist that you must share the offer with 5 groups or 20 friends on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

Do not click to forward their offer to your family and friends. They will not appreciate being scammed with your help!

Recommended : Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

Warning Sign #5 : Asking You To Download + Register An App

If you click through and joined the fake survey scam, you will eventually be asked to download and register for an app.

This is VERY DANGEROUS. Never agree to download and register for any unknown app from a website.

Always download your apps from an official App Store like Google Play Store (for Android smartphones) and Apple App Store (for iPhones).

Please help us fight scams like this and SHARE this article out!

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

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Many Maybank (MBB) customers are getting hit by the Facebook Ads scam!

Find out what’s going on, and what you can do to avoid this Facebook Ads scam!

 

Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

Many Maybank customers are complaining that they are being charged for fraudulent Facebook Ads advertisement campaigns!

They discovered that their debit cards were charged for Facebook advertisements that they never approved.

Stephanie Wong : I think i am a very cautious person as I did not link my card to any platform or make purchase through any unsafe website at ALL, but it still happens to me.

I found out the money deducted from my bank acc through multiple continuous transactions yesterday, then I called Maybank customer service immediately.

They helped me to cancel the card but then the thing happened again this morning.

@ruffleseed : I heard tens of millions of Ringgit were reported misappropriated through @facebook
on multiple bank over the past few weeks.

Delete your phone number from Facebook now and do not let @messenger handle your SMS.

@MyMaybank has yet to answer us re: this intrusion.

Recommended : Beware Of Telegram Screenshot Hack + Scam!

Fahim Fahmi : Begitu saja duit kena curi 😢

Translation : That’s how [my] money got stolen 😢

Danish Ihsan : Aku dah kena jugak, satu hari 2 transaction.. nasib sedaq awai, habis rm800.. kalau tak lagi banyak.. maybank dah tak selamat, tadi kat bank pun ada akak kena jugak transfer to others acc beribu2 jugak lah,. Solusi, jangan guna maybank buat masa sekarang..

Translation : I got with with 2 transactions in one day.. luckily, I realised early, but lost rm800.. if not it would have been more.. maybank is not safe, just now at the bank a lady transferred thousands [of ringgit] to other people’s account. Solution, don’t use Maybank for now..

Recommended : Watch Out For TNG eWallet SMS Phishing Scam!

 

Analysis : Facebook Ads Scam May Not Be Related To Maybank

Many of those customers are angry with Maybank over these fraudulent charges to their debit cards, which meant the money was directly withdrawn from their bank accounts.

However, on closer analysis, the scammers may not necessarily be taking advantage of leaked Maybank debit card information, or hacked Maybank itself…

Fact #1 : Other Bank Customers Are Affected Too

While most recent Facebook Ads scam cases appear to be affecting Maybank customers, other bank customers are reporting that they took were charged for those fraudulent advertisements.

@eeshepeeka : nohh laki cek pun kena last week tp kat CIMB. ada few transaction for 2 days nasib dia tolak sikit2. sekali deduct RM12+ sehari 3x ja. deduction description pun sama sebiji cam dlm gambaq tu. haiyaa

Translation : Well, my husband also got [scammed] last week but at CIMB. there were a few transactions for 2 days, but luckily [the scammer] deducted only small amounts. each time deducting RM12+ a day for 3 times. The deduction description is the same as the one in the picture. haiyaa

@ItsNeoah : Banyak kali kena kat credit card ambank. Alhamdulilah call ambank dia mintak isi dispute form then tgok next cycle bil dah takde. Letih ngan scammer ni.

Translation : [My] Ambank credit card got hit many times. Alhamdulillah, after calling Ambank, they asked me to fill out a dispute form, then when I checked the next bill cycle [the charges] was removed. Tired of this scammer.

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Fact #2 : Most Of Them Ran Facebook Ads In The Past

In addition to analysing their stories, I also spoke to someone who knows several Maybank customers who got hit by the scam. From what I can ascertain, most of them ran Facebook Ads in the past.

Stephanie Wong : 3.) Did not run any ads recently, but few years ago

@wnn_tasha : I last pakai FB ad guna akaun ni tahun 2018. Silap tak remove payment method tu.

Translation : I last used FB ad using this account in 2018. My mistake for not removing the payment method.

They said that they paid for Facebook page a few years ago to boost their audience.

That said, at least two Maybank customers said that they have never registered any debit or credit card with Facebook:

Fahim Fahmi : Tak pernah ada link kad dengan FB atau social media yang lain

Translation : [I] never linked [any] card with FB or other social media

@ruffleseed : I have never set up payment methods on Facebook nor have I ever used Facebook ads.

Recommended : Beware Of Telegram Screenshot Hack + Scam!

Fact #3 : Scammer Likely Got Access To Those Facebook Accounts

What is interesting is that most of those who were affected by this Facebook Ads scam reported that their Facebook accounts were used to create and run those ads.

If their debit or credit cards were merely stolen, the scammers could have created a new Facebook account to use those stolen cards to run Facebook ads.

Fortunately, one of the victims “caught” the scammer logging into her account from the United States. This clearly shows that the Facebook Ads scam requires the scammer to gain access to their Facebook accounts.

It is likely that the scammers gained access to their victims’ Facebook accounts using phishing attacks, and simply used the debit or credit cards that those victims earlier registered with Facebook to run advertisements in the past.

Fact #4 : Facebook Auto-Fill Is Not The Problem

After these cases went viral, people blamed the Auto-Fill feature in Facebook, and shared videos and photos on how to disable it.

The truth is – this Facebook Ads scam very likely has nothing to do with Auto-Fill, which is a feature used in many other services and platforms.

Auto-Fill only makes it easier to fill in your debit or credit card details. It does not bypass any verification that is required to make a payment.

Read more : Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

Fact #5 : You Can Recover Your Money!

Now, this is important – you need to move fast to cut your losses, and recover the money. You can also improve your Facebook account security to prevent it from happening again.

For more details, please read our guide – Maybank FB Ads Scam : How To Recover Money?!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Must You Disable Facebook Auto-Fill To Block Scams?!

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Must you immediately disable Auto-Fill in Facebook to block scams?!

Here is what you need to know about Facebook Auto-Fill, and getting scammed on Facebook!

 

Claim : Facebook Auto-Fill Opens You To Scams!

People are sharing warnings about Facebook Auto-Fill, together with instructions on how to disable it to block Facebook Ads scams.

Guys check ur Facebook
And make sure these are OFF
this week a lot of MBB customers kena scam

1. Please check your bank account.
2. Please disable ‘auto-fill’ option in Facebook…

Recommended : Facebook Ads Scam Hits Many Maybank Customers!

 

Truth : Facebook Auto-Fill Does Not Open You To Scams

There appears to be a spate of scams involving Facebook Ads and Maybank users, but it does not appear to be related to the Facebook Auto-Fill feature, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Facebook Introduced Auto-Fill In 2013

Facebook started introducing Auto-Fill sometime in September 2013, and gradually rolled it out globally over the years, so this is not a new feature.

Fact #2 : Many App Use Auto-Fill

Facebook isn’t the only app or platform to use Auto-Fill. Many services and platforms use Auto-Fill to make it easier to fill up forms and make payments.

The Auto-Fill feature is used in most, if not all, e-commerce / online shopping / online payment platforms, to expedite payments. The idea is that if they make it easier it is for you to pay, you will tend to buy more!

Many apps and services also use Auto-Fill to help you fill onerous forms with common details like your full name, email address, address and telephone number.

Fact #3 : Facebook Does Not Automatically Have Your Details

Facebook enables Auto-Fill by default for forms and payment, but that does not mean it has access to your debit or credit cards, or even your personal details. You need to manually key in your Contact Info and/or Payment Info for Facebook Auto-Fill to work.

If you have never given Facebook your credit card details, there is no way for its Auto-Fill to automatically fill in the credit card details for any transaction. Even if a scammer gains access to your Facebook account, he/she cannot use Auto-Fill because you never keyed in your debit or credit card details in the first place!

I did a quick check on two cases involving Maybank that came up recently (first example) (second example), and noticed that both parties who reported that they got fraudulently charged for Facebook Ads never registered their credit card with Facebook at all!

So whatever may be going on, it does not appear to be a Facebook Auto-Fill issue. But just in case you are worried, here are the latest steps on how to disable Auto-Fill on the Facebook mobile app.

  1. Tap on your icon at the upper right corner of the Facebook app to access the Menu.
  2. Scroll down the Menu until you see the Settings & privacy group.
  3. Tap on Settings.
  4. Scroll down the Settings & privacy page, and tap on Browser.
  5. Scroll down the Browser settings page to the Auto-fill section.
  6. You can tap on the Contact info and Payment info to check what information you shared with Facebook.
  7. To disable Auto-fill for contact information, unselect Auto-fill contact forms.
  8. To disable Auto-fill for payment, unselect Auto-fill payment forms.

Recommended : Can SIM Swap empty bank accounts without warning?!

Fact #4 : Auto-Fill Cannot Bypass TAC Verification

Even if you registered your credit card details with Facebook, and then use Auto-Fill to make a purchase, you will still need to authenticate that purchase.

Of course, it is possible to conduct a SIM swap attack, but that’s a different story altogether…

Fact #5 : Existing Facebook Ads Account Is A Risk

Those who have earlier registered a Facebook Ads account and ran advertisements may be at risk, because their credit cards would already be linked to their Facebook Ads account.

A scammer who gains access to their account (usually through phishing attacks) can easily create and run advertisements using their existing Facebook Ads account using the credit cards that have already been registered and approved earlier.

To minimise your risk, never ever use a debit card! Always use a CREDIT CARD, and always keep an eye on the transactions. Report to the bank once you see a fraudulent transaction.

But this has nothing to do with the Facebook Auto-Fill feature, and is not a concern if you never pre-approved your debit or credit cards with a Facebook Ads account.

Fact #5 : Existing Facebook Pay Account Is A Risk

Similarly, if you are using Facebook Pay, a scammer who gains access to your Facebook account could potentially use the debit or credit cards you registered earlier to make fraudulent transactions.

Again, you should NEVER use a debit card with Facebook Pay. Use a credit card, and always keep an eye on the transactions, and report to the bank once you see something fishy.

On top of that, you should enable PIN confirmation for Facebook Pay:

  1. Go to Settings in the Facebook website (not app).
  2. Go to Account Settings, and select Orders and payments.
  3. In the Orders and payments page, select Settings.
  4. In the Security section, select Require PIN Confirmation.
  5. You will be asked to enter a 4-digit number as your PIN.
  6. Key in the 4-digit number again to confirm your PIN.

After that, you will be required to key in the 4-digit PIN whenever you make a payment, or change your bank account details, or connect your payment info with other Meta apps.

Recommended : Maybank FB Ads Scam : How To Recover Money?!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Malaysia Extends SSPN Tax Relief Until 2024!

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Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim just announced the extension of the SSPN tax relief until 2024! Here is what you need to know!

 

Malaysia Extends SSPN Tax Relief Until 2024!

On Wednesday, 29 March 2023, Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the extension of the SSPN tax relief until 2024!

The Prime Minister said that the decision was made after many quarters asked the government to consider the tax relief that was not included in the revised 2023 budget.

The SSPN tax break is expected to cost the government RM250 million (US$56.8 million) in tax revenue. The tax relief is limited to the first RM8,000, after being increased from RM6,000 in the 2019 budget.

I have agreed to extend this tax exemption until 2024 that will benefit 400,000 taxpayers and cost the government RM250 million.

Recommended : PDRM Offers Up To 60% Discount On Traffic Offences!

 

Earlier : SSPN Tax Relief Missing From Malaysia 2023 Budget!

SSPN (Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional) – the National Education Savings Scheme, is a government-backed savings scheme designed to help parents save and invest those savings for their children’s higher education.

In past years, parents in Malaysia who put away money into SSPN for their children’s higher education enjoyed tax relief on the first RM8,000 contributed to the fund for the year.

The re-tabling of Budget 2023 for Malaysia noticeably did not include an extension of the SSPN tax relief. The Finance Bill 2023, which the government is proposing to amend the Income Tax Act 1967 with, includes this amendment:

Subparagraph 4(a)(iv) seeks to delete paragraph 46(1)(k) of Act 53 as the amount deposited by an individual for his child into the Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional shall no longer be allowed as a deduction under Act 53. This amendment has effect for the year of assessment 2023 and subsequent years of assessment.

As a result, SSPN earlier posted a notice on its website saying that it is seeking clarification from the government on the tax relief.

The announcement by the Prime Minister that the SSPN tax relief would be reinstated will definitely be a relief to parents who have had to put up with high inflation.

 

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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SBF Accused Of Bribing Chinese Officials With $40 Mil!

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SBF has just been accused of bribing Chinese officials with “at least $40 million” to unlock frozen trading accounts in China! Here is what you need to know…

 

SBF Accused Of Bribing Chinese Officials With $40 Million!

Sam Bankman-Fried, better known as SBF, has just been hit with fresh charges by US officials, who accuse the crypto-preneur of authorising a bribe of “at least $40 million” (about £32.5 million) to unlock frozen trading accounts in China!

In the updated indictment (PDF download), SBF was said to have approved the $40 million bribe after Chinese authorities froze Alameda Research trading accounts that were holding roughly $1 billion or £811 million worth of cryptocurrencies.

… in or about 2021, SAMUEL BANKMAN-FRIED, a/k/a “SBF”, the defendant, authorised and directed a bribe of at least $40 million to one or more Chinese government officials.

The purpose of the bribe was to influence and induce one or more Chinese government officials to unfreeze certain Alameda trading accounts containing over $1 billion in cryptocurrency, which had been frozen by Chinese authorities.

SBF now faces a total of 13 criminal charges, including this new additional charge. He could potentially be jailed for more than 100 years if convicted.

Recommended : Bitcoin Revolution : Fake Celebrity Endorsements Exposed!

 

How SBF Allegedly Bribed Chinese Officials With $40 Million!

In early 2021, Chinese authorities froze some Alameda Research accounts on two of China’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, freezing approximately $1 billion in cryptocurrency stored in those accounts.

At that time, SBF believed that the accounts were frozen as part of an ongoing investigation into another company that was trading with Alameda Research.

At least, SBF and others working for him tried “numerous methods” to unfreeze those accounts, including:

  • retaining lawyers in China to lobby for the Alameda accounts to be unlocked,
  • communicating with the Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges, and
  • opening new accounts on those Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges using several individuals unaffiliated with FTX (the “Fraudulent Accounts”) and then attempting to transfer cryptocurrency from the frozen accounts to those Fraudulent Accounts.

After months of failed attempts to unlock those frozen accounts, SBF and unnamed partners discussed and “ultimately agreed” to a multi million dollar bribe to unfreeze those accounts.

The indictment specifically called out SBF for authorising and directing the “illicit transfer of cryptocurrency” to “induce and influence one or more Chinese government officials to unfreeze the Accounts”.

Recommended : SBF Allegedly Hid $8 Billion In Korean Friend Account!

Following SBF’s authorisation and instructions, Alameda Research employees transferred cryptocurrency worth about $40 million from the Alameda main trading account to a private cryptocurrency wallet in November 2021, after which the Accounts were unfrozen.

After confirming that the accounts were unfrozen, SBF then authorised the transfer of “additional tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency to complete the bribe“.

Thanks to the unfreezing of its accounts, Alameda was able to continue funding its trades, and continue what the government says was a fraud upon its customers and investors for another year.

FTX and Alameda would later implode in November 2022, with SBF arrested in December and charged with defrauding FTX customers, investors and lenders, as well as conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to make unlawful political contributions and defraud the Federal Election Commission.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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TTDI Ramadan Bazaar Offers Full Digital Payments!

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Tech Hunter just launched a a massive Ramadan Bazaar in TTDI called #TechMeToBazaar, where every vendor is fully equipped for digital payments!

 

TTDI Ramadan Bazaar Offers Full Digital Payments!

Tech Hunter just launched a Ramadan Bazaar in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI) called #TechMeToBazaar. The massive bazaar boasts over 150 stalls offering local delicacies, and expects to welcome over 200,000 visitors this year.

Thanks to Tech Hunter Global Sdn Bhd (“Tech Hunter”), visitors to the TTDI Ramadan Bazaar can make payments using a variety of digital modes, including debit or credit cards and e-wallets.

All stalls at the TTDI Ramadan Bazaar are fully equipped with payment terminals set up by PayHunter, a Tech Hunter subsidiary, so visitors can simply “wave” their debit or credit cards, or scan the QR codes to digitally transfer money using any e-wallet. Visitors no longer have to worry about bringing enough cash to pay for their buka puasa meals!

TTDI Ramadan Bazaar is also powered by SHOPLINE, a global Smart Commerce Enabler offering omnichannel commerce solutions. SHOPLINE recently integrated its POS system with Tech Hunter’s Smart Mobile Payment Terminal to allow retailers to easily place and checkout a customer’s order via a compact, wireless device – perfect for space-saving and mobile use at the bazaar!

Lastly, YTL Communications’ Yes is the telecommunications provider that powers the 5G connectivity throughout the entire bazaar.

“This Ramadan, we are proud to launch the first ever 5G Ramadan Bazaar, powered by Yes 5G as part of the Tech Me To Bazaar campaign,” said Wing K. Lee, Chief Executive Officer at YTL Communications. “In line with our ongoing mission to enable 5G for All, we are bringing 5G connectivity to one of the most engaged activities of the festive season. Through the Ramadan bazaar at TTDI, we are making 5G accessible for both vendors and customers alike to experience seamless connectivity, fast internet speeds and ultra-low latency through Yes 5G. We welcome all to our Yes booths located within the bazaar, to kickstart their 5G experience powered by Yes”.

 

Promotions @ TTDI Ramadan Bazaar!

Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), SHOPLINE, GrabPay Malaysia and YTL Communications came together as sponsors to offer these promotions at the TTDI Ramadan Bazaar :

  • Visitors who use their BSN credit or debit card to make an accumulated spend of RM50 with a maximum combination of three (3) receipts, will stand a chance to win a one-time RM5 cashback during the campaign period from 23 March until 21 April 2023. A total of 4,000 winners will be selected randomly.
  • Visitors can also enjoy RM30 off, with a minimum purchase of RM200 using Grab’s PayLater function in the Grab app. Visitors will need to scan the GrabPay QR code at the stalls, key in the payment amount and “Pay Next Month” or “Pay in 4 Instalments” to enjoy the discount.

The TTDI Ramadan Bazaar is open from 3 PM every day from 23 March until 21 April 2023.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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New JobStreet Study : 2023 Remains Jobseekers’ Market In Asia!

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A new JobStreet study just revealed that 2023 will remain the jobseekers’ market in Asia! Here is what you need to know.

 

New JobStreet Study : 2023 Remains Jobseekers’ Market In Asia!

On 1 March 2023, SEEK, the parent company of JobStreet and JobsDB – Asia’s leading online employment marketplaces, released a new study on the jobseekers’ market in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, together with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and The Network, a global alliance of recruitment websites.

The study, which surveyed 97,324 respondents in Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, delivered these key findings:

  • 34% of talents are actively looking for a new job
  • their top 3 motivations for seeking for a new job are:
    – 49% are looking for a more interesting position, or higher seniority
    – 30% feel they lack opportunities for upward career progress
    – 27% are unsatisfied with their current salary and benefits
  • 54% are not actively looking for a job, but would consider a job opportunity with better financial compensation
  • 74% of talents in the region are approached multiple times per year for new job opportunities
  • 36% of talents are approached about new job opportunities every month
  • 70% of talents believe they have strong negotiation power
  • IT talents are the most coveted in Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore, being frequently approached with job opportunities

You can download the full report here.

Despite the waves of layoffs by tech companies in the region and around the world, the demand for tech talent still remains based on the reports’ findings. This is consistent with SEEK’s observation of a 29% YoY (2021 vs 2022) increase in job ads for tech roles in the region, based on data from our JobStreet and JobsDB platforms.
– Peter Bithos, CEO of SEEK Asia

 

2023 JobStreet Study Findings : Top Talent Priorities

The 2023 study by JobStreet parent company, SEEK and the Boston Consulting Group, also gave us a look at what are the top priorities for talents in the Southeast Asia and Hong Kong region:

Most respondents (71%) desire, above all, a stable job with a good work-life balance. This preference is dominant across job roles, countries, and age groups.

  • 22% say that unattractive financial compensation is a deal breaker
  • 17% say that poor work-life balance is a deal breaker
  • amount of time off, and job security tie as deal breakers in third place

People’s expectations towards work have changed radically in the past few years. Most jobseekers don’t want to live to work anymore – they want to work to live. Employers must understand that while a high salary may be a way to raise the attention of in-demand talent, money is not enough to retain them on the long run. A culture that supports work-life balance, allows for flexibility, and emphasises good workplace relationships is equally important.
– Sagar Goel, Partner and Associate Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Jobseekers are also interested in a better recruiting process:

  • 67% want a smooth and timely process, as 49% will refuse even an attractive job offer if they face a negative experience
  • recruitment platforms like JobStreet and JobsDB are the top channel used when applying for a job.
  • Advanced digital tools are not favoured, even among the young generation. Many prefer personal interactions during the recruitment process – only 24% were comfortable participating in an AI-led automated interview.

 

2023 JobStreet Study Findings : The Malaysian Context

The study also looked at the Malaysian context for jobseekers in 2023:

  • Malaysia’s labour market remains positive, with 30.9K new jobs
  • Talents in Malaysia have lower job opportunities than the global average. However, 69% of respondents feel they have a strong negotiation power over employers.
  • 1 in 3 employees are willing to try different careers by reselling to new professions – this is approximately 5% higher than the regional average
  • top 3 more coveted talents in Malaysia (based on the percentage of respondents who are approached most frequently with job opportunities) are:
    – Information Technology
    – Digitisation, data science, and artificial intelligence
    – Education, such as teachers and trainers
  • 61% of Malaysians expressed their preference for hybrid working models, which is 7% higher than the global average.

 

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Tenaga Nasional 33rd Anniversary Scam Alert!

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Please watch out for the Tenaga Nasional 33th Anniversary survey contest scam!

Find out why it is just a SCAM, and WARN your family and friends!

 

Tenaga Nasional 33th Anniversary Survey Scam Alert!

People are now sharing the Tenaga Nasional 33th Anniversary messages on WhatsApp :

Congratulations!

Tenaga Nasional 33rd Anniversary National Government Power Subsidy!

Through the questionnaire, you will have a chance to get 1000 Ringgit

🎉 Tenaga Nasional 33rd Anniversary National Government Power Subsidy 🎊

Electricity subsidy is being issued…

Recommended : Petronas 50th Anniversary Scam Alert!

 

Tenaga Nasional 33th Anniversary Survey : Why This Is A Scam!

Unfortunately, this is yet another survey scam, like the Petronas 50th Anniversary scam!

Tenaga Nasional confirmed that this survey is a scam in a scam alert on their website on 6 February 2023.

Win Cash Rewards from TNB – 6/2/2023

TNB customers are advised to ignore survey links that claim they can win cash rewards from TNB.

TNB does not organize any kind of cash prize giveaway on social media. Please be careful and avoid spreading this false information.

I know many of us are in dire straits during the COVID-19 pandemic, having lost jobs, income or even loved ones.

Unfortunately, scammers are counting on our desperation to prey on us, using the same survey scam they have been using for years :

Now, let me show you how to spot these scams next time!

If you spot any of these warning signs, DO NOT PROCEED and DO NOT SHARE!

Warning Sign #1 : Bad Grammar

Most of these scammers do not have a good command of the English language, so if you spot bad grammar, stay away.

Proper contests or events sponsored by major brands like Tenaga Nasional will have at least one PR or marketing person who will vet the text before allowing it to be posted.

Read more : Petronas 50th Anniversary Scam Alert!

Warning Sign #2 : Offering You Free Money Or Gifts

Please do NOT be naive. No one is going to give you money or free gifts just to participate in a survey!

Tenaga Nasional isn’t going to give you FREE money, just because it’s their anniversary.

They are a corporation whose business is to make money, not a charity to give you free money.

Warning Sign #3 : Not Using The Real Jaya Grocer Domain

A genuine Tenaga Nasional campaign would use their real domain – www.tnb.com.my.

Or they would run it off the official Tenaga Nasional page on Facebook – www.facebook.com/TNBCareline/.

If you see nonsensical domains like merefamily.top, 0yjjg61.cn, 1eaf1rnbeef.top, ldxqw.bar, etc. that’s a sign it’s a SCAM!

Warning Sign #4 : Asking You To Forward The Offer

No brand will insist that you must share the offer with 5 groups or 20 friends on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

Do not click to forward their offer to your family and friends. They will not appreciate being scammed with your help!

Warning Sign #5 : Asking You To Download + Register An App

If you click through and joined the fake survey scam, you will eventually be asked to download and register for an app.

This is VERY DANGEROUS. Never agree to download and register for any unknown app from a website.

Always download your apps from an official App Store like Google Play Store (for Android smartphones) and Apple App Store (for iPhones).

Please help us fight scams like this and SHARE this article out!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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2023 Turkey Earthquake : Fake Photos + Scam Alert!

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Please watch out for fake photos + videos, as well as donation scams capitalising on the devastating 2023 earthquake in Turkey!

 

2023 Turkey Earthquake : Fake Photos Alert!

Many people have been sharing photos of the massive earthquake that devastated both Turkey and Syria on 6 February 2023.

Unfortunately, quite a number of fake photos on WhatsApp and social media. They also appear in TikTok and YouTube videos. Here are a few notable examples.

Old Man With Bread

This photo of an old man with bread is being shared as a lesson on why we should be humble, respectful and kind.

It took just 17secs to change his status from the owner of 33 buildings to a person who’s surviving on bread and finding shelter where he can.

#TurkeyEarthquake teaches us an important lesson that life is unpredictable and nothing is permanent. Be humble, respectful and kind.

How being humble, respectful and kind could have helped this poor man was not explained. Neither did the people sharing this “lesson” explain why this photo has been circulating since 1999…

Yes, this photo was taken by photographer, Abdurrahman Antakyalı, almost 24 years ago, after the Düzce Earthquake that occurred on 12 November, 1999.

Needless to say, that old man was not a rich man who owned 33 buildings. It is incredible that people who create a fake story about this poor man. If there is a lesson to be learned, it is that everyone should “verify before sharing“!

Recommended : Did Turkey Earthquake Cause Nuclear Plant Explosion?!

Dog Looking For Survivor

Many people are sharing photos of dogs looking for survivors, like this example below, which was shared with messages like:

The little heroes will save many lives. Pray for Turkey.

This is incredible! A dog in Turkey was seen digging trying to rescue its owner. When the dog failed to move the heavy debris, he started barking to ask for help while holding one of his owner’s fingers!

Syrian🇸🇾 Turkish🇹🇷 Earthquakes!

Dogs are sensitive to their owner ❤️😊

The truth is – that is one of many stock images of “dogs looking for people in earthquake” available online.

That photo, and similar examples featuring the same dog as well as others dogs were posted by Czech photographer, Jaroslav Noska, on November 2020.

This suggests that the photos were staged for use as stock photos, and not actual photos of a real disaster area, or even real rescue dogs.

Tryon The Rescue Dog

Many people shared this photo of a dirty-looking dog, claiming that it just saved 10 lives in the 2023 earthquake in Turkey.

This dog worked all night last night and saved 10 lives

This dog hero who worked the whole night and saved 10 lives in Turkey.

The truth is – this is Tryon the rescue dog who helped to search for victims of a deadly mudslide near Oso, Washington, in the United States.

This photo was taken by Rick Wilking, a freelance photographer for Reuters, on March 30, 2014. He provided the following caption for this photo:

Tryon the rescue dog waits to go through the decontamination area at the mudslide after searching for victims in Oso, Washington March 30, 2014.

Recommended : Did FedEx + Southwest Jets Almost Collide In Video?!

 

2023 Turkey Earthquake : Donation Scam Alert!

People are not just posting those fake photos to “virtue signal” or increase their popularity, some are using them for donation scams!

Photos of Tryon the rescue dog above, for example, is being used to solicit donations for the people in Syria.

(Need Some reputable or NGO in Syria to pay or food. Shelter, blankets the Earthquake affects from the donations if gathered from this page.

As Sanction Syria from all over the world needs our help. Turkey has been helping by many.

He (Reputable) or NGO must be at the Earthquake affected areas of Syria and make video or come live while giving blankets, food, donation etc. Thanks )

– Those who want to Help/Donate. Message us. Thanks!

Even more egregious is this photo of a firefighter holding a child with a Turkish flag on his sleeve.

Friends, we have launched an aid campaign to reach people who have experienced an #earthquake disaster in Turkey.

#btc B : 1)n3C4GiFCzERTWd6nvCc4hTzvK8Viz88y

#eth: Ox2cff2ad875£68bf4ec5a478e505767c348dd61d

#Suns suns

The trouble is – the photo isn’t real! It was created by Major General Panagiotis Kotridis of the Aegean fire brigade using the AI image generator called Midjourney.

While they are capable of creating really realistic images, such artificial intelligence image generators often leave tell-tale mistakes.

In the viral photo below, you can see that the firefighter has six fingers on his right hand with an abnormally long thumb. His left hand is also missing, with a third “hand?” right next to it.

Recommended : Scam Alert : Fake Damar Hamlin Donation Requests!

The BBC investigated further, and found that one of the crypto wallet addresses had been used in scam and spam tweets since 2018, while the other crypto wallet address had been posted on VK – the Russian social media website, together with pornographic content.

Ax Sharma, a cybersecurity expert at Sonatype, also pointed out that scammers are creating fake disaster relief accounts on social media to cheat people. One example is @TurkeyRelief on Twitter, which was created in January 2023 with just 31 followers and asked for donations using PayPal.

Scammers are also using TikTok Live to ask for donations, using captions like “Let’s help Turkey”, “Pray for Turkey” and “Donate for earthquake victims” over their videos. According to the BBC, TikTok takes up to 70% of the proceeds of these digital gifts.

So please WATCH OUT for such donation scams, which use real or fake photos / videos to trick people into sending them money.

If you want to help, please donate DIRECTLY to reputable organisations like the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Médecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), OxFam, or the nearest Turkish embassy.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Malaysia Adopts Digital Driving Licence In MyJPJ App!

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Malaysia has officially adopted the digital driving licence (e-LLM) for private vehicles owned by Malaysian citizens!

 

Malaysia Adopts Digital Driving Licence In MyJPJ App!

On Friday, 10 February 2023, Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that, effective immediately, Malaysian citizens no longer need to use a physical driving licence (Lesen Memandu Malaysia, or LLM for short).

Effective 10 February 2023, Malaysian citizens can sign up for their e-LLM digital driving licence through the MyJPJ mobile app, which is available in:

Here are two screenshots of the MyJPJ mobile app, showing the digital driving licence and whether it is still valid, or has expired.

In addition to a digital example of the typical physical card, it has a QR code for enforcement officers to verify. So claims by some netizens that this can be easily photoshopped is nonsensical.

Please note that the e-LLM digital driving licences are optional. You can continue to use your physical driving licence. This is merely a new way that gives you access to a digital copy of your driving licence, and your road tax.

Recommended : Malaysia Adopts Digital Road Tax : Sticker Not Required!

This move is part of the broader digitalisation plan for JPJ, which should provide a smoother and faster service to the people.

I welcome all drivers and vehicle owners to transition to the digital platform. With this, the congestion and long lines at JPJ counters will be reduced.
– Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke

Alternatively, motorists can use the JPJ mySIKAP portal to obtain their e-LLM digital driving licence, which can be printed. A screenshot can also be taken of the e-LLM driving licence to be shown to enforcement officers.

However, it is not an offence if you cannot show enforcement officers your digital driving licence. Police and JPJ enforcers can use their own devices to check your driving licence.

Finally, JPJ will continue to offer the physical driving licence to motorists who still prefer it, or need one to drive overseas. These physical cards will be available at JPJ branches.

The alternative methods of using a screenshot and/or printed certificate are useful for drivers who are not tech-savvy. They can get their family members to help them register and print their digital driving licence.

And of course, physical driving licences are still available for those who prefer the “old school” ways, or need them to drive overseas.

 

Physical Driving Licence Still Required For Some Motorists

Please note that the move to a digital driving licence is currently limited to selected Malaysian citizens. Holders of these driving licences must continue to bring their physical cards.

  • Learner’s Driving Licence (LDL)
  • Vocational Driving Licence (PSV / GDL / KON)
  • Malaysia Driving Licence for Foreigners
  • Foreign Driving Licence (IDP)

Loke said that enforcement action will continue, and the police and JPJ enforcers will use their own devices to check on the driver’s road tax status.

I want to stress that enforcement action will continue to be taken against anyone found driving a vehicle without a valid motor vehicle or driving licence, in line with the Road Transport Act.
– Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke

Recommended : JPJ : Renew Driving Licence Or Retake Full Driving Test!

 

e-LLM Digital Driving Licence Initiative : Good Or Bad?

While some people are already complaining about the hassle of opening a mobile app, or printing a physical copy, the move to digitising the driving licence is inevitable.

Digitising the driving licence would mean you can now renew it online, or through the MyJPJ app, saving you time and the hassle of going to a JPJ branch or post office. You can now renew your driving licence from the comfort of your own home / office, at any time of the day!

Moving to a digital driving licence also means you no longer have to worry about losing your physical licence, or paying for a replacement! All that is not only history with the digital driving licence, you can actually print multiple copies!

As for claims that anyone with Photoshop can create their own digital driving licence, any police or JPJ enforcement officer can easily verify if your driving licence is legitimate by checking the JPJ database. That’s why there is now a QR code.

In fact, the digitisation of driving licences will make it easier for enforcement officers. They don’t even need to check your MyJPJ app. They can simply use their own devices to quickly determine if you have a valid driving licence, even if you forgot to bring yours!

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Malaysia Adopts Digital Road Tax : Sticker Not Required!

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Malaysia has officially adopted the digital motor vehicle licence (e-LKM), removing the need for physical road tax stickers on vehicle windshields!

 

Malaysia Adopts Digital Road Tax : Windshield Sticker Not Required!

On Friday, 10 February 2023, Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that, effective immediately, private vehicles owned by Malaysian citizens no longer need to display their motor vehicle licence (Lesen Kenderaan Motor, or LKM for short), which is colloquially known as the “road tax”.

Effective 10 February 2023, the Malaysia Transport Ministry will no longer enforce Section 20 of the Road Transport Act, which states that motor vehicle licences must be fixed to, and exhibited, on all vehicles.

Any summons issued for not displaying the road tax sticker will be classified as “No Further Action”.

In line with this initiative, the provision under Section 20 of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333) where “each vehicle registration licence must be affixed and displayed on the relevant vehicle will no longer be enforced for the category of owners under the first phase.

This exemption will be gazetted under the authority given to the Minister of Transport under Section 127(1)(b) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

This initiative will be implemented in stages, with the first phase involving individual private vehicles, including motorcycles, owned by Malaysians.
– Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke

During this first phase, other vehicles must still display their road tax / motor vehicle licences, including:

  • private vehicles owned by private companies
  • private vehicles owned by foreigners
  • commercial vehicles
  • public service vehicles

This move is part of the broader digitalisation plan for JPJ, which should provide a smoother and faster service to the people.

I welcome all drivers and vehicle owners to transition to the digital platform. With this, the congestion and long lines at JPJ counters will be reduced.
– Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke

Please note that the e-LKM digital road tax is optional. You can continue to use your physical road tax sticker. This is merely a new way that gives you access to a digital copy of your driving licence, and your road tax.

Recommended : Malaysia Adopts Digital Driving Licence In MyJPJ App!

 

Private Vehicle Road Tax Now Available Through MyJPJ App!

Please note that this does not mean the road tax has been abolished. You still need to pay for the road tax. It is merely the physical motor vehicle licence that has been abolished.

But do not think you don’t have to pay for your Road Tax anymore. You still have to pay for it

I want to stress that enforcement action will continue to be taken against anyone found driving a vehicle without a valid motor vehicle or driving licence, in line with the Road Transport Act.
– Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke

Instead of physical road tax stickers, motorists will now obtain their digital road tax certificates (e-LKM) through the MyJPJ mobile app, which is available in:

Motorists can also use the app to show enforcement officers their e-LKM digital road tax certificates. However, this is not necessary.

Loke said that it is not an offence if you cannot show enforcement officers your digital road tax certificate. On top of that, the police and JPJ enforcers can use their own devices to check on the vehicle’s road tax status.

Recommended : JPJ : Renew Driving Licence Or Retake Full Driving Test!

Alternatively, motorists can use the JPJ mySIKAP portal to obtain their e-LKM digital road tax certificates, which can be printed. A screenshot can also be taken of the e-LKM to be shown to enforcement officers.

Finally, JPJ will continue to offer the printed sticker to motorists who still prefer to install it on their cars. These printed stickers will be available at JPJ branches.

The alternative methods of using a screenshot and/or printed certificate are useful if the driver is not the actual owner of the car. And of course, the physical road tax stickers are still available for those who prefer the “old school” ways.

 

e-LKM Digital Road Tax Initiative : Good Or Bad?

While some people are already complaining about the hassle of opening a mobile app, or printing a physical copy, the move to digitising the motor vehicle licence / road tax is inevitable.

Digitising the motor vehicle licence would mean you can now renew it online, or through the MyJPJ app, saving you time and the hassle of going to a JPJ branch and queuing up.

Even if you have to print a physical copy, it is still cheaper than paying for MYEG delivery of the road tax, or actually spending your time and money to get the sticker.

And did you forget what a chore it was to install the road tax sticker every year? We all had to very carefully peel the sticker the right way, or risk tearing it!

All that will be history now that we are moving to digital certificates that we can retrieve online, from the MyJPJ app, or print anytime we want, from the comfort of our own home / office!

As for the claim that the digital motor vehicle certificate will make it easier for people to steal cars – that’s just absurd. People have been stealing vehicles even with a physical road tax sticker. Moving to a digital certificate won’t make it easier for thieves to steal your vehicle!

In fact, now that the road taxes / motor vehicle licences are digitised, it will be easier for enforcement officers as they can now check your vehicle’s validity using their own devices. They no longer need to peek at your road tax sticker.

 

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Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Did Thailand Vow To Nullify Pfizer Vaccine Contracts?!

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Did Thailand vow to be the first country to declare the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine contracts “null and void”?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

 

Claim : Thailand Vow To Declare Pfizer Vaccine Contracts Null + Void!

A video of Professor Sucharit Bhakdi has gone viral on Twitter, claiming that Thailand is preparing to declare the Pfizer vaccine contracts null and void!

Top Thai authorities including advisors to the King have been in discussions with Prof. Sucharit Bhakdi and are prepared to see to it that the Pfizer contracts are declared null and void!!

Thai Government Vows to be “First Country” to Declare Pfizer Contracts “Null” After Princess Drops of Heart Attack, Dr. Bhakdi Presents “Fraud”

Read more : Did Project Veritas Show Pfizer Mutating COVID-19?!

 

No Evidence Thailand Vowed To Nullify Pfizer Vaccine Contracts!

There is really NO EVIDENCE that Thailand has vowed to be the first country in the world to declare the Pfizer vaccine contracts as null and void!

Fact #1 : The Video Was Edited To Remove Context

Like the second viral video, this video clip appears to be edited to remove some context. I confirmed that by watching and comparing the video clip to the full interview of Sucharit Bhakdi by Pascal Najadi.

It looks like the person who edited the video wanted to remove references to the fact that Bhakdi was talking to Thai activists and not Thai officials.

Here are my rough transcripts from the first video clip, with the removed parts highlighted in bold.

Let me tell you the wonderful thing that happened when we decided to go back to Thailand for a holiday, which was badly needed. This was the beginning of January this year. There are Thai activists in Thailand with whom we have been connected over the past year.

They said, if you come to Thailand… uh, I’m still a Thai by the way… I’m Thai-German… we will connect you with the authorities and advisors to the highest authorities in Thailand, and this is what happened.

So I have the opportunity, the first opportunity in three years, to talk to the top advisors of a government in any country.

And it was very, very impressive, because I laid out to them that this whole COVID-19 agenda is a fake, and why it is a fake, and I was able to lay out for them the proof that the COVID vaccinations were based on fraud.

The person who edited the video, also appears to be trying to scrub out the part where Bhakdi was referring to safety pharmacological studies in 2021 and 2022.

The EMA – European Medical Agencies – was asked again and again and again to reveal whether BioNTech Pfizer had ever performed any safety pharmacological study in 2021 and 2022, and the answer is available to us and to you.

The official answer submitted on the 18th of October of 2022. 18th of October, which we have at our disposal, the EMA declared officially that safety pharmacological studies were never performed. Never. And they were never deemed necessary. So now we have it.

It also appears that the first video was scrubbed to remove the part where Bhakdi stated that it was not the mRNA that was the problem, but the lipid packaging that protected it.

The person who edited the video also removed the part where Bhakdi said that the Thais were Googling information on the Pfizer-BioNTech contract. This would have alerted any viewer that Bhakdi was talking about Thai activists, and not Thai officials who would not need to Google such information.

[/su_note]

And when I told the Thais this, you know guys, they jumped up, they jumped up in the roof. And so they said Thailand is going to join Switzerland. Thailand is going to join Switzerland and show the world how to go, because the contract to buy millions of doses of that damn vaccine that is deadly, known to be deadly.

Not because of the mRNA, but just because of the lipids that are packaging the mRNA, that is enough to kill people. Not even the spike protein is necessary. You just have to take the packaging, and that it in itself is deadly. And that it in itself will cause anyone, will force anyone to say that nothing that is packaged in this deadly package can be safe. If the package itself is deadly, then you don’t have to ask what is in the package.

And then they said alright, and they were Googling and said, the contract was signed in Thailand with Pfizer-BioNTech and in this case, it was based on fraud because there were no safety studies and therefore, and it is now known that, this package is not safe. It is immaterial what is in in the package. It is not safe, because of the packaging.

And so they said to me – we will see to it that Thailand is the first country in the world that is going to declare this contract null, and nullify the contract. Which means that Pfizer BioNTech is going to have to pay back those billions to Thailand, with which Thailand will recompensate those peoples [sic] that have lost their existence.

Read more : Is Pfizer In Trouble Over Thai Princess Vaccine Injury?!

Fact #2 : No Evidence Bhakdi Spoke To Thai Officials

As mentioned above, the viral video clip appears to have been edited to remove references to Thai activists, likely to convey the perception that Sucharit Bhakdi was speaking to Thai officials.

If you watch the full video or read the extended transcript above, Sucharit Bhakdi does not actually claim to have met any Thai official, never mind advisors to the royal family. He appears to have only met Thai activists who claimed that they can “connect” him with the authorities.

Fact #3 : No Evidence Thai Officials Plan To Nullify Pfizer Contracts

The full video, and the extended transcript above, shows that Sucharit Bhakdi appears to have spoken only with Thai activists, not Thai officials.

Therefore, there is no evidence Thailand is actually planning to nullify the Pfizer vaccine contracts. In fact, Bhakdi himself called for people to “start a movement” to “file a case against Pfizer-BioNTech“.

That would not be necessary if the Thai government is already planning to nullify the Pfizer vaccine contracts.

And if we are able in Thailand to start a movement to say, file a case against Pfizer-BioNTech that they pay for the damage they have done, let’s make it.

Read more : Did Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Collapse From Vaccine?!

Fact #4 : Use Of Pfizer Vaccine Minimal In Thailand

It is odd that Sucharit Bhakdi is so focused on the Pfizer vaccine when the Moderna vaccine uses a similar mRNA and lipid nanoparticle delivery technology.

In any case, the use of Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines in Thailand is minimal. This is partly because the mainstay of the Thai COVID-19 vaccination programme was the AstraZeneca vaccine, that was eventually manufactured by Siam Bioscience (owned by King Vajiralongkorn himself).

But due to supply issues, Thailand imported and used large amounts of the Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine, and eventually the Sinopharm BIBP vaccine.

mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna only make up 5.7% of the COVID-19 vaccines delivered to the Thai government.

Vaccine Brand Doses Ordered Doses Delivered
Sinovac 31.1 million 26.52 million
AstraZeneca 61 million 25.5 million
Sinopharm 15 million 15 million
Pfizer 30 million 3.5 million
Moderna 13 million 560,200

Fact #5 : Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Was Evaluated In 2020

I should also touch on the claim that the safety of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was never tested.

Pfizer actually conducted their Phase 1/2 trial in 2020, testing the first participants on May 5, 2020, and posting the first date on August 20, 2020. That was followed up by the large Phase 3 trial, whose study was peer-reviewed and published in the New England Medical Journal in December 2020.

In other words, safety studies were carried out on the Pfizer vaccine in 2020, but not in 2021 or 2022 because it was the same vaccine.

It appears that the the first viral video was edited to removed the part about the EMA being asked whether Pfizer performed the safety tests in 2021 and 2022,  to convey the false perception that Pfizer never conducted safety tests at all.

The EMA – European Medical Agencies – was asked again and again and again to reveal whether BioNTech Pfizer had ever performed any safety pharmacological study in 2021 and 2022, and the answer is available to us and to you.

The official answer submitted on the 18th of October of 2022. 18th of October, which we have at our disposal, the EMA declared officially that safety pharmacological studies were never performed. Never. And they were never deemed necessary. So now we have it.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Every Student In Malaysia To Get RM150 BAP Aid!

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Here is what you need to know about the RM150 BAP financial aid that schools will start distributing to all students in Malaysia!

 

RM150 BAP Aid For Students In Malaysia : What Is It?

On January 9, 2023, the government of Malaysia announced the Early Aid For Education (BAP – Bantuan Awal Persekolahan), which is meant to lighten the load for parents or guardians at the beginning of the school year.

To that end, the Malaysia government will give a one-time financial aid of RM150 to every student attending Standard 1 through Form 5 for the 2023/2024 school year.

The BAP funds will be channeled to each school, and it will be up to the individual school to distribute the money to the student, or credit it into the bank account of his/her parent or guardian.

Recommended : 2023 / 2024 Malaysia School Term + Holiday Calendar!

 

RM150 BAP Aid For Students In Malaysia : FAQ

Here are some answers to frequently-asked questions about the RM150 BAP aid for students in Malaysian schools.

Qualification Criteria

  1. The student must be a Malaysian citizen.
  2. The student must be attending Standard 1 through Form 5, or their equivalent for the 2023/2024 school term.
  3. The student must be attending:
    – government school (SK)
    – government-aided school (SBK)
    – religious school
    – private school registered with the government
    – Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih (SBJK)
    – Sekolah Integriti
    – Henry Gurney school

How Will BAP Funds Be Given To Students?

The BAP funds will be distributed to each school, and each school’s administration will either distribute the funds to each student as cash, or credited to their a bank account of their parents / guardian.

When Will BAP Funds Be Given To Students?

The BAP funds will be credited into the school accounts from 12 January 2023 onwards.

Thereafter, it will be up to each school to distribute the BAP funds to the students.

What Documents Will You Need?

Students and parents are not required to fill any form, but the student or parent will likely be required by the school to sign a form to acknowledge receipt of the the BAP financial aid.

The schools may also require parents or guardians to physically come to the school with the student’s birth certificate for verification.

What If You Cannot Make It For The Appointed Day?

Please note that once the school has organised a collection date, at least one parent or guardian must attend to collect the BAP financial aid of RM150, and sign the acknowledgement form.

If you fail to turn up, the BAP financial aid will be forfeit, and the money returned to the Malaysia Ministry of Education.

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RM150 BAP Aid For Students In Malaysia : Sample Notice

On 16 January 2023, SK Bandar Utama Damansara (4) issued a letter to the parents and guardians of their students, which I have translated into English below.

All parents should receive a similar letter, but please note that the dates, collection time, and procedure may differ, as that is up to each school to determine how to distribute the money.

NOTICE OF EARLY SCHOOL ASSISTANCE (BAP) YEAR 2023

With respect to the above matter.

2. Please be informed that the school has received the payment of Early School Assistance (BAP) for the year 2023. Therefore, we are pleased to invite you to come to the school to receive the Special Assistance of RM 150.00 and sign the Acceptance Declaration Form. Aid distribution details are as below.

Date: January 18, 2023
Time: 1.30 to 3.30 pm
Place: According to each child’s class

3. Please bring your child’s original birth certificate for the teacher’s verification. Only students who are citizens are eligible for this financial assistance. If you are unable to make it, the aid will be returned to the Malaysian Ministry of Education.

Thank you.

PEMBERITAHUAN BANTUAN AWAL PERSEKOLAHAN (BAP) TAHUN 2023

Dengan hormatnya perkara di atas adalah dirujuk.

2. Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa pihak sekolah telah menerima bayaran Bantuan Awal Persekolahan (BAP) untuk tahun 2023. Sehubungan dengan itu, kami dengan sukacitanya menjemput tuan hadir ke sekolah bagi menerima Bantuan Khas RM 150.00 dan menandatangani Borang Akuan Penerimaan. Maklumat pemberian bantuan seperti ketetapan di bawah.

Tarikh : 18 Januari 2023
Masa : 1.30 hingga 3.30 petang
Tempat: Mengikut kelas anak masing-masing

3. Sila bawa sijil lahir anak yang asal untuk rujukan guru. Bantuan in layak untuk murid warganegara sahaja. Sekiranya tuan tidak hadir, bantuan tersebut akan dipulangkan ke Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia.

Sekian, terima kasih.

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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New 10% Sales Tax On Cheap Imports In April 2023!

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The Malaysian government will implement a new 10% sales tax on cheap import, starting 1 April 2023!

Here is what you need to know about the new sales tax on low value goods that are imported into Malaysia!

 

New 10% Sales Tax On Cheap Imports In April 2023!

From 1 April 2023 onwards, the Royal Malaysia Customs Department (RMCD) will start collecting a new 10% sales tax on all low value goods (LVG) worth less than RM 500 that are sold online, and delivered from overseas to customers in Malaysia, except:

  • duty-free islands like Labuan, Langkawi, Tioman and Pangkor
  • designated duty-free zones in airports, etc.

The 10% sales tax will apply only on overseas low-value goods (worth less than RM 500) purchased online from 1 April 2023 onwards. It will not be imposed on delivery charges or insurance paid to import the item.

For example, if you purchase an item that costs RM 450 from an online shopping portal, with a delivery charge of RM 15.

Before 1 April 2023, you will pay only RM 465 (RM 450 for the item + RM 15 for the delivery costs).

From 1 April 2023 onwards, you will need to pay RM 510 (RM 450 for the item + RM 45 for the new 10% sales tax + RM 15 for the delivery costs).

The online shopping portal will add the new sales tax, so you are aware of the final price before purchasing the item from 1 April 2023 onwards.

Even though the sales tax does not apply to delivery charges or insurance fees, you should expect to pay close to 9%-10% extra for imported low-value goods purchased online.

It should also be noted that Malaysia implemented a 6% service tax on delivery services (except for food and beverages) in July 2022.

Read more : New Taxes On Small Online Purchases + Delivery In Malaysia!

 

New 10% Sales Tax On Cheap Imports : Frequently Asked Questions!

Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about the new 10% sales tax on low-value imported goods in Malaysia:

Question : When will the new 10% sales tax on imported low value goods begin?

The new 10% sales tax applies from 1 April 2023 onwards when you make payment, not on delivery of goods.

For example, if you purchase an item on 31 March 2023 and…:

  • pay on purchase (31 March) : you won’t have to pay the 10% sales tax, even if you eventually receive the item on April 5, 2023
  • pay on delivery : you will have to pay the 10% sales tax if the item is delivered on or after 1 April 2023.

Question : What goods are affected by the new 10% sales tax on imported low value goods?

The 10% sales tax applies to all low-value goods (worth less than RM500) purchased online, except:

  • cigarettes and other tobacco products
  • smoking pipes, including pipe bowls
  • electronic cigarettes, and similar electric vapourising devices
  • non-nicotine liquid or gel preparations used for vaping (e-cigarette smoking) devices
  • intoxicating liquor, and other imported alcohol

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Question : If you are a LVG seller, must you register with the RMCD?

The Royal Malaysia Customs Department (RMCD) only requires such sellers to register with them:

  • sell low value goods (worth less than RM500) online,
  • that are delivered from overseas,
  • with more than RM500,000 in total sale value of low-value goods brought into Malaysia in 12 months (defined as the immediate past 12 months before registration, or the current month and the next 11 months)

The RMCD structured it this way so that only large online shops or e-commerce platforms need to register with it, to help collect the new sales tax.

If you are selling your low-value goods through an e-commerce platform like Shopee or Lazada, they will handle the sales tax on your behalf.

Question : How does the sales tax system work for sellers?

Sellers who must register with the RMCD, should do so through the MyLVG online system, using the LVG-01 form. Registration is open from 1 January 2023 onwards.

The seller is required to declare the collected sales tax to the RMCD every three months through the MyLVG system using the LVG-02 form, and pay the collected tax to the RMCD by the last day of the next month.

For example, the ABC e-commerce platform collected RM 1 million in sales tax from April to June 2023.

It must submit its LVG-02 form and pay the collected RM 1 million by 31 July 2023.

If the seller makes a mistake and overpaid the collected tax, it can apply for a refund using the LVG-03 form.

The seller can also cancel its registration using the MyLVG system, if it no longer sells low-value goods, or if the total sales value of LVG in 12 months does not exceed RM 500,000.

 

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer /  PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

 

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Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!