Is the MyKasih Foundation giving out RM1000 or RM1200 cash aid via its mobile app?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Get Free Cash Via MyKasih App!
Many people are getting messages about getting free cash through the MyKasih Foundation on WhatsApp and Telegram, from their family members and friends:
Terkini: Bantuan Percuma RM1000 Ke Dalam MyKad : Rujuk Cara Semakan & Syarat Kelayakan
Latest: Free RM1000 Assistance Into MyKad : How To Check & Eligibility Conditions
Jom claim RM1200
MyKasih Foundation : Cek MyKad Boleh Dapat Wang RM1000 Secara Percuma
MyKasih Foundation : Check MyKad To Get Free RM1000
Bantuan Tambahan STR 2023 MySARA RM800: Semakan Status & Tarikh Bayaran
Additional STR 2023 MySARA Assistance RM800: Check Status & Payment Date
This is yet another example of SCAMS circulating on WhatsApp and Telegram, and here are reasons why…
Fact #1 : MyKasih Free Cash Initiative Is A Scam!
First, let me just point out that these messages on WhatsApp and Telegram, as well as the websites promoting the MyKasih free cash initiative is a scam!
The Malaysian government have already labelled these free cash offers as FAKE NEWS on Facebook and Twitter. Here is a non-exhaustive list of links that have been identified as scam links:
my.mykasihh.online
l.my-kasihapp.com
apps-mykasih.co/twe
There’s no need to memorise these links. These scammers will keep changing them.
Just know that the official MyKasih website is www.mykasih.com.my. Do NOT go to any other website when it comes to the MyKasih Foundation website.
Fact #2 : Those Accounts Were Hijacked
Those viral messages are actually coming from WhatsApp and Telegram accounts that have been hijacked by scammers. That’s why they are so convincing.
Those are really the actual WhatsApp and Telegram accounts of your family members or friends. But they have been taken over by scammers using tricks like the screenshot hack.
Take this opportunity to tighten the security of your own Telegram and WhatsApp accounts, by turning on two-step verification!
As part of its initiative to help the hardcore poor handle the high inflation this year, the Malaysia Ministry of Finance announced SARA (Sumbangan Asas Rahmah).
However, the SARA cash aid is only RM600, and limited to the hardcore poor. There is no way for anyone to get RM800, RM1000 or RM1,200 in SARA cash aid from the government.
RM100 x 6 months is credited directly into the MyKad of eligible hardcore poor, allowing them to purchase a limited list of essential goods from grocery stores and supermarkets across Malaysia, from July to December 2023.
In Sabah and Sarawak, the RM600 is credited directly into the bank account, or provided as cash through Bank Simpanan Nasional branches.
Fact #4 : SARA Recipients Are Automatically Selected
There is no need to apply for SARA cash aid. For one thing – it only applies to the hardcore poor. If you are reading this on a computer or a smartphone, you very likely do not qualify as “hardcore poor”.
SARA recipients are automatically determined using the existing eKasih Hardcore Poor data, and includes those who had earlier qualified for the STR 2023 cash aid.
Fact #5 : Real Website Asks Only For Your MyKad
Qualification for the SARA cash aid of RM600 is based entirely on your MyKad number.
On the official Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) website, you can check for your eligibility using your MyKad number only.
The fake websites look just like the real SARA website, but instead of asking for your MyKad number, they will ask you for your mobile number and ask you to submit a TAC number.
Needless to say – these are scam websites. You should NEVER submit your phone number or any TAC codes.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS 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.
Cloudflare services have gone down in a major outage, due to a loss of power affecting its data centres! Find out what’s going on!
Updated @ 2023-11-04 : Added new information and updates
Updated @ 2023-11-03 : Added new information and updates Originally posted @ 2023-11-02
Cloudflare Dashboard + Services Down In Major Outage!
At approximately 11:54 AM UTC on 2 November 2023, Cloudflare customers started experiencing problems with its APIs and Dashboard services. Any user logging into their accounts would only see this announcement:
The Cloudflare Dashboard is temporarily unavailable.
Please reload this page to try again. If the issue persists, please visit the Cloudflare Status page for up-to-date information regarding any ongoing issues.
Cloudflare Edge security features, and Cloudflare CDN caching services were not affected. But all other services relying on the Cloudflare API infrastructure went down – Alerts, Dashboard functionality, Zero Trust, WARP, Cloudflared, Waiting Room, Gateway, Stream, Magic WAN, API Shield, Pages, and Workers.
Cloudflare Services Down From Datacenter Power Loss!
Just over an hour later, Cloudflare reported that the outage was far worse than it initially reported, and they were still “actively investigating the problem”. They also provided a more detailed list of its services that have gone down:
The following products are currently impacted at the data plane / edge level, meaning that the full product functionality is either partially or fully affected: Logpush, WARP / Zero Trust device posture, Cloudflare dashboard, Cloudflare API, Stream API, Workers API, Alert Notification System.
These products are impacted at the control plane / core level, meaning that only the changes to the existing configuration are affected, but the product is functioning at the edge: Magic Transit, Argo Smart Routing, Workers KV, WAF, Rate Limiting, Rules, WARP / Zero Trust Registration, Waiting Room, Load Balancing and Healthchecks, Cloudflare Pages, Zero Trust Gateway, DNS Authoritative and Secondary, Cloudflare Tunnel, Workers KV namespace operations, Magic WAN.
At approximately 1:58 PM UTC, Cloudflare finally revealed that the outage was due to a loss of power at its datacenter, which caused services to fail simultaneously.
Cloudflare is assessing a loss of power impacting data centres while simultaneously failing over services.
We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue.
Several hours later – at 5:08 PM UTC, power was partially restored to its core North American data centre, and some core services were transferred to a backup data centre. In three subsequent updates, Cloudflare reports that it was seeing “gradual improvement” to its affected services.
However, at almost 11 PM that day – almost half a day after the outage started, Cloudflare was still working to restore full functionality.
At 2:40 AM UTC on 3 November, Cloudflare released an updated list of what is now functioning, and what still remains down:
Data plane impact (i.e. full product functionality is either fully impacted or partially impacted): * Cloudflare Dash: degraded availability but accessible * Stream API: not available * Healthchecks: not available * Radar: Degraded
Control plane impact (i.e. product functionality is online however changes to configuration is impacted): * Cloudflare Pages: restored * Magic Transit: not available to make changes * Magic WAN: not available to make changes * Argo Smart Routing: configuration now working, smart updates and analytics are offline * Waiting Room: configuration updates are propagating with delay * ZT Gateway: degraded but online * DNS Secondary: not available to make changes * Billing API: Degraded * Cloudflare API: degraded but accessible
Some six hours later, they appear to be making some progress, although it seem obvious that they are a long way from a full restoration of services.
Data plane impact (i.e. full product functionality is either fully impacted or partially impacted): * Logpush: more jobs are being restored * Cloudflare dashboard: degraded availability but accessible * Stream API: not available * Healthchecks: not available * Radar: Degraded
Control plane impact (i.e. product functionality is online however changes to configuration is impacted): * CDN API: potentially impacted * Access API: Degraded * Magic Transit: configuration plane is working internally (contact your account team to make any urgent changes) * Magic WAN: configuration plane is working internally (contact your account team to make any urgent changes) * SOC Proactive Alerts: not available * Argo Smart Routing: configuration now working, smart updates and analytics are offline * Billing API: Degraded * Email Noticatifications: Emails updates from Cloudflare are being delayed or not sent * Lists: List configurations are working, but there may be delays in list updates propagating throughout the cloudflare network
Almost a day later – at 10:59 AM UTC, Cloudflare said that it was still continuing to work on restoring service for the impacted applications. It is unknown if power has been restored to their North American datacenter in full… or if they are facing other problems…
The good news is that – the Cloudflare Dashboard is now working, although certain services or features like Analytics are “temporarily unavailable”, and you may get error messages about certain API requests failing.
It was only at 6:42 AM UTC on November 4, 2023 – almost 2 days later, that Cloudflare finally reported that it restored all services to “operational status”.
Now, we wait to see whether it would reveal what actually happened in this exceptional downtime, for a company that prides itself on helping to keep its clients online and available…
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.
Maxis just rushed out its own broadband deals, and is offering a free speed upgrade for existing customers! Find out why it’s really too little, too late.
New Maxis Home Broadband Deals In October 2023!
In early October 2023, Unifi announced that all broadband customers will receive a free upgrade of their Internet speeds – up to 3X their current speeds!
Weeks later – on 27 October 2023, Maxis belatedly announces new 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps broadband packages, as well as its own broadband deals to fight back. Unfortunately, they are pretty much too little, too late.
On top of introducing the new 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps (overkill) packages, Maxis announced RM10 discounts for their cheaper broadband packages.
Broadband
Speed
Old
Price
New
Price
Promo
Price *
2 Gbps (New)
NA
RM 319
NA
1 Gbps (New)
NA
RM 249
Free Max Wifi
500 Mbps
RM 159
RM 159
RM 149
300 Mbps
RM 149
RM 139
RM 129
100 Mbps
RM 129
RM 99
RM 89
* Only for new subscribers, and applicable to the first 24 months.
However, the pitiful RM10 discount is limited to new subscribers, and even then, only for the first 24 months! After that, the price goes back to the “New Price” list above.
This is quite unlike Digi or Unifi, whose prices are not limited to the first 24 months:
Broadband
Speed
Maxis
Unifi *
Digi
2 Gbps
RM 319
RM 289
NA
1 Gbps
RM 249
RM 159
RM 269
500 Mbps
RM 149 x 24
Then RM 159
RM 139
RM 149
300 Mbps
RM 129 x 24
Then RM 139
RM 129
Free 6 months Then RM 129
100 Mbps
RM 89 x 24
Then RM 99
RM 89
RM 89
* After free speed upgrade
If you are an existing customer, Maxis has announced a free speed upgrade for customers on 100 Mbps or faster packages. However, details on this free upgrade – how much faster, and when they kick in – are only coming in November 2023.
New Maxis Business Broadband Deals In October 2023!
Maxis also announced a new 1 Gbps business broadband package, but curiously did not offer a 2 Gbps package for business users. You would think that a business would need a 2 Gbps package more than home users, right?
In any case, Maxis is offering slightly better discounts on its business broadband packages. However, you must be a new subscriber, and you must register by 30 November 2023!
If you are an existing customer – too bad, so sad. Unlike Home Fibre customers, Maxis did not announce any free speed upgrade for their Business Broadband customers. It appears that the only way to get an upgrade and save money is probably to migrate to a different provider…
Broadband
Speed
Old
Price
New
Price
Promo
Price *
1 Gbps (New)
RM 189
(early bird)
RM 299
NA
500 Mbps
RM 269
RM 219
RM 199
300 Mbps
RM 149
RM 179
RM 139
100 Mbps
RM 139
RM 119
RM 99
* Only for new subscribers who register by 30 November 2023
That said – a quick check on their April prices show that Maxis was actually offering cheaper prices back then!
The 1 Gbps package was only RM189 – RM110 less than their “new price”, while the 300 Mbps package was only RM149 – RM30 less than their new price, and just RM10 more than their October-November 2023 promo price.
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.
Can a SIM swap attack empty your bank account without warning?! Take a look at the viral warnings, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-10-07 : Added new viral message, and other updates. Originally posted @ 2022-01-16
Claim : SIM Swap Attack Can Empty Bank Account Without Warning!
This message has gone viral on social media and WhatsApp, warning about a new high tech fraud called SIM Swap Fraud that can empty bank accounts without warning.
The message includes a link to a Straits Times report about a young couple who lost $120,000 in a fake text message scam targeting OCBC Bank customers.
Your BANK Account could be Emptied without an Alert!
Dear All, Please let’s be very careful.. There is a new HIGH TECH FRAUD in town called the SIM SWAP FRAUD, and hundreds of persons are already VICTIMS.
How does it work? 1 A new fraud called SIM SWAP has started. Your phone network will momentarily go blind / zero (No Signal / Zero Bars) and after a while a call will come through.
2 The Person on the other end of the call will tell you that he is calling from (your cell phone company) depending on your network and that there is a problem in your mobile network.
3 He will instruct you to Please press 1 on your phone to get the network back.
– Please at this stage don’t Press anything, Just cut or END the call.
If you press 1, the network will appear suddenly and almost immediately go blind again (Zero Bars) and by that action, your phone is #HACKED.
Within a second they will empty your bank account, and you won’t receive any alert.
What you will experience. It will appear as though your line is without Network, meanwhile your SIM has been SWAPPED. The danger here is that, you will not get any alert of any transactions, so please those of us doing USSD Banking and Mobile Banking BEWARE. Let’s be very careful.
Please, forward to your contacts, loved ones and friends. The fraud is increasing day by day.
Received from a #CybersecurityGroup
Don’t forget to share this post…… I repeat don’t forget to share this post. Many people’s Account as been emptied!
Please encourage more people to learn from this episode
My cousin received a call , asking if he had been vaccinated, if vaccinated to press 1.
If not vaccinated, press 2. As a result, he pressed 1, the phone was blocked and his online bank information/account were all transferred. Please be Alert and Careful and forward to more people to know about this new trick/scam. Forwarded as received.
Your BANK Account can be Empty without Notice.
There is a HIGH TECHNOLOGY SCAM going on at this time called SIM SWAP FRAUD, it is said that hundreds of people have been affected, they suddenly found that their bank accounts were EMPTY
Truth : SIM Swap Attack Is Real, But Don’t Work Like That
The truth is – SIM swap attacks are real and very dangerous, but they do not work like the viral messages claim.
Here is what you need to know about the viral message, and SIM swap attacks.
Fact #1 : SIM Swap Attacks Are Not New
SIM swap attacks are really not new. Scammers have been using SIM swap attacks since 2015, if not earlier.
Fact #2 : SIM Swap Warnings Are Mostly False
The viral message is correct about the risk of SIM swap attacks, but pretty much wrong about everything else.
In fact, the method by which the SIM swap attack works is completely made up. So the viral message is really FAKE NEWS.
There’s no way your bank account will be emptied without any action on your part. Neither will your bank accounts be emptied because you participate in a COVID-19 vaccination SMS survey.
Fact #3 : No Evidence Of Such Fraud
There is no evidence of SIM swap attacks requiring users to complete the process by responding to an SMS survey about vaccination.
Neither is there any evidence that SIM swap attacks alone can lead to your bank accounts being emptied.
Fact #4 : Straits Times Article Was Not About SIM Swap Attack
One of the viral messages include a link to a Straits Time article to mislead you. That’s because the article was about a phishing attack, not a SIM swap attack.
In that phishing attack, the victim received an SMS with a link that took him to a fake website that “looked exactly like the OCBC login page“. He then keyed in his bank login details, thus handing over control of his bank account to the scammers.
The victim also ignored automated messages warning him that his “account was being setup on another phone“. That had nothing to do with a SIM swap attack. It was an SMS-based phishing attack.
Fact #5 : SIM Swap Attacks Generally Do Not Require Any Action
In most SIM swap attacks, scammers use your personal information, either purchased from other criminals or obtained through earlier phishing attacks or social engineering, to request for a SIM card replacement.
All that does not require any action on your part. In most cases, you only realise you’ve been hit when you lose access to your mobile number.
Fact #6 : SIM Swap Attack May Require Action In Some Cases
The Press 1 claim in the viral message is partially correct, but it only happens in a particular circumstance.
In India, scammers have tricked people by offering a free network upgrade, or to help improve signal quality on their phones :
The scammer will call the victim, claiming to be from their mobile service provider.
The scammer will try to get the victim to reveal his/her 20-digit SIM card number.
The scammer will use the 20-digit SIM number to initiate a SIM swap with the mobile service provider.
The mobile service provider will automatically send an SMS to confirm the swap.
Once the victim confirms the swap, his/her SIM card will stop working.
The scammer now has access to the victim’s mobile number.
Fact #7 : SIM Swap Attack Does Not Hack Your Phone
The SIM swap attack does not involve any hacking of your phone.
You only lose access to your mobile number. Your phone is not hacked.
Fact #8 : SIM Swap Attack Does Not Empty Bank Accounts
Once the scammers successfully gain control of your mobile number, they can use it to intercept one-time passwords (OTP) like TAC numbers.
This allows them to change passwords to your bank accounts, social media accounts, etc. which is why SIM swap attacks are so dangerous and damaging.
However, it does not mean your bank accounts are immediately emptied. For one thing – the scammers need to know your bank login.
That’s why SIM swap victims often have had their bank logins and passwords stolen earlier though phishing attacks. The scammers only need their mobile numbers to receive OTP / TAC numbers to authenticate the transfers.
Fact #9 : SIM Swap Attack Can Be Used To Cheat Friends Too!
Stealing money from your bank account requires extra work, so scammers who do not have your bank login details will resort to cheating your friends.
With access to your phone number, they can easily gain access to your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) as well as instant messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram).
Once they have control, they can send messages to your friends, pretending to be you. Naturally, they will concoct some story to ask your friends for money.
The idea is to use your (now) stolen accounts to convince your friends that you genuinely need their help. The money that they transfer goes directly to the scammers, or their mules (people who rent their bank accounts to scammers).
Now that you know the facts behind the SIM swap attack or scam, please SHARE this article with 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.
If you want the very best mobile + broadband deals from Maxis, there is only one way – you must first quit Maxis! Here is how it worked for me…
Don’t Bother Asking For Special Deals On Maxis Mobile / Broadband!
I have been a loyal Maxis customer for many years, and every time my contract comes up for renewal, I will ask for special deals to stay on. The most I will get is a free smartphone to renew my contract for another 2 years.
But finally, I had enough. I was stuck with 0-1 bar of mobile connectivity from March until September 2023, and Maxis wouldn’t even compensate me for the poor reception. So I gritted my teeth and waited out my contract.
Once my contract expired, I quickly decided that I would save over RM1,900 per year migrating to Digi. But out of (misplaced?) loyalty to Maxis, I called their customer care hotline, and even went to a Maxis Center to check if there are any deals for me to stay on.
As usual, Maxis had nothing to offer me as a loyal customer. But there was a surprise for me this year – I will not be receiving a free smartphone to continue my contract, unless I choose to upgrade to the new Maxis 5G plans… with an increase, of course!
So learn from my experience – don’t bother asking Maxis for any special deals to stay on as a loyal customer. To be fair, other telcos likely don’t offer deals to loyal customers to stay on as well. But I have only been a Maxis customer, and can only speak from my own experience.
How To Get Special Deals On Maxis Mobile + Broadband!
I discovered that the only way that Maxis will ever offer me any special deals to stay on, is if I actually quit their service. And even then, Maxis only did it at the very cusp of my migration process.
When Maxis was ready to hand over my five mobile numbers to Digi, a member of their retention department called me and offered these great deals to stay on.
Existing Maxis 4G Package : RM423 Per Month
First, I should point out that my existing Maxis package bundled a RM98 principal line with four supplementary lines, and 100 Mbps fibre broadband. By bundling with broadband, my principal line has unlimited data, albeit only on the 4G network. There is no 5G connectivity.
However, Maxis only allows a single Share 48 supplementary line with 30 GB of data for the RM98 principal line. So I have to pay a ridiculous RM38 for the remaining three supplementary lines, with just 1 GB of data.
The total pre-tax cost was RM399 per month, or RM4,788 per year.
Maxis 4G Plans
4G Data
Cost
Postpaid 98
Unlimited
RM 98
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
100 Mbps Fibre
Unlimited
RM 139
Total Before Tax
–
RM 399
300 Mbps Broadband Offer : RM100 Per Month
First, Maxis agreed to match Digi’s offer of just RM100 per month for 300 Mbps. That’s RM39 (28%) cheaper than my current 100 Mbps plan, and RM49 (33%) off their current 300 Mbps plan.
Over two years, I will save RM1,176! But I was only getting this special offer because I was really quitting Maxis.
Bundled
Broadband
Maxis
Normal
Maxis
Special
Digi
100 Mbps
RM 129
RM 90
RM 90
300 Mbps
RM 149
RM 100
RM 100
Special Maxis 5G Offer #1 : RM245 Per Month
For the five mobile lines, Maxis offered me a RM245 plan, which would give every user 120 GB of 5G data per month.
There is a 2-year contract, but Maxis will throw in five free smartphones – a Vivo Y36 (8 GB + 256 GB) or equivalent per account.
Not only does that give all of us a heck of a lot of mobile data, and a new smartphone per person, it is also RM15 cheaper than my current package!
Maxis 5G Plans
5G Data
Cost
Special Postpaid 49
120 GB
RM 49
Special Postpaid 49
120 GB
RM 49
Special Postpaid 49
120 GB
RM 49
Special Postpaid 49
120 GB
RM 49
Special Postpaid 49
120 GB
RM 49
Total Before Tax
–
RM 245
Special Maxis 5G Offer #2 : RM281 Per Month
Maxis also offered me a more expensive RM281 monthly plan, consisting of a principal line with 300 GB of data, and four supplementary lines with 50 GB of data.
It would come with a more expensive HONOR 90 smartphone with 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage, with a 2-year contract.
I should point out that the supplementary lines are not only RM10 cheaper, they come with 50X more data, and 5G connectivity!!! Makes you want to tear your hair out, doesn’t it?
Maxis 5G Plans
5G Data
Cost
Special Postpaid 169
300 GB
RM 169
Special Postpaid 28
50 GB
RM 28
Special Postpaid 28
50 GB
RM 28
Special Postpaid 28
50 GB
RM 28
Special Postpaid 28
50 GB
RM 28
Total Before Tax
–
RM 281
Special Maxis 4G Offer : Only RM200 Per Month!
If I prefer to stick with 4G connectivity only, Maxis offered me a 4G-only plan for just RM200 a month, without contract or free smartphone.
Basically, my supplementary lines would now get a ton of data, and I would save RM60 per month on my existing Maxis package!
Maxis 4G Plans
4G Data
Cost
Special Postpaid 48
70 GB
RM 48
Special Postpaid 48
70 GB
RM 48
Special Postpaid 48
70 GB
RM 48
Special Postpaid 28
50 GB
RM 28
Special Postpaid 28
50 GB
RM 28
Total Before Tax
–
RM 200
Why I Declined The Special Deals On Maxis Mobile + Broadband!
While the special deals offered by the Maxis retention department were enticing – free phones! more data! more speed! – Digi still offered a substantially better deal.
My parents, for example, do not need 50 GB of data. They just needed something more reasonable than 1 GB, and I wanted to pay a more reasonable price for their lines.
On top of that, staying with Maxis would not solve my biggest problem – poor connectivity. I have been suffering from poor reception for six months (and counting), and sticking with Maxis for another 2 years was unthinkable.
Maxis may have once been known for having “better coverage” than other telcos. But if they cannot restore proper connectivity after 6 months (and counting), it’s time to move on. I also did not like the fact that they refused to compensate me for the poor connectivity all those months.
But this article is not about dissing Maxis. I wrote this article to share with you the best way to get such special deals from Maxis.
I called them, I even spent time at the Maxis Centre to talk to the staff. There was simply NO special deal or offer for an existing customer. You must literally quit Maxis – sign an agreement to port out to another telco, and be on the verge of switching, before Maxis will ever offer you these special deals.
Even if you want to stick with Maxis, you should still quit and port out to another telco at the end of your contract. This way, you will get access to these special deals. You will only lose out if you stay loyal.
As for me, I bid adieu to Maxis, and started my journey with Digi hours later. It was easy. You should give it a try!
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.
I just saved over RM1,900 per year by simply switching from Maxis to Digi! Here is what happened!
Switching From Maxis To Digi Saved Me RM1.9K / Year!
My contract with Maxis just expired, and I decided to see if it was worth renewing with them, or switching to Digi. I had earlier asked my neighbours using Digi, and most of them seemed happy with their service.
So I compared the latest mobile and broadband packages from both Maxis and Digi, and I was shocked by how much cheaper Digi was, compared to Maxis. Take a look at what I found!
Existing Maxis 4G Package : RM423 Per Month
My existing Maxis package bundled a RM98 principal line with four supplementary lines, and 100 Mbps fibre broadband. By bundling with broadband, my principal line has unlimited data, albeit only on the 4G network. There is no 5G connectivity.
However, Maxis only allows a single Share 48 supplementary line with 30 GB of data for the RM98 principal line. So I have to pay a ridiculous RM38 for the remaining three supplementary lines, with just 1 GB of data.
The total cost was RM423 per month, or RM5,075.28 per year. Maxis offered to let me continue with this 4G-only package, but I would no longer get any free smartphone for a 2 year contract.
Maxis 4G Plans
4G Data
Cost
Postpaid 98
Unlimited
RM 98
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
4G Backup
Unlimited
RM 0
100 Mbps Fibre
Unlimited
RM 139
Total Before Tax
–
RM 399
6% Service Tax
–
RM 23.94
TOTAL PAYABLE
–
RM 422.94
New Maxis 5G Package : RM445 Per Month
If I wanted a free smartphone with a 2 year contract, I would need to upgrade to the new Maxis 5G plans. The existing RM98 4G plan has been replaced by a new RM109 5G plan – a RM 11 per month premium for 5G connectivity.
From what I understand, tying it with Maxis fibre broadband would still get me unlimited mobile data, but only on 4G. The 5G data is limited to 150 GB, which is more than plenty especially since 5G connectivity is limited.
What I cannot understand is why Maxis continues to limit this RM109 principal line to just one RM48 Share line. If I want all four supplementary lines to have more than 1 GB of data, I would need to upgrade my principal line to their RM199 plan! Ridiculous!
The only good news is they dropped the price of their 100 Mbps broadband from RM139 to RM129. But it makes more sense to upgrade to 300 Mbps for just RM149 per month. Even so, the new Maxis package works out to an unpalatable RM572.40 per month, or RM6,868.80 per year!
Maxis 5G Plans
5G Data
Cost
Postpaid 199
4G : Unlimited
5G : 300 GB
RM 199
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
4G Backup
Unlimited
RM 0
300 Mbps Fibre
Unlimited
RM 149
Total Before Tax
–
RM 540
6% Service Tax
–
RM 32.40
TOTAL PAYABLE
–
RM 572.40
Sorry, mum and dad, you guys are just going to have to put up with just 1 GB of data if we stick with Maxis.
With their sacrifice, I can get by with just paying Maxis RM445.20 per month, or RM5,342.40 per year. That’s a small 5% increase of RM267.12 per year.
This new package would also get me one of these smartphones with a 24-month contract:
Samsung A14
vivo A78
HONOR 90 Lite
Maxis 5G Plans
5G Data
Cost
Postpaid 109
4G : Unlimited
5G : 150 GB
RM 109
Postpaid Share 48
30 GB
RM 48
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
Talk and Surf 1
1 GB
RM 38
4G Backup
Unlimited
RM 0
300 Mbps Fibre
Unlimited
RM 149
Total Before Tax
–
RM 420
6% Service Tax
–
RM 25.20
TOTAL PAYABLE
–
RM 445.20
Digi 5G + 4G Package : Only RM286 Per Month!
But when I checked out the Digi plans, they completely wipe out Maxis.
The Digi RM90 principal line offers free 5G connectivity, with 60 GB of data per month. Unlike Maxis, tying up with Digi Fibre Broadband does not give me unlimited mobile data, but that’s okay – 60 GB is plenty.
More importantly, Digi lets me add up to six supplementary family lines, and their cheapest RM20 family line comes with 10 GB of data per month! That goes up to 15 GB with a 1-year contract, and 25 GB with a 2-year contract!
On top of that – Digi offers 300 Mbps fibre broadband for only RM 100 per month! Granted – there is no 4G backup, but that’s RM49 cheaper than Maxis! Would you pay RM49 per month for “4G backup”? Heck, no!
The Digi package is a mix of 4G and 5G, but that’s okay, because my parents no longer have to worry about how much data they have left.
Digi Plans
Data
Cost
Postpaid 90
5G : 60 GB
RM 90
Postpaid Family 20
4G : 25 GB
RM 20
Postpaid Family 20
4G : 25 GB
RM 20
Postpaid Family 20
4G : 25 GB
RM 20
Postpaid Family 20
4G : 25 GB
RM 20
4G Backup
NA
NA
300 Mbps Fibre
Unlimited
RM 100
Total Before Tax
–
RM 270
6% Service Tax
–
RM 16.20
TOTAL PAYABLE
–
RM 286.20
And here is the cherry on the top – for a 24-month contract, Digi gives you one of these two bonuses:
a free smartphone worth up to RM1,099 (HONOR 9o Lite / Samsung A14), or
extra 60 GB of mobile data, or
unlimited social media data, or
5 GB of international roaming data in 70 countries
Needless to say, this Digi package is a much better deal, as it only costs RM286 per month, or RM3,434.40 per year!
How Much I Save Over 2 Years Switching From Maxis To Digi
In the end, I switched to the Digi Postpaid 90 principal line, and gave all of my supplementary lines a decent 25 GB of mobile data.
Over a standard two-year contract, I will end up saving RM 3,281.76, and get a free smartphone worth RM 1,099. That’s a total saving of RM 4,380.76! Just think of what you can do with all that money!
If I renewed with Maxis, I would have upgraded to their new 5G plan to get that free smartphone and unlimited data. However, my parents would have to continue suffering with 1 GB of data, and I would have to pay an additional RM 3,816 over 2 years compared to Digi!
If I wanted my parents to have a decent amount of mobile data, I would have to really pay Maxis through my nose, and fork out an extra RM 6,868.80 – exactly twice of what the Digi package costs. It just doesn’t make sense to do that.
No matter how I calculate, it just doesn’t make sense (sen?) to stick with Maxis. I will save anywhere from RM1,900 to RM3,400 per year switching to Digi. It really pays to shop around!
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.
Please watch out for the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones scam! Take a look at the scam, and find out what the facts really are!
Marshall Minor III Wireless Earphones Scam Alert!
Scammers are running Facebook ads that promote an awesome discount for the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones! Here is one recent example:
😣”Frustrating” 😣I had to queue for 5 hours at IOI City Mall to buy MARSHALL MINOR III wireless headphones for only RM179 (original price RM596), I was surprised because I thought they only sold directly I heard it’s open for sale online in 2 more days https://www.marshall-ash.asia/ms And also get the same discount as buying at the store. Free shipping nationwide.
But the 4 hours of queuing was worth it. As a Marshall fan, I was very excited when I heard the news that the Minor III series was coming out. And don’t waste your time waiting, the design is very beautiful, more stylish than the old version 💯 Great sound quality. Clear bus, fast Bluetooth connection, suitable for all types of devices, super battery life, 5 hours of continuous use and 25 hours with charging box, waterproof. The best thing about these headphones is the close-to-ear design. Comfortable, can play sports without worrying about falling. If you don’t buy it, you will be very disappointed.
I let my colleagues borrow it to play games because it sounded so realistic. There is no delay in movement. Many people ask me if the store still has promotions? I just saw information that the store has a discount in the next 2 days. Order quickly. At the end of the promotion, the price will return to the original price of RM596. I leave the purchase link here for those who want to buy: https://www.marshall-ash.asia/ms
This is yet another example of SCAMS circulating on Facebook, and here are there reasons why…
Fact #1 : Marshall Minor III Price Absurdly Low
The first thing about scams involving electronics, is that they often promise ridiculous great deals. If it’s too good to be true, it often is just a scam.
In this particular scam, scammers are offering the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones for just RM179 (US$39). That’s absurd, as the Marshall Minor II wireless earphones has an official retail price of $159 (approximately RM699)!
Marshall is a high-end audiophile brand, and its electronics are never cheap. Even if they offer a discount, it wouldn’t be anything like 70% to 75%. That’s just ridiculous.
For your safety, here are legit purchase options online for the Marshall Minor III earbuds :
Fact #4 : IOI City Mall Does Not Have A Marshall Outlet
The claim by these scammers that Alvinn Chong queued up for 5 hours at the IOI City Mall to buy the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones is easily debunked.
If you check the IOI City Mall tenant listing, you will quickly discover that it does not have a Marshall outlet.
Fact #5 : Queue Photos Are From Vietnam
The two photos which claim to show long queues for the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones were not taken in Malaysia. They were actually taken in Vietnam.
This photo does not show people in IOI City Mall queueing up outside a Marshall outlet. It actually shows people queuing up for the opening of the 15th Pandora store at the Long Bien Aeon Mall, on 28 April 2022.
Incidentally, Pandora is a Danish jewellery brand, and does not sell Marshall audio products…
The second queue photo is also from Vietnam, but taken many years ago on 11 November 2017. It does not show people queuing up to buy any Marshall products either.
They were actually queuing up at Royal City Shopping Center in Hanoi, for the opening ceremony of the second H&M store in Vietnam.
Fact #6 : Scam Website Not Affiliated With ASH Asia
ASH Asia is an authorised distributor of Marshall products in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
However, the scam page (https://www.marshall-ash.asia/ms) has nothing to do with ASH Asia, whose official Marshall Minor III page is https://ash-asia.com/ms.
On top of that, ASH Asia does not sell the Marshall Minor III directly (like the scam page). Instead, ASH Asia sells the wireless earphones through Shopee and Lazada.
In fact, if you check the main domain itself, you will get an error message, stating:
Your domain name has been successfully pointed!Please publish a Landing Page with the above domain name to use the service.Thank you!
This not only gives it away as a scam website, it also suggests that the scammers are operating out of Vietnam.
Fact #7 : Scam Website Admits Selling Fake Marshall Minor III
Ironically, the scam website itself has a disclaimer, warning potential buyers that it is not selling genuine Marshall Minor III wireless earphones, but a replica instead…
Most people won’t notice it because if you click to order, the website is designed to skip past this warning.
To assure you that this is safe, the scammers say that you only need to pay on delivery. Sounds good, doesn’t it? That guarantees that you will at least receive the item, doesn’t it?
Not quite, as one person who claimed to have purchased from this scam website explained…
I was attracted and clicked in, filling in my address and phone number.Three days later, I got a call saying that my package would arrive through DHL-COD, and asked me to make sure I was home.
I started looking forward to it, but when I thought about it, I became more suspicious.Since when does DHL provide Cash On Delivery service? I can’t believe they would dare to pay for first-class service without any payment from me.I figured it might be a scam!
What’s the scam? You may not have any doubts when you receive the package. When I open it immediately and take a look, then I realized it was full of garbage. [Unfortunately] I had already paid the delivery person, who ran away.
If true, the scam involves giving you an empty package filled with trash to receive your cash payment. After which, you have no recourse.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS 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.
Watch out for the Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia scam on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Twitter!
Find out how this scam works, and WARN your family and friends!
Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!
These scam messages about Bantuan Tunai Rakyat (BTR) 2023, or Bantuan Percuma Kerajaan Malaysia 2023, is going viral on WhatsApp, Telegram, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
CARA SEMAKAN TARIKH BAGI PENERIMA BANTUAN RM600 DIKREDITKAN SETIAP BULAN
Untuk mereka yang layak, anda boleh lakukan semakan dengan mengikuti cara yang diterangkan.
Baca Cara Semakan Bantuan 👇 https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/
SHARE INFO ini kepada rakan-rakan dan saudara mara untuk manfaat semua
HOW TO CHECK THE DATE FOR RECIPIENTS OF ASSISTANCE RM600 CREDIT EVERY MONTH
For those who are eligible, you can check by following the described method.
Read How to Check Help 👇 https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/
SHARE this INFO to friends and relatives for the benefit of all
As one lady shared in the video below, she got tricked by the scammers, who took over her Telegram account to send the same scam message to all of her contacts!
While she claimed that she did not click any link, I will show you how she got scammed…
Warning : To show you how the scammers work, I will share the links they use. I will highlight those dangerous links in red. Do NOT go to those links.
Super Long Link
To trick people into clicking on the scam links, the scammers intentionally use a misleading and very long URL, so you are less likely to notice the domain.
This is the scam link : https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/
Note how the scammer used a long list of descriptive keywords – “bantuan“, “rakyat“, “malaysia“, “lynk“, which helps to mislead people, and make it more difficult for them to notice that the domain is “eu.org“.
Obviously, eu.org is not a Malaysian government domain (which ends with .gov.my), and it has nothing to do with Malaysia or financial aid. This domain also has nothing to do with the European Union.
EU.org provides free subdomains, and so scammers use it to not only run their scams, but to give their scams a more “legitimate-looking domain”.
Pro Tip : Always check the domain of a link before you click on it. Avoid super-long links like this because they are often used to mask the domain name.
After clicking to go to https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/, you will be taken to what looks like an invitation to join a Telegram group. But in reality, it is a fake Telegram invitation.
A real Telegram invitation will have a link like this – https://t.me/XXXXXXXX. But this scam page has the link – https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/my.php.
Also, a real Telegram invitation can detect if you are using Windows / Mac or Android / iOS, and suggest that the right download for your device.
The invitation also has a glaring typo – the link says Massage Now, rather than Message Now. Hilarious!
In any case, a real Telegram invitation will not ask you to Message Now. Rather, it will allow you to either View In Telegram, or Preview channel in the web browser itself.
If you click on Join Group, you will be taken to this Telegram login page. Even though it offers you a list of countries to select from, the only option is Malaysia.
WARNING – THIS IS A SCAM PAGE. This is what is known in cybersecurity as a “phishing attack”.
First of all, Telegram invitations will never ask you to log into your Telegram account. It will simply launch the Telegram app and load the group for you.
Secondly, if you look at the link, it leads to the same scam domain, specifically https://bntuanrakyatmalaysia.lynk.eu.org/my.php.
Do NOT log into your Telegram account in this page.
If you log into your Telegram account using this phishing page, then the scammers will gain access to your Telegram account, and take it over for their own use.
They can then use your Telegram account to send the same scam message, or worse, cheat your family and friends of their money!
The lady in the viral video likely logged into this phishing page, thus giving the scammers control of her Telegram account. That was likely how they were able to message everyone on her contact list.
She also likely did not enable Two-Step Verification in Telegram, which would let her recover her account even after scammers have gained access.
That is why people who were hit by this scam had to call and inform their relatives and friends, or publicly post about it to warn all of their contacts.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to warn all of their contacts, and inevitably, someone will get cheated of their hard-earned money. That’s why these scams are so popular – they really work, and scammers are making a ton of money!
Help us fight against these scammers. 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.
Maybank just announced that all of its online, mobile and card services are up and running after going offline earlier today! Here is what you need to know…
Maybank Online + Card Services Finally Up + Running!
At 3:46 PM on 7 August 2023, Maybank sent out an alert that all of its online, mobile and card services are temporarily unavailable
Maybank2U web banking services
M2U and MAE mobile banking apps
debit and credit card usage
The only good news is that ATM and counter services appear to be unaffected by this downtime.
This announcement came hours after people started complaining that they could not log into the Maybank website.
As of 4 PM, none of Maybank’s online or mobile services are working. Neither will you be able to use your Maybank debit or credit card to make payments.
Update @ 4:30 PM : Maybank just announced that it restored Maybank2U web, the MAE app, and both debit card and credit card services!
Earlier : Maybank Online + Card Services All Down!
The Maybank downtime appeared to occur at around 1 PM or so, with Maybank initially asking users to switch to the MAE mobile app:
Good day and any inconvenience is much regretted. Based on our checking, the MAE app is operating fine at the moment.uled maintenance to improve your experience and will be back up shortly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
However, some Maybank users soon pointed out that their MAE app wasn’t working either!
Be Right Back!
We’re experiencing communication error. Please try again later.
That’s when Maybank support staff claimed that they were experiencing “intermittent slowness” on their MAE app and Maybank2U web platforms:
Kindly be informed that we are experiencing an intermittent slowness on our MAE App & M2U web platforms. We are working to resolve the matter as soon as possible. Our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your patience and continuous support.
It was only about two hours later that Maybank finally admitted that all of its mobile and online banking services were down, as well as its debit and credit card services.
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.
Watch out for the Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia 2023 scam on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Twitter!
Find out how this scam works, and WARN your family and friends!
Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia 2023 Scam Alert!
These scam messages about Bantuan Tunai Rakyat (BTR) 2023, or Bantuan Percuma Kerajaan Malaysia 2023, is going viral on WhatsApp, Telegram, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Bantuan percuma kerajaan 2023 khas untuk yang mana bergelar usahawan,pendidik,suri rumah,kerani dan yang kerja sendiri di waktu sekarang, boleh dapatkan geran RM2500 😱 🧕👩🍳👩💻👷♂️👨🎓👨🌾 ✅ Bantuan ni percuma ✅ Tak perlu bayar semula ✅ Maksimum sehingga RM2,500 / RM5,000 JOM CLAIM:
Free government assistance 2023 especially for those who are entrepreneurs, educators, housewives, clerks and self-employed at the moment, can get a grant of RM2500 😱 🧕👩🍳👩💻👷♂️👨🎓👨🌾 ✅ This help is free ✅ No need to pay again ✅ Maximum up to RM2,500 / RM5,000 CLAIM HERE:
As one lady shared in the video below, she got tricked by the scammers, who took over her Telegram account to send the same scam message to all of her contacts!
While she claimed that she did not click any link, I will show you how she got scammed…
Bantuan Tunai Rakyat Malaysia Scam : How Does It Work?
Warning : To show you how the scammers work, I will share the links they use. I will highlight those dangerous links in red. Do NOT go to those links.
Super Long Link
To trick people into clicking on the scam links, the scammers intentionally use a misleading and very long URL, so you are less likely to notice the domain.
This is the scam link : http://bantuan-kerajaan-my-fase-3-trd.financialanchorllc.com
Note how the scammer used a long list of descriptive keywords – “bantuan“, “kerajaan“, “my“, “fase 3“, which helps to mislead people, and make it more difficult for them to notice that the domain is “financialanchorllc.com“.
Obviously, financialanchorllc.com is not a Malaysian government domain (which ends with .gov.my), and it has nothing to do with Malaysia or financial aid.
A quick WHOIS check reveals that the ownership of this domain is hidden by a paid service – which is not what a genuine government agency would do.
Pro Tip : Always check the domain of a link before you click on it. Avoid super-long links like this because they are often used to mask the domain name.
After clicking to go to https://bantuan-kerajaan-my-fase-3-trd.financialanchorllc.com, you will be taken to what looks like an invitation to join a Telegram group. But in reality, it is a fake Telegram invitation.
A real Telegram invitation will have a link like this – https://t.me/XXXXXXXX. But this scam page has the link – https://bantuan-kerajaan-my-fase-3-trd.financialanchorllc.com.
Also, a real Telegram invitation can detect if you are using Windows / Mac or Android / iOS, and suggest that the right download for your device.
A real Telegram invitation will not ask you to Join Group. Rather, it will allow you to either View In Telegram, or Preview channel in the web browser itself.
If you click on Join Group, you will be taken to this Telegram login page.
WARNING – THIS IS A SCAM PAGE. This is what is known in cybersecurity as a “phishing attack”.
First of all, Telegram invitations will never ask you to log into your Telegram account. It will simply launch the Telegram app and load the group for you.
Secondly, if you look at the link, it leads to the same scam domain, specifically https://bantuan-kerajaan-my-fase3-gcc.financialanchorllc.com/main/index.php.
Do NOT log into your Telegram account in this page.
If you log into your Telegram account using this phishing page, then the scammers will gain access to your Telegram account, and take it over for their own use.
They can then use your Telegram account to send the same scam message, or worse, cheat your family and friends of their money!
The lady in the viral video likely logged into this phishing page, thus giving the scammers control of her Telegram account. That was likely how they were able to message everyone on her contact list.
She also likely did not enable Two-Step Verification in Telegram, which would let her recover her account even after scammers have gained access.
That is why people who were hit by this scam had to call and inform their relatives and friends, or publicly post about it to warn all of their contacts.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to warn all of their contacts, and inevitably, someone will get cheated of their hard-earned money. That’s why these scams are so popular – they really work, and scammers are making a ton of money!
Help us fight against these scammers. 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.
Find out how WithSecure harnesses the power of offensive security to drive business resilience and enhance protection for its clients!
WithSecure Drives Business Resilience Through Offensive Security!
WithSecure (formerly known as ‘F-Secure Business’) is harnessing the power of offensive security in its co-security and co-monitoring products and services. This revolutionary approach is designed to anticipate and mitigate cyber threats by understanding them from an attacker’s perspective.
During the SPHERE security conference 2023, WithSecure’s Chief Product Officer, Antti Koskela, shed light on their game-changing offering called ‘attack surface management.’ This managed service offers a comprehensive view of vulnerabilities in a company’s cloud-based estate.
As a result, WithSecure’s focus on the digital perimeter empowers businesses to reduce their overall attack surface, enhancing their cybersecurity posture in the ever-evolving threat landscape.
How WithSecure Offensive Security Drives Business Resilience!
WithSecure also introduced three groundbreaking services that amplify their commitment to ‘outcome-based security’ and ‘co-security’. This groundbreaking development was revealed by WithSecure Executive Vice President (Solutions) Scott Reininga, also at the SPHERE security conference 2023.
Reininga underscored WithSecure’s unparalleled expertise in offensive security, revealing that they are the home of one of the world’s most proficient offensive security teams. This team, a fusion of penetration testers (pentesters), red, blue and purple teamers, has profound knowledge of adversary tactics, tradecraft, and techniques.
Penetration testing is a cybersecurity practice that aims to discover vulnerabilities in a system by simulating controlled attacks. Their goal is not to cause damage but to pinpoint weaknesses for rectification. This proactive method, which can involve exploiting software vulnerabilities or simulating social engineering tactics, is key in any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, offering a practical evaluation of potential risks rather than a theoretical one.
Our relentless pursuit of research and system testing allows us to uncover system vulnerabilities proactively. This crucial data is the building block of our products that are proactive, minimally disruptive, and crafted from the perspective of an attacker.
– Scott Reininga, WithSecure Executive Vice President (Solutions)
These insights were unveiled by Reininga during his recent product launch event titled ‘Co-security and co-managed services for partners’. He was joined on stage by WithSecure Vice President (Offering and Customer Experience) Niko Isotalo.
Expanding on WithSecure’s strategic approach, Isotalo said that the company’s outcome-based security framework model “connects Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and board members, offering clarity about the interplay between security outcomes and business objectives.”
This alignment clarifies the indispensable role of security in the core business framework to board members.
– Niko Isotalo, WithSecure Vice President (Offering and Customer Experience)
Reininga and Isotalo unveiled the three new offerings during their joint session. The first, termed “co-monitoring,” is a partnership model. WithSecure validates the genuineness of security incidents before alerting the duty manager, effectively curbing false alarms.
WithSecure collaborates with clients to supervise their digital ecosystems, particularly during periods when they are stretched thin on resources. This service, providing support beyond standard working hours, can also deliver round-the-clock monitoring if necessary.
Isotalo further introduced the second service, incident readiness software, recognising that many organisations lack comprehensive incident readiness plans.
Our software simplifies the creation, testing, and updating of such plans, which serve as essential shields against cyber threats.
Focusing on the urgency of immediate incident response, Reininga introduced the third service, an incident response retainer.
Our incident response retainer provides unlimited incident response within the critical initial 72 hours of an event. We eliminate the need for negotiation about budget and resource allocation.
We engage consultants rapidly, supported by our globally lauded 24/7 incident response team and top-tier threat intelligence unit, guaranteeing our customers industry-leading service level agreements (SLAs).
By integrating offensive security acumen, co-monitoring capabilities, incident readiness software, and swift incident response, WithSecure empowers organisations to effectively safeguard their digital assets and curtail the impact of potential breaches.
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.
WithSecure is harnessing the power of the offensive security approach in tackling evolving cloud threats!
WithSecure Takes Offensive Security Approach For Cloud Threats!
In a shifting cybersecurity landscape, WithSecure (formerly known as ‘F-Secure Business’) is harnessing the power of offensive security in its co-security and co-monitoring products and services. This revolutionary approach is designed to anticipate and mitigate cyber threats by understanding them from an attacker’s perspective.
During the recent SPHERE security conference 2023 in Helsinki, Finland, WithSecure’s Chief Product Officer, Antti Koskela, shed light on this approach.
We’ve done identity assessments for many cloud-based companies, unveiling weaknesses in their cloud platforms.
Our offensive security approach is about understanding the attack surface of a cloud-based estate. We focus on the digital perimeter, which is crucial to reducing the overall attack surface.
Koskela went on to explain that WithSecure has distilled this insight into an innovative managed service offering called ‘attack surface management’. This service provides a comprehensive view of a company’s vulnerabilities, including IP addresses, port vulnerabilities, exposed APIs and web services, identity matters, patching levels and more.
With more open architecture, control over your attack surface becomes paramount. ‘Zero trust’ alone isn’t the answer as human errors happen. Our holistic approach helps mitigate this.
WithSecure’s product suite integrates various cloud-native solutions to deliver protection based on specific client requirements. This collaborative process, termed ‘co-security’, is driven by the security and business outcomes defined by the clients. Koskela emphasised the tripartite focus of their solution:
It’s about process, people, and technology. We collaborate to secure the outcomes, letting company directors steer the course of business.
Our WithSecure Elements platform is the cornerstone of our technology, built collaboratively with our clients.
Koskela acknowledged the evolution of the IT industry, from client-server in the ‘90s to hosted services in the 2000s, cloud computing in the 2010s and cloud-native in the 2020s. He underscored the need for a new security approach to match the evolving business environments:
The cloud offers agility, speed, cost-efficiency. But with new technologies come new security considerations.
WithSecure has been proactive, creating solutions for every technological shift – be it firewalling and endpoint protection during the hosted services era, or data security and VPNs for the cloud computing era.
And now, with the rise of cloud-native tech, we’re helping clients to understand and secure their digital perimeter through our offensive security approach.
WithSecure Chief Product Officer, Antti Koskela (left), and APAC Regional Director Yong Meng Hong (right)
WithSecure Elements Picking Up In APAC
Since its mid-2021 debut, WithSecure’s Elements platform has gained considerable momentum here in Malaysia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. This comprehensive cybersecurity platform has made its mark by providing organisations with a unified solution to their security needs.
Elements equips enterprises with the insight, adaptability, and technology to tackle evolving threats and changing business environments.
Offering unified endpoint protection across devices, clouds and servers, Elements consolidates everything from vulnerability management and collaboration protection to detection and response into one easy-to-navigate security console.
– WithSecure Asia-Pacific Regional Director Yong Meng Hong
Yong further emphasised that the cloud-based Elements platform provides real-time visibility across an entire IT infrastructure, simplifying how enterprises manage their cybersecurity.
Flexible licensing options, including fixed-term subscriptions and usage-based billing, ensure that organizations can tailor their cybersecurity services according to their specific needs.
Elements offers centralised management capabilities, giving IT managers a comprehensive overview of their enterprise’s IT infrastructure, enhancing their reassurance and control.
Today, WithSecure is globally recognised, trusted by a myriad of enterprises to safeguard against cyber threats, while also protecting tens of millions of consumers through over two hundred service providers and telecommunications partners.
For organisations looking to navigate the cloud’s security challenges, WithSecure’s offensive security approach could be just the safeguard they need.
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.
A comedian in China was just arrested and fined US$2.1 million for using a CCP slogan created by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his joke!
China Arrests + Fines Comedian US$2.1 Million For CCP Joke!
In the communist utopia of China, comedian Li Haoshi (who goes by the stage name, House) was just arrested by police after being fined a whopping 14.67 million yuan, which works out to about US$2.1 million!
What dastardly crime did Li Haoshi / House commit to deserve such a massive fine, and arrest? Well, the Chinese comedian simply made a joke using a CCP slogan created by Chinese President Xi Jinping!
The fine was issued by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, which concluded that his show was “a plot amounting to a serious insult to the People’s Liberation Army, and creates a bad social influence“.
We will never allow any company or individual to wantonly slander the glorious image of the People’s Liberation Army on a stage in the [Chinese] capital, never allow the people’s deep feelings for the soldiers to be hurt, and never allow serious subjects to be turned into entertainment.
What a glorious statement indeed by the most noble bureau of culture in China!
The Bureau confiscated RMB 1.32 million in “illegal proceeds” from the entertainment company representing House, and fined it RMB 13.35 million. The company was also banned from performing in Beijing indefinitely.
But that was not the end. On Wednesday, May 17, the Chaoyang branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau stated that an investigation was opened against Li Haoshi / House for making “derogatory remarks against the People’s Liberation Army”.
On the morning of Thursday, May 18, the comedian was arrested by the police. There has been no word on his whereabouts since then.
So what exactly was the world’s most expensive joke all about?
During his show in Beijing on Saturday, Li Haoshi / House spoke about how he adopted two stray dogs since moving to Shanghai. He joked that when they chased after a squirrel one day, he was reminded of these eight words:
作风优良，能打胜仗 Good style of work, capable of winning battles
That was a flipped version of the slogan that was coined by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, when he set out a list of qualities he wanted from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
建设一支听党指挥能打胜仗作风优良的人民军队 Build a people’s army that obeys the party’s command and can win battles with a good style of work
In the audio shared to Weibo, his audience can be heard laughing at the joke. Unfortunately, it went viral and caught the attention of Chinese nationalists and then the CCP government.
His joke was deemed to be insulting because “dogs” and “stray dogs” are used as insults in China. It is also common for Chinese netizens to also use insults like “American lapdogs”, for example.
In other words, his joke was perceived to be insulting both President Xi Jinping (who coined the slogan), and the PLA by referring to its soldiers as “stray dogs” that can win battles with a good style of work.
At military parades, especially when Xi Jinping is watching, PLA soldiers will often shout the slogan:
听党指挥，能打胜仗，作风优良！ Follow the Party’s command, capable of winning battles, with excellent conduct!
Now, such jokes may be par for the course in many free, democratic societies, but Li Haoshi / House appeared to have forgotten that China under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is neither free nor democratic.
If he made the same joke using a slogan by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, he would have gotten only laughs, because Taiwan is free and democratic. Unfortunately, he made a joke about the CCP and the PLA. Even worse, he made a joke about something Xi Jinping said, and that was the ultimate sin that anyone in mainland China can commit.
Li Haoshi / House and his company were not the only casualties of this expensive joke. Three other comedy companies suspended all of their performances as a result of this controversy :
Danli Ren Comedy (单立人喜剧),
Owl Comedy (猫头鹰喜剧), and
Xiaosheng Comedy Club (笑生喜剧脱口秀俱乐部)
Even more startling – a 34 year-old woman surnamed Shi was detained by police in Dalian city, after she posted a comment online, asking “Why should House be banned? Aren’t all soldier brothers also dog brothers?”
This goes to show just how closely the CCP government monitors speech in China, and how swiftly and mercilessly it strikes at people who even deigns to mock its authority.
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.
People keep sharing the wisdom in the Last Words of Steve Jobs, but guess what – they are all LIES!
Take a look at the famous last words that Steve Jobs allegedly said, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Updated @ 2023-04-29 : Updated with additional information Originally posted @ 2021-09-15
Claim : These Are The Last Words of Steve Jobs!
This is the famous Last Words ofSteve Jobs that have been shared by hundreds of thousands of people on websites, social media and email chain letters.
It’s a very long article, so just skip to the next section for the facts!
Last Words of Steve Jobs
I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success.
However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to.
At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.
In the darkness, I look at the green lights from the life supporting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of god of death drawing closer…
Now I know, when we have accumulated sufficient wealth to last our lifetime, we should pursue other matters that are unrelated to wealth…
Should be something that is more important: Perhaps relationships, perhaps art, perhaps a dream from younger days
Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me.
God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth.
The wealth I have won in my life I cannot bring with me. What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love.
That’s the true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on.
Love can travel a thousand miles. Life has no limit. Go where you want to go. Reach the height you want to reach. It is all in your heart and in your hands.
What is the most expensive bed in the world? Sick bed… You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you.
Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life.
When a person goes into the operating room, he will realize that there is one book that he has yet to finish reading – Book of Healthy Life.
Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.
Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.
Truth : Those Are Not The Last Words of Steve Jobs!
The truth is – this is a fake story probably created by a fan to lionise Steve Jobs, or a fake news website to make money off his name.
Fact #1 : Those Were Not The Last Words Of Steve Jobs
It is really not possible for a dying Steve Jobs to wax lyrical and say so much.
At the end, he just muttered monosyllables, repeated three times – OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW. That’s it.
This was what his sister, Mona Simpson, revealed in her New York Times eulogy :
Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times.
Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.
Steve’s final words were: OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.
Fact #2 : Steve Jobs Was Not On Life Support
Steve Jobs was not on any life support. Although his family has been very private about his final days, we do know that he was not being kept alive by a mechanical ventilator.
If he was being kept alive by a mechanical ventilator, he wouldn’t be able to say “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” as his sister revealed were his true last words.
In fact, on August 11, 2011 – less than two months before he died, Steve Jobs asked Tim Cook to visit him. As recounted in Tim Cook’s book – Becoming Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs was more than capable of talking lucidly even then :
He told me he had decided that I should be CEO. I thought then that he thought he was going to live a lot longer when he said this, because we got into a whole level of discussion about what would it mean for me to be CEO with him as a chairman. I asked him, ‘What do you really not want to do that you’re doing?’
“It was an interesting conversation,” Cook says, with a wistful laugh. “He says, ‘You make all the decisions.’ I go, ‘Wait. Let me ask you a question.’ I tried to pick something that would incite him. So I said, ‘You mean that if I review an ad and I like it, it should just run without your okay?’ And he laughed and said, ‘Well, I hope you’d at least ask me!’
I asked him two or three times, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ because I saw him getting better at that point in time. I went over there often during the week, and sometimes on the weekends. Every time I saw him he seemed to be getting better. He felt that way as well. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.”
Finally, if he was really kept alive by a mechanical ventilator, it would have kept him alive. He wouldn’t have died of respiratory arrest, which was the immediate cause of death.
The fact that he did indeed die of respiratory arrest is evidence that he was not on artificial respiration.
Fact #3 : Steve Jobs Did Not Die In A Hospital
Steve Jobs died at home, not in a hospital. The New York Times noted :
In his final months, Mr. Jobs’s home — a large and comfortable but relatively modest brick house in a residential neighborhood — was surrounded by security guards. His driveway’s gate was flanked by two black S.U.V.’s.
We don’t have an exact date for when he was confined to his home for his last days, but we do know that by August 11, 2011, he was permanently at home :
“He said, ‘I want to talk to you about something,’ ” remembers Cook. “This was when he was home all the time, and I asked when, and he said, ‘Now.’”
Fact #4 : Steve Jobs’ Last Words Were Never Mentioned In Any Biography
Steve Jobs had an official biography written by Walter Isaacson (Steve Jobs, ISBN 978-1501127625), who was given unprecedented access to his personal life, including over 40 interviews with Steve Jobs himself.
If Steve Jobs wanted to pass along such a message, he would have done it in that book. There is no mention of such a message in that biography.
The fake quote refers to God twice, which Steve would never do because he did not believe in God.
He was a Zen Buddhist, not the Lutheran Christian he was brought up to be. Buddhism is a religion, but their adherents do not believe in God or gods.
Fact #6 : Steve Jobs Was A Perfectionist
The fake story is replete with bad grammar. That is something Steve Jobs would never condone, being the perfectionist that he was. Needless to say, the writing style was not his either.
Fact #7 : Steve Jobs Was Not Afraid Of Death
The fake story claimed that Steve Jobs regretted spending his life in the pursuit of success at the expense of his family.
This cannot be further from the truth. Steve Jobs not only embraced his impending demise, he used it to spur him to make the most of his time left.
During his famous commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005, he said that “Death is very likely the single best invention of life“.
He then expounded on using that knowledge that our impending deaths to spur ourselves to greater heights, and to do what we really want to do in life :
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Fact #8 : Steve Jobs Did Not Pursue Wealth
The story of the inspiring last words of Steve Jobs alluded to a mindless pursuit of wealth. That cannot be further from the truth, because Steve Jobs earned a cool annual salary of $1 since he returned to a struggling Apple in 1997.
He was not the only corporate executive to do this, of course, as they can be compensated through alternate means like bonuses, stock options, etc. Steve Jobs was notable, though, for not taking any alternative form of compensation since 2003.
He took virtually nothing in compensation for his time and effort at Apple because he was not pursuing wealth, but his vision. His wealth, and his position at Apple, were the means to the end, not the goal itself.
Help Us Kill The Fake Last Words Of Steve Jobs!
No matter whether you are a Steve Jobs fan, or just someone who loves an inspirational story, help us kill this fake story!
Many people tell us that it’s okay to create fake stories like that, because “the message is more important than the truth“.
Do we really want to teach our children that it’s moral to tell lies about other people, as long as if it’s for a good reason?
The truth is – these fake stories are being propagated by clickbait websites to generate money. Stop funding the creation of fake news.
STOP SHARING THIS FAKE NEWS! SHARE THIS FACT CHECK INSTEAD!
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.
Did the US government pay for COVID-19 research in Ukraine, before the coronavirus even existed?!
Take a look at the viral claim and find out if it’s evidence the US created COVID-19!
Updated @ 2023-04-09 : Added a new Clayton Morris segment, and various updates. Originally posted @ 2022-05-22
Claim : US Paid For COVID-19 Research Before It Even Existed!
People are sharing an article by The Expose (formerly Daily Expose), which claims that the United States paid for COVID-19 research to be performed in Ukraine, three months before it even existed!
Other people are sharing a video by former Fox News presenter, Clayton Morris, talking about The Expose’s article.
Here is an excerpt from the really long article, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
U.S. Department of Defense issued a contract for ‘COVID-19 Research’ in Ukraine 3 months before Covid was known to even exist
The world first started to hear about a novel coronavirus in early January 2020, with reports of an alleged new pneumonia like illness spreading across Wuhan, China. However, the world did not actually know of Covid-19 until February 2020, because it was not until the 11th of that month that the World Health Organisation officially named the novel coronavirus disease as Covid-19.
So with this being the official truth, why does United States Government data show that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a contract on the 12th November 2019 to Labyrinth Global Health INC. for ‘COVID-19 Research’, at least one month before the alleged emergence of the novel coronavirus, and three months before it was officially dubbed Covid-19?
The shocking findings however, do not end there. The contract awarded in November 2019 for ‘COVID-19 Research’ was not only instructed to take place in Ukraine, it was in fact part of a much larger contract for a ‘Biological threat reduction program in Ukraine’
Perhaps explaining why Labyrinth Global Health has been collaborating with Peter Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance, and Ernest Wolfe’s Metabiota since its formation in 2017.
Truth : US Did Not Pay For COVID-19 Research Before It Existed!
This is just another example of FAKE NEWS from the notorious fake news website, The Expose, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : The Expose Is A Notorious Fake News Website
Like Real Raw News and NewsPunch, Daily Expose is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money. It was later rebranded as The Expose.
It was founded in November 2020 by Jonathan Allen-Walker, a mechanic from Lincolnshire, and is infamous for publishing COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation that were quoted by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, and Chinese state media.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from Daily Expose / The Expose. Here are some of its fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
Everything posted by The Exposemust be considered fake news, until proven otherwise.
Fact #2 : That Was An Old Article
Clayton Morris and Natali addressed this article by The Expose in their Redacted video on 11 March 2023, and appear to believe that it was a new story.
However, that was really an old article that The Expose apparently keeps reposting. In fact, I last fact checked their article and debunked it in May 2022.
It is unfortunate that Clayton and Natali Morris did not appear to read up on what I and many others had already “exposed” before doing their segment.
Fact #3 : China Publicly Announced Outbreak On 31 December 2019
The world first knew about the new coronavirus on the last day of 2019, not early January 2020 as The Expose claimed.
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in China first reported a cluster of pneumonia from a novel coronavirus publicly on 31 December 2019.
That’s why the WHO eventually called the disease, COVID-19, which stood for Coronavirus Disease 2019. If Chinese authorities announced the outbreak just one day later, it would have been known as COVID-20.
If The Expose cannot even get this simple fact right, what hope do you have that they are right about anything else?
Fact #4 : COVID-19 Name Was Announced On 11 February 2020
The WHO only issued the official names for the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease it caused (COVID-19) on 11 February 2020.
Before COVID-19, the naming conventions were completely different. The preceding disease caused by SARS-CoV-1 was known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and not COVID-02 (because it started in 2002)
So how is it possible for the US Department of Defense or their contractor, Black & Veatch to issue a subcontract to Labyrinth Global Health for “COVID-19 Research”?
That is only possible if the subcontract was modified after the COVID-19 name was established on 11 February 2020.
Fact #4 : DOD Subcontract Was Modified Twice In 2020
The contract that The Expose was talking about exists, but it is interesting that they did not include a direct link, but here it is, so you can check it out yourself. I also included a screenshot below.
It was a $369,511 subcontract given to Labyrinth Global Health Incorporated, by Black & Veatch Special Projects Corporation that started on 12 November 2019.
The US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) had contracted with Black & Veatch to support Ukraine’s biological detection and diagnostic capabilities by providing them with equipment, supplies and training.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they modified the contract twice to provide COVID-19 support to Ukraine – in April and June of 2020. The modification dates were merely not listed in the USASpending.gov page.
The DTRA explained it all in an email to Lead Stories :
No, DOD did not award a contract in 2019 for COVID-19 research. In this case, DTRA’s contractor modified a task order in 10 June 2020 to assist Ukraine in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, many months after the pandemic had begun. However, the date in the database reflects the original date the Master Servicing Agreement was entered into the system.
Information from USASpending.gov reflects data from a Master Servicing Agreement, or MSA, which can be modified by the DOD over time to better address emerging issues through its ongoing contracts. Contractors frequently sign additional sub-awards through task orders. These task orders, too, can be modified or amended. The date of each modification is not reflected on the USASpending.gov page, which stays as the date the original MSA was entered into the system, but the description is updated to reflect the latest changes in the task order.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) contracted with Black & Vea[t]ch to continue to support Ukraine’s peaceful and safe biological detection and diagnostic capabilities and to reduce biological threats, whether they are naturally-occurring, accidental, or intentional, through the provision of equipment, supplies, and training.
Black & Vea[t]ch signed the MSA with DTRA on 2 October, 2019, to modify DTRA’s requested non-COVID training support, which was submitted to the procurement system on 12 November 2019. After the pandemic began, the MSA was modified to provide additional COVID-19 pandemic-related support to Ukraine on 25 April 2020 and again on 12 June 2020.
The task order directed the servicing contractor to provide high-level subject matter expert mentorship support on COVID-19 Laboratory Diagnosis, Biological Safety and Laboratory Emergency Response in Ukraine.
To make it easier for you to understand, here is a simplified timeline of what actually happened :
2019
October 2 : DTRA signed the Master Servicing Agreement (MSA) with Black & Veatch for training support to Ukraine
November 12 : The MSA was submitted to the system on 12 November 2019 (as shown in the screenshot below).
December 31 : China publicly announced novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.
2020
February 11 : WHO issued official names of SARS-CoV-2 for the virus, and COVID-19 for the disease.
March 3 : First case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine.
April 25 : MSA was modified to provide COVID-19 pandemic support to Ukraine. *
June 12 : MSA was modified again, to provide COVID-19 pandemic support to Ukraine. *
* The modified task order directed the servicing contractor, Labyrinth Global Health Inc., to provide “high-level subject matter expert mentorship support” on “laboratory diagnosis, biological safety and laboratory emergency response” in Ukraine.
As you can see, there is no discrepancy in the timeline. The changes in the task order occurred only after COVID-19 spread to Ukraine in March 2020.
Everything posted by The Expose must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this article out, and supporting 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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
The viral photo of the Luxembourg Prime Minister and his wife is FAKE!
Here is what you need to know about that viral photo!
Updated @ 2023-03-20 : Updated with some additional details First published @ 2022-05-20
Claim : This Is Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel + His Wife!
People have been sharing this viral photo since 2019, but it is going viral again in pro-Russia and pro-CCP groups.
Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel arriving for a function with his wife, Gauthier Destenay.
卢森堡总理和他妖艳的妻子，留着胡子穿 着鱼尾裙，很fashion，你觉得呢？
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg and his coquettish wife, with beards and fishtail skirts, are very fashionable, what do you think?
卢森堡首相贝泰尔携”夫人”昨天抵京，开始对华访问。这是全球首个首相同性恋, 可拭目以待！！
Luxembourg Prime Minister Bettel arrived in Beijing yesterday with his “Madame” and started his visit to China.This is the world’s first gay prime ministerCan wait and see!!
Truth : Viral Photo Of Luxembourg PM + His Wife Is FAKE!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS designed to disparage the LGBT community and/or European / NATO leaders.
The very fact that this claim was resurrected from 2019, after Europe heavily sanctioned Russia for invading Ukraine, tells us that this is hardly coincidental.
It then went viral again in March 2023, right after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In any case, here are the reasons why this is NOT a photo of the Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, or his wife.
Fact #1 : Xavier Bettel Is Married To Gauthier Destenay
Xavier Bettel is Luxembourg’s first openly gay Prime Minister, and he married his partner, Gauthier Destenay, a Belgian architect.
Bettel and Destenay had been civil partners since 2010, but was able to marry each other on 15 May 2015 – a year after the Luxembourg Parliament approved same-sex marriage.
Here are real photos of Luxembourg Prime Minister Bettel (right) with his partner, at their town hall wedding.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, right, puts his hand around the shoulder of his partner Gauthier Destenay after their marriage at the town hall in Luxembourg, on Friday, May 15, 2015. The marriage comes one year after the parliament approved legislation to turn Luxembourg into an increasing number of countries allowing for same-sex marriages. Bettel and Destenay have been civil partners since 2010. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
Fact #2 : That Was Photo Of Conchita Wurst + Andre Karsai
The viral photo is actually of famous Austrian singer and drag queen, Conchita Wurst, and her business manager and the executive director of her company, Andre Karsai.
Conchita is actually the drag queen persona of Thomas Neuwirth, with a fictional backstory – Conchita was born in the mountains of Colombia, and married to French burlesque dancer Jacques Patriaque (Neuwirth’s actual friend)
He says this Conchita Wurst persona is similar to Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce alter-ego, and uses it as a way to protect his private life.
Neuwirth is gay but not a trans woman. He uses the he/him pronouns when referring to himself, but uses she/her to describe his Conchita Wurst character.
Conchita Wurst is best known for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2014. She also had a cameo in the 2020 movie, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Here is an interesting fact about the character’s name. Conchita is a Spanish slang word for vagina, while Wurst is a German slang word for penis. So Conchita Wurst literally means vagina penis!
In 2019, Neuwirth introduced a new mononymous persona called WURST, which would allow for a “more masculine expression”.
Fact #3 : That Photo Was Taken At 2019 Vienna Opera Ball
The viral photo was taken at the Vienna Opera Ball that took place 28 February, 2019, by Jeff Mangione of Kurier magazine. Here is Conchita Wurst with the Austrian Minister of Justice, Dr. Josef Moser.
And this was her Instagram post at Wiener Opernball 2019 :
Fact #4 : Luxembourg PM Bettel Visited China Twice
As Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Bettel paid two official visits to China :
11-14 June 2017 : Bettel visited China together with two ministers.
27-28 March 2019 : Bettel visited China to witness the signing of several bilateral agreements, and to speak at the Boao Forum for Asia.
There is no evidence that his partner, Destenay, ever accompanied him on his trips to China.
Just in case Chinese netizens are “confused”, let me be clear – that viral photo was not taken in China during Bettel’s official visit.
Here is an actual picture from Bettel’s official visit to China in 2017.
This photo is being circulated in pro-Russia and pro-CCP groups, as a way to both disparage LGBTQ people and EU / NATO leaders during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Please help us fight such fake news – SHARE this fact check out, and 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.
Is the WHO (World Health Organization) planning to take control of the Internet, for the “benefit of humanity”?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : WHO Plans To Take Control Of Internet!
People are sharing an article by NewsPunch, which claims that the WHO (World Health Organization) is planning to take control of the Internet, for the “benefit of humanity”!
Here is an excerpt of the very long article, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
WHO Moves Forward With Plans To Take Total Control of the Internet ‘For the Benefit of Humanity’
The World Health Organization (WHO) this week held a meeting to advance the international pandemic treaty — a legally binding instrument that will grant the global health agency total control over the internet to censor anything it deems to be “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.
Specifically, WHO member states are instructed to “tackle false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through promotion of international cooperation” and manage “infodemics…through effective channels, including social media.” Infodemics is a term that the WHO uses to describe “too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak.”
Additionally, Article 16 (“Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches at the national level”) recommends that WHO member states collaborate with non-state actors and the private sector when carrying out their obligations under the treaty.
As the treaty has progressed, it has faced increased political pushback from elected officials in member states, with US Republican Senators recently introducing a bill that would require the treaty to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate.
But despite this pushback, the Biden administration committed to the international pandemic treaty on the first day of the recent WHO meeting.
And the WHO is continuing to discuss the treaty and plan for its future. The global health agency has another meeting to discuss the treaty scheduled for April 3 to April 6, plans to present the treaty to its decision-making body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), in May, and hopes to finalize the treaty by May 2024.
The WHO intends to adopt the treaty under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution through an international lawmaking process where a group of mostly unelected diplomats vote on the treaty.
If the treaty passes, WHO member states will be required to “raise financial resources for effective implementation” of the treaty and commit to allocating at least 5% of their annual health expenditure to “pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.” Additionally, the treaty tells member states to commit an undisclosed amount of their gross domestic product (GDP) to “international cooperation and assistance on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and health systems recovery.” This equates to billions of dollars in annual expenditure for many WHO member states and hundreds of billions of dollars per annum for some.
This WHO push to crack down on speech via this international pandemic treaty is being made in tandem with another WHO effort that targets “misinformation” and “disinformation” — proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005).
Like the treaty, these proposed amendments will be legally binding under international law if finalized. The amendments include provisions for the WHO to “counter misinformation and disinformation” at “the global level” and to develop member states’ capacities to gain “leverage of communication channels to communicate the risk, countering misinformation and dis-information.”
In a report that was released alongside the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), the WHO suggested it would use its new misinformation and disinformation targeting powers to go after content that could “undermine public trust in health agencies and impede public confidence in, and compliance with, governmental or WHO guidance.” It also called for “a balance between ensuring more accurate scientific information on one hand and freedom of speech and the press on the other.”
Truth : WHO Is NOT Planning To Take Over Internet!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about the World Health Organization – WHO, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : NewsPunch Is A Fake News Website
Like Real Raw News, NewPunch is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
It was founded as Your News Wire in 2014, before being rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news spread on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from NewsPunch. Here are some of its fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
This claim is based on WHO member state discussions in 2022, to amend existing International Health Regulations to strengthen the world’s preparedness against future global pandemics.
The International Health Regulations (IHR) were first adopted by member states in 1969, empowering the WHO to monitor global diseases. Those regulations have since been revised over the years, including in 2005 – after the SARS outbreak.
On 1 December 2021, world leaders agreed to kickstart the process to draft and negotiate an agreement or convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response“.
The proposed recommendations came from WHO member states, and not WHO itself. Among the more than 200 recommendations on how to better prepare for the next pandemic were:
sharing of data and genomic sequences on emerging viruses
a plan for equitable vaccine distribution
a ban on wildlife markets
incentives for reporting new viruses or variants
In other words – this agreement is being formulated by WHO member states, and not the WHO itself.
If you read the zero draft of the proposed WHO agreement, you will realise that the WHO is not planning to control the Internet. This is explicitly stated in Article 17, which refers to “Parties” that are the member states.
The Parties commit to increase science, public health and pandemic literacy in the population, as well as access to information on pandemics and their effects, and tackle false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation, including through promotion of international cooperation.
As you can see, under the agreement, each individual country will commit to increase KNOWLEDGE about science and public health, as well as combat “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.
Not only does the article clearly state that it is up to each country (not the WHO) to implement its policies, it does not mention anything about controlling the Internet.
The only people who need to worry about Article 17 of this proposed WHO agreement are those who peddle “false, misleading, misinformation or disinformation”.
Fact #4 : No One Can “Take Over” The Internet
The Internet is not some kind of organisation that the WHO can “take over”, even if it wants to. The Internet is a global system of networks, literally a “network of networks” connecting the networks in each country to each other.
Until today, there is no centralised control of the Internet – no one sets the rules or policies, or even technical implementations. It is up to each country to adopt its own policies, although to ensure interoperability, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the domain name system (DNS), while the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) helps to standardise and improve technical aspects of the Internet.
Due to its autonomous nature, no one can control the Internet, never mind take over control. Individual countries and organisations can control its own networks, limiting or filtering access as they wish, but they cannot do so for other networks.
Fact #4 : Many Countries Do NOT Want A Binding Treaty
The claim that this is a binding treaty is, currently, false.
While the European Union, Britain, Indonesia and Kenya have proposed that the changes be adopted in the form of a binding treaty, the United States, India and Brazil opposed that idea.
The EU proposed the treaty and is its biggest backer, with support from Britain, Indonesia, Kenya and others.
The United States will take part in the talks but has opposed a binding treaty. India and Brazil have also voiced reservations.
With so many member countries involved, securing agreement is likely to be tricky.
If you download and read the zero draft, you will realise that the WHO is still calling it a “convention, agreement, or other international instruments“, clearly showing that member countries have not decided whether they want it to be binding or otherwise.
In the third point noted on the very first page of the draft, it was even pointed out that this is just a draft that is being used for “commencing negotiations“, and that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed“.
The INB (Intergovernmental Negotiating Body) further agreed that the zero draft would be considered at its fourth meeting as a basis for commencing negotiations at that meeting, it being understood that the zero draft will be without prejudice to the position of any delegation and following the principle that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”.
So it is ludicrous for anyone who read the first page of the zero draft to claim that this is a binding treaty.
Fact #7 : WHO Agreement Must Be Ratified By Member Countries
The claim that the proposed WHO agreement will be voted on by “mostly unelected diplomats” is nonsense.
First of all, the agreement was drafted and amended by member countries themselves. The WHO is only facilitating this agreement. It is not the one creating the agreement.
Secondly, even after member countries agree on a final WHO agreement, it must be approved and adopted by each individual country. This is clearly stated in Article 33(1) with my emphasis in bold:
The WHO CA+ shall be subject to ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by States, and to formal confirmation or accession by regional economic integration organizations. It shall be open for accession from the day after the date on which the WHO CA+ is closed for signature. Instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation or accession shall be deposited with the Depositary.
Fact #8 : All Treaties Require US Senate Ratification
The move by Republican Senators to introduce a bill that would require the WHO treaty to be approved by two-thirds of the Senate is nothing more than political drama, because it is already the law of the land.
The US Constitution gives the Senate the sole power to approve, by a two-thirds vote or more, all international treaties (binding agreements) negotiated by the executive branch.
[The President] shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;
In other words, the bill by Republican senators is irrelevant political theatre. If the WHO agreement is a binding treaty, the US Constitution already requires two-thirds of the US Senate to ratify it.
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and 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.
Did Russia just destroy NATO jet fighters and helicopters that were sent to help Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-02-27 : Added more details Originally posted @ 2022-05-22
Claim : Russia Just Destroyed NATO Jets + Helicopters In Ukraine!
People are sharing a video created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), which claim to be evidence of NATO jet fighters and helicopters being shot down by Russia while trying to help Ukraine.
The video has an overlay that says, “Only China has the privilege to watch the live video, not even the western countries and the world.“, and it is accompanied by this message :
☝️Nato sent their jet fighter & Helicopter to help Ukraine, as soon as they entered the border, they were attacked by the Russian missile. not a single one escaped. only the Chinese media reported that news, non in the West.
☝️Nato 战机jet fighter & Helicopter 去幇助鸟克兰一进入边畍就被俄羅斯飞彈打的一个都跑不掉, 只有中國媒體才能報導西方沒有。
Truth : Russia Did Not Destroy NATO Jets + Helicopters In Ukraine!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and spread by pro-CCP and pro-Russian netizens and groups.
Fact #1 : That Video Was From A Video Game
The viral video does not show actual combat in Ukraine. It is really nothing more than a compilation of two gameplay videos from the game, ArmA 3.
ArmA 3, which is also known as ArmA III or Armed Assault 3, is an open-world, military tactical shooter game by Bohemia Interactive.
The first half of the video was cropped from an ArmA 3 video called “Combat Helicopter shot down by Missile – 4 Tanks Blown Up – Milsim – ArmA 3” – from 0:11 to 2:08, cutting off just before the videos says “Subscribe for more!“.
Ironically, the original ArmA 3 gameplay videos that the viral fake video used are hosted on YouTube, which is blocked in China.
So the overlay claiming that “only China has the privilege to watch the live video” is not only false, it is a sad reminder of the censorship in China.
The truth is – only people in China have the “privilege” of being lied to using a fake video that is easily available to the rest of the world.
Fact #3 : That Was A Russian Helicopter
We can’t tell what anti-aircraft missiles were fired at the beginning of the video, but we can easily see that they were fired at a Russian helicopter.
Anyone who watched a Rambo movie or two would easily recognise the distinctive shape of the Soviet Union’s “flying tank” – the Mil Mi-24 helicopter, which is also known as Mi-25 or Mi-35. Whatever may be the case, that was not a Western helicopter!
At around the 1:44 mark in the fake video, you can see that the soldier and the missile launcher that destroyed one of the tanks.
That is the M220 launcher for the American TOW BGM-71E anti-tank missile, not a Russian missile launcher.
In other words – the video does not show Russian forces destroying NATO tanks and helicopters. It actually shows US forces in the ArmA 3 game shooting down Russian tanks and helicopters.
Here is a comparison of the screenshot (left) and the frontal aspect of the same TOW missile launcher in the ArmA 3 game.
NATO Allied Land Command confirmed that “there are no NATO forces or leaders in Ukraine in any capacity“.
While NATO nations are sending financial and military aid to Ukraine, no NATO soldiers or leaders are deployed to the country.
So the claim that NATO sent jets and helicopters to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion is false.
Fact #7 : NATO Refused To Send Aircraft Into Ukraine
NATO also repeatedly refused to create a No-Fly Zone over Ukraine, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleading for one.
That’s partly because the anti-aircraft missiles NATO countries supplied have successfully prevented Russia from achieving any kind of air superiority in Ukraine.
NATO has also publicly stated that they want to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, which could lead to a continent-wide conflict.
That is also why they refused to send Ukraine jet fighters to replace those destroyed by Russian attacks.
The claim that NATO is sending jet fighters and helicopters to help Ukraine is bullshit.
Please watch out for similar fake news created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛)!
Help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and 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.
You may have seen celebrities endorsements of BitiCodes or Biti Codes circulating on Facebook and Instagram, but they are all FAKE.
Find out why there are so many fake celebrity endorsements of Biticodes / Biti Codes, and how they are doing it!
BitiCodes / Biti Codes : Fake Celebrity Endorsements
BitiCodes or Biti Codes claims to be “the crypto industry’s most accurate AI auto-trading app“, which “works by automatically placing trades… using trading bots to strengthen your chances of making a profitable trade.”
If you never heard of it, you won’t be alone, because it’s mainly promoted via advertisements on Facebook, Instagram, etc. They are also promoting it through Google Ads like these examples, which will often appear in completely legitimate websites.
Clicking on those advertisements will lead to legitimate-looking articles from local or crypto publications, often with a celebrity endorsing Biticodes / Biti Codes.
Here in Malaysia, people will see Biticodes being endorsed by the likes of local politicians like Lim Guan Eng or Dr. Mahathir. But those in the cybersecurity industry will quickly realise that these articles are familiar because they are almost exact copies of scam articles used in the previous Bitcoin Revolution scam.
Looking for reviews of Biticodes or Biti Codes is pointless, because they appeared to have paid for advertorials in legitimate media outlets, which are (intentionally?) wrongly listed as “reviews”. Only at the very bottom do they include a disclaimer that it was a sponsored post.
Outlook India
Biticodes Reviews : Today we’ll be talking about one platform called Biticodes that you can use to make an extra source of income. It’s safe, and you do not need to worry about anything. It may help you earn good money in very less time.
Disclaimer :This is sponsored review content posted by us. All the information about the product is taken from the official website (and not fact-checked by us). Contact customer care phone number given on product’s official website for order cancellation, return, refund, payment, delivery etc. related issues. Must consult any financial specialist before investing in BitiCodes Auto-Trading Software.
Tribune India
Biticodes is real or scam review 2022 : With an astonishing success rate of 90%, BitiCodes has what it takes to be your go-to platform for cryptocurrency trading. It can execute multiple deals per second – a rate that even the most experienced cryptocurrency traders would be hard-pressed to match.
Disclaimer :The views and opinions expressed in the above article are independent professional judgment of the experts and The Tribune does not take any responsibility, in any manner whatsoever, for the accuracy of their views. Biticodes are solely liable for the correctness, reliability of the content and/or compliance of applicable laws. The above is non-editorial content and The Tribune does not vouch, endorse or guarantee any of the above content, nor is it responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified.
In other words, those are NOT legitimate reviews, and the media outlets did not even test Biticodes / Biti Codes. Their disclaimers show that their “reviews” were paid content, written by Biticodes / Biticodes.
Avast Explains How BitiCodes Scam Works
In an August 2022 article, the cybersecurity company explained how the BitiCodes (also known as TeslaCoin) scam works:
The scam encourages people to pay to create an account and invest into a fraudulent crypto investment platform. There are two ways the campaign reaches potential victims: Through Facebook ads and email. Ultimately, victims can end up losing at least $250.
At the bottom of the page is a webform requesting site visitors to enter their name, email address, and phone number in order to register for the platform. The victim receives an email from a bot sparking a conversation in the victim’s language.
After a brief example exchange, the bot sends a link to a payment gateway, and asks the victim to transfer $250 in order to activate their trading account. Another scenario involves the bot emailing potential victims with steps to login to a cryptocurrency broker page, and after a few more emails, the bot sends a link to a payment gateway, asking the victim for a $250 initial investment.
I also investigated the articles and the BitiCodes website, and noticed that they are all using highly-suspicious domains and links:
celesteal.xyz/biticodes for the BitiCodes website (registered 23 Nov. 2022)
thedailypressbriefing.com/my for the BTC-News website (registered 29 Jan. 2023)
saveontaxesthisyear.tax for the BTC-News website (registered 6 Feb. 2023)
As you can see, the domains are not only completely unrelated to the article / websites, they are almost brand new! And if you go to their domain root, nothing loads. That is not how legitimate websites function. If you do a WHOIS lookup, you will discover that the owners of these domains are hidden.
Regardless of whether BitiCodes / Biti Codes itself is legitimate, you should avoid any article that do not tally with the official website, or with irrelevant domains.
Don’t fall for the scam. Avoid these BitiCodes / Biti Codes advertisements and fake celebrity endorsements.
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and 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.
Years after a boy genius named Evan disappears, a bizarre letter arrives. Evan wants a girl named Dysis to come find him. As Dysis, you’ll need to solve an intricate series of puzzles to unravel the entire mystery—and bring Evan home.
Evan’s Remains is a mystery-thriller puzzle adventure about finding a missing boy: Evan. The game combines logic-based platform puzzles with narrative inspired by Japanese graphic adventure games.
Gameplay
Every time the player solves from two to three puzzles, the story goes forward and new mechanics are introduced. The challenge of the puzzles lies in the player’s ability to figure out what do rather than solve challenges based on skill. As the difficulty curve increases, the puzzles become more complex by combining two or more previously introduced mechanics.
Story
Evan, the genius boy, has been missing for years. One day, a letter signed by him is received, claiming he’s on an uninhabited island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Nobody knows why, but he asked specifically for a girl named “Dysis” to go and look for him.
The player will take control of this girl, who we don’t know much about. As we follow Dysis’s adventure, questions will start to be answered little by little. All of the little puzzle pieces which seemed unrelated in the beginning will now begin to slowly fit together as the truth is slowly revealed.
Evan’s Remains : How To Get It FREE!
Make sure you follow these steps to get this game for FREE before 5 PM (GMT+8) on 16 February 2023!
Log into your Opera account, or register for a free Opera account.
That’s it! It is now added to your Opera account, and you can play it anytime after this.
Note : This game runs on the Opera GX browser, so you will need to install that to play the game.
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.
Did TikTok star Waffler69 die at just 33 years of age from a heart attack induced by the COVID-19 vaccine?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : TikTok Star Waffler69 Died From Vaccine Heart Attack!
Right after news broke that Taylor Brice LeJeune died suddenly from a heart attack, anti-vaccination activists immediately claimed that TikTok star known as Waffler69 (or Wafffler69) was a victim of the COVID-19 vaccine!
He also died of a heart attack. no one has a clue what could possibly be causing these #suddendeaths and age-inappropriate deaths, in excess in all age brackets. But they know it can’t be the #vaccines. B/c Big Pharma cares about your health.
Truth : TikTok Star Waffler69 Did Not Die From COVID-19 Vaccine!
It’s now a tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Waffler69 Died Of A Presumed Heart Attack
Taylor Brice LeJeune (born on August 6, 1989) was an American TikTok star and Internet celebrity who goes by the name Waffler69 on Instagram, or Wafffler69 on TikTok.
Waffler69 garnered over 1.7 million followers for videos showing him cook and eat everything from a massive Fruit Loop (in his last video) to long-expired nostalgic food like Shrek candy from 2010, canned ham from 1960 (!) or an Addams Family cereal from 1991.
On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, Waffler69 experienced some discomfort at his home in Louisiana, and called his mother about it. But when things got worse, he called for an ambulance at around 8:30 PM to rush him to a hospital.
According to his brother, Clayton (known as Claydorm on TikTok), Taylor / Waffler69 died at the hospital at around 10 PM, of a presumed heart attack. He was only 33 years old when he died.
Clayton asked people to “keep his [brother’s] legacy alive” by “watching his videos”.
Fact #2 : Waffler69 Has Strong Family History Of Heart Disease
In an emotional video, Clayton LeJeune confirmed that his brother, Waffler69, died from a heart attack, but stressed that it was not caused by the food he consumed, but was genetic in nature.
He pointed out that his brother had a strong family history of heart disease. Their father and grandfather both died before they were 50 years old, from heart failure.
While Clayton did not mention vaccines, I should point out that COVID-19 vaccines don’t cause heart attack. And unfortunately, they do not protect against heart disease either.
So Waffler69’s death had nothing to do with the COVID-19 vaccines, no matter what people on social media are insinuating.
Incidentally, Lisa Marie Presley who died a day after Waffler69, also had a strong family history of heart disease.
An acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or a heart attack, occurs when blood supply to the heart muscle is abruptly cut off, usually due to a blockage of one or more coronary arteries.
It is a very common cause of sudden death. Every year, about 805,000 Americans suffer a heart attack, of which about 382,000 die. Every year.
People have been dying from heart attacks long before COVID-19 vaccines were invented.
And no, COVID-19 vaccines do NOT cause heart attacks, no matter what anti-vaccination activists may claim.
Neither can COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from getting heart attacks, or dying from them.
Fact #4 : Unknown If Waffler69 Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19
It is currently unknown if Waffler69 was vaccinated against COVID-19, as he has never publicly mentioned his vaccination status.
For all we know – he may not even be vaccinated! The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United States, despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim.
For example, anti-vaccination activists claimed that Kaden Clymer was almost crippled by a 6-foot long vaccine-induced blood clot, but the high school athlete was never vaccinated against COVID-19!
Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who claims that Waffler69 received the COVID-19 vaccine is likely lying to you.
Fact #5 : Claims Of Celebrities Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False
This is yet another example of anti-vaccination activists abusing celebrity deaths / injuries to create and propagate FAKE NEWS about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
So far, claims of celebrity deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false at every instance. Here is the latest dozen of other false celebrity claims!
Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next celebrity tragedy…
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.
This Happens once every 823 years. This is called money bags.
So send to at least 5 people or 5 Groups and hopefully money will arrive within 4 days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui. Send within 11 minutes of reading.💰
February 2023 Happens Almost Every Year, Not Once In 823 Years!
Here is the short summary – February 2023 is NOT a lifetime event that happens once every 823 years.
In fact, as most Februaries go, this February is nothing special, and here’s why…
Fact #1 : Most Februaries Have 4 Full Weeks
Every February has 28 days, except for leap years where they gain an extra day and have 29 days.
Years that are divisible by 4 are leap years, except for years that are divisible by 100 years.
1896 and 1904 are leap years, but not 1900.
2096 and 2094 are leap years, but not 2100.
There is one exception though – years that are divisible by 400 have a leap year.
1800 and 1900 are leap years, but not 2000.
Fact #2 : Roughly ¾ Of Februaries Have 4 Weeks
Roughly ¾ of Februaries have 28 days, and therefore 4 full weeks with 4 Sundays, 4 Mondays, 4 Tuesdays, 4 Wednesdays, 4 Thursdays, 4 Fridays and yes, 4 Saturdays too.
In other words, February 2022 isn’t unique at all in having 4 of every day of the week… definitely NOT every 823 years.
In fact, it is far more common for Februaries to have 4 Sundays, 4 Mondays, 4 Tuesdays, 4 Wednesdays, 4 Thursdays, 4 Fridays and 4 Saturdays, than anything else!
Fact #3 : Chinese Calendar Is Different
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, and is different from the Gregorian calendar that most people use today.
The Chinese calendar does not have months like January, February, March. Neither does it have Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
Modern China and the Chinese diaspora now use the Gregorian calendar, with converted Chinese calendar dates to mark traditional holidays, and to allow people to plan events around significant dates.
In short – ancient Chinese beliefs still revolve around the traditional Chinese calendar, not the modern Gregorian calendar.
Fact #4 : There Is No Such Feng Shui Belief
Feng Shui is Chinese geomancy – an ancient Chinese belief in using energy forces to harmonise individuals with their surroundings.
It may seem obvious and ridiculous, but I have to point out that Feng Shui predates the creation of the smartphone, social media and instant messaging by thousands of years.
There is, therefore, no such Feng Shui belief that sharing such fake news on WhatsApp or Facebook will bring you good luck and money.
Fact #5 : No Evidence Feng Shui Works
I should also be clear that there is still NO EVIDENCE that Feng Shui actually works.
Please do NOT forward such fake messages to your family or friends. SHARE this fact check with them instead!
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.
Twitter has “sort of” recovered after going down for many hours on Wednesday night / Thursday morning!
Twitter Sort Of Recovers After Going Down For Hours!
At around 7:30 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 2022 (8:30 AM MYT on Thursday morning), Twitter went down.
Users reported all sorts of problems – from the Twitter app and website showing a blank screen, or reporting “exceeded rate limit” errors, or getting logged out automatically. Most got this generic error message :
Error : Something went wrong, but don’t fret – it’s not your fault. Let’s try again.
It was roughly three hours later when Twitter started to recover, albeit in fits and starts. Many users were able to log in again, but continue to report seeing their tweets “disappear”, or that Twitter wouldn’t load any tweets.
Full access was restored for me at around 12:15 PM MYT (11:15 AM ET) – just under 4 hours after Twitter went down.
Twitter Going Down : Surprise It Didn’t Happen Sooner…
It’s really a wonder that Twitter didn’t go down earlier, after its new owner, Elon Musk, fired many of its technical staff – people who were paid to keep the service running.
Despite predictions that Twitter would go down during World Cup 2022, it surprisingly stayed up and kept up with the deluge of tweets.
Twitter also surprisingly managed to “sort of” restore access during its latest downtime. Even so – this down time will surely reignite criticisms of Elon Musk’s decision to gut Twitter’s technical teams.
The Twitter Support account is now up, but has not commented on the issue. And since Elon Musk has reportedly disbanded its press office, an official statement will probably come as a tweet from the Big Boss himself.
Elon has not commented on Twitter’s downtime, with his last tweet over 8 hours ago. He may own Twitter and have “god-like” powers, but even he cannot tweet when it goes down.
Perhaps he should consider reactivating the official Twitter account on Facebook, as a backup for such instances…
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.
Claim : Netanyahu Did Not Comment On Anwar Ibrahim As Israeli Agent!
That is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Audio Message Was Not By Hadi Awang
First, there appears to be some confusion over who said that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is an Israeli agent.
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) opened up an investigation into claims that the audio recording was by Hadi Awang, the President of the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).
However, it was later clarified that the audio recording was of the Baling Member of Parliament Hassan Saad, also of the PAS party.
Hadi Awang had nothing to do with the audio recording, so there is no reason for Benjamin Netanyahu to call him out for that Israel agent allegation against Anwar Ibrahim.
Fact #2 : LOD + Police Report Made Against Hasan Saad
In fact, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim filed a letter of demand against Hassan Saad on November 30, 2022, seeking an unconditional apology over the viral audio recording alleging that he is an Israeli agent.
The PDRM also initiated investigations against Hassan Saad over the viral audio message, under Section 504 and Section 500 of the Penal Code for intentionally insulting the intent to defame a person, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
Therefore, there is simply no reason for Benjamin Netanyahu or any other persons to criticise Hadi Awang for calling Anwar Ibrahim an Israel agent.
Fact #3 : Benjamin Netanyahu Does Not Post In English
Anyone who bothers to check Benjamin Netanyahu’s official Twitter account (@netanyahu) would immediately realise that the viral screenshot was faked.
The first thing you will realise is that Benjamin Netanyahu does not post in English. He only posts in Hebrew – the official language of the State of Israel.
The viral screenshot cannot be of an English translation either, because it would have shown the original Hebrew words, with a disclaimer before the English translation – Translated from Hebrew by Google.
Fact #3 : Benjamin Netanyahu Did Not Comment On Anwar Ibrahim
The second thing you would realise if you look at Benjamin Netanyahu’s official Twitter account is that he did not post any tweet that mentions Malaysia, Hadi Awang, or Anwar Ibrahim.
Going back until November 19, 2022 – the date of the 15th Malaysia General Election, Benjamin Netanyahu has only commented on Israeli issues and politics.
Note : I placed a FALSE overlay to prevent the viral message from being further abused.
Fact #4 : Benjamin Netanyahu Is No Longer Prime Minister of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu was ousted as Prime Minister of Israel on June 13, 2021, replaced by Naftali Bennett, and then Yair Lapid on July 1, 2022.
Netanyahu has not been the Prime Minister of Israel for over 18 months now, and would not have any standing to comment or act on behalf of the State of Israel.
Fact #5 : Fake Message Likely Written By Malaysian
The viral English message that was allegedly written by Benjamin Netanyahu has a curious term – religious rider.
That is a direct English translation of a very unique Malaysian slang term – penuggang agama, which refers to a hypocrite who uses religion for personal / political / financial gain.
There is no English or Hebrew equivalent for penunggang agama that I know of, which leads me to believe that this fake message was written by a Malaysian.
Now that you know the facts, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by SHARING this fact check article out!
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.
Is FIFA offering 50 GB of free mobile data to stream World Cup 2022 matches with no interruptions?!
Take a look at the viral offers, and find out why they are just scams!
Claim : FIFA Is Giving Free 50GB Data For World Cup 2022!
People are sharing viral offers for 50 GB of free mobile data to stream World Cup 2022 matches without interruption. Here are some examples :
* FIFA is giving people around the world 50GB of data for free to watch the 2022 Cartel [Qatar] World Cup.* * I Have Received Mine.* * OPEN THIS*
* FIFA memberi orang di seluruh dunia 50GB data secara percuma untuk menonton Piala Dunia Kartel [Qatar] 2022.* * Saya Telah Menerima Milik Saya.* * BUKA INI*
FREE 50GB DATA PLAN FOR ALL NETWORKS
PERCUMA PELAN DATA 50GB UNTUK SEMUA RANGKAIAN
Truth : FIFA Is Not Giving 50GB Free Data For World Cup 2022!
This is yet another SCAM circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why you must avoid it!
Fact #1 : FIFA Is Not Offering Free Mobile Data
First, let me just say it out loud and clear – FIFA is not offering free mobile data anywhere in the world, just to watch World Cup 2022 matches.
FIFA makes its money through sale of television, marketing and licensing rights for World Cup 2022, so there is simply no reason for it to provide free mobile data to stream the matches.
Fact #2 : FIFA Would Never Give You Anything Free
Please do NOT be naive. No one is going to give you free data just to participate in a survey!
FIFA is a corporation whose business is to make money, not a charity to give you free data.
Fact #3 : They Do Not Use Official FIFA Domains
Genuine FIFA promotions would be announced on the official website at www.fifa.com, or their official social media accounts:
They would never run contests or promotions via dodgy domains like “subsidy.buzz”, “50g.kxoe1.xyz”, “50gb450.xyz”, or “zlqxt.top”.
Once you see those random domains, click delete. Or just ignore. DO NOT CLICK.
Fact #4 : They Are Advertisement Scams
After you click on the link, you will be redirected through a series of hidden advertisements before you arrive at the “offer page”.
The offer page will ask you a series of simple questions. Regardless of your answers, you will be congratulated and told you won the 50 GB free data plan for three months.
You will be asked to key in your mobile number to receive the free mobile data, but you will never receive anything. In one variant, you are even redirected to more advertisements, including a video advertisement.
Fact #5 : Brands Won’t Ask You To Forward The Contest
To get that free 50 GB data for three months, you are asked to share the “contest” with 12 friends or groups on WhatsApp.
That’s a clear sign of a scam. No brand will insist that you must share their contest or free offer with WhatsApp friends of groups.
Please do not click to forward their offer to your family and friends. They will not appreciate being scammed with your help!
Fact #6 : They Can Potentially Be Dangerous
Similar scams in the past have more dangerous variants, where you are asked to :
a) install an app, which is really a malware to keep sending you advertisements
b) enter your banking or credit card details, ostensibly to prove your identity or some other excuse
Needless to say – proceeding with this step will open you up to great risk of monetary loss. DO NOT PROCEED!
If you install their malware, you will start receiving promotions, some of which will ask you to send an SMS to receive expensive free gifts like laptops and smartphones.
If you proceed to send the confirmation SMS messages, you will be subscribed and billed for international premium SMS services.
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).
Fact #7 : They Are Just Another Example Of Online Scams
These are just more examples of online scams offering freebies.
Now that you know the facts, please 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.
Take a look at the parting words of Judge Augustine Paul – the man who convicted Anwar Ibrahim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : These Are The Parting Words Of Judge Augustine Paul
After Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, people started sharing these “parting words of Judge Augustine Paul – the man who convicted Anwar Ibrahim“.
It’s really long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts…
The parting words of Augustine Paul, the judge who convicted Anwar
A very good and MUST READ article by former Judge Augustine Paul who was known for handing down the guilty verdict on Anwar’s sodomy case. Now you can read his regrets and confession over the case as he pointed the fingers at, who else – MM himself! _Yes I respected him at one time but I look upon him with pity. It is the year 2010, Augustine Paul is a broken old man living alone. Close to death, he spends much time mulling over the past.
One more day nearly over. I sit in my usual spot on the verandah, gazing over the weedy patch of garden and into the trees where the noisy sparrows come home to roost. There are great flocks of them, chattering nineteen to the dozen, happily playing tag before bedtime. Do they ever notice me sitting here, so still, so alone, always envious of their querulous companionship? Twilight, the saddest, bleakest part of the day, with the light bleeding rapidly away; twilight brings back memories and regrets. Oh, where is everyone? My wife, dead for many years, taken away by cruel cancer; my children dying one by one before their time as though the sins of the father must be visited upon his offspring in accidents and disease and murder, all except one, the estranged one who is living far away across the seas. I write him letters nearly every day: “Son, I am only an old man. How can you not forgive me after twenty years? Son, you must understand, I was only an obedient slave to the powers that were. They used me like an appliance in the trial that shook the nation.” Letters that I write and then tear up because we have been through this so many times before. Yet, each time I hold the pen in my hand, I think I can write an explanation so striking, so convincing as to deliver him the lightning flash of insight. But I know I cannot. So I sit and watch the sparrows fly.
Strange that I can barely remember last week, but the events of twenty years ago have sharpened to the polish of knives. That packed courtroom, the public gallery all eye and ears, the reporters, the gesticulating lawyer, the scared witness in the box with his downcast eyes and low voice because we all knew that he was lying, and Anwar himself, so calm, so collected as though he was already past caring. I think of him and the light of my memory is as glaring as the noonday sun, not so much memory as shards of glass to pierce the innards of my soul. At the market, I ran into Ramasamy a few days ago. He is the only one who will not turn his eyes away from mine. He was kind enough to take me to a coffee-shop where we chatted the afternoon away as old men are wont to. We talked of the most mundane matters but, just before we parted, he made a most curious remark. He said: “Augustine, whatever they say, I will always believe that you made the right decision about Anwar.” I shook his hand but said nothing. Oh, What could I have said?
Ramasamy, you can’t not have known. Of course it was a travesty of justice. The whole purpose of that show trial was to convince the nation of Anwar’s imaginary crimes. Ramasamy, you were only being kind. The prosecution dragged in the most ugly evidences, but their witnesses were discredited one by one despite the fact that I gave the defence so little room until, finally, there was no case at all. Even the man in the street could tell, but I was the all powerful judge; I did not throw it out. I still pronounced him guilty on eight of the ten charges. That was what Mahathir wanted. It was necessary to let him off on a couple so the world would think it an independent judicial decision. But I was never free to act on my own. And then I sentenced him to twenty years. It was also what Mahathir wanted. Oh, what else could I have done? That cruel man, that dictator: he was always invisibly there all the time, pulling my strings. He stopped at nothing to satisfy his cruelty. It was nothing to him to use all the apparatus of government to achieve his end, nothing to him to sacrifice innocent lives like Anwar, Sukma, Munawar and Datuk Nalla.
And, after Anwar’s conviction, with the nation torn apart in the most horrible manner, I began to have my doubts. But in those days, I could sweep them all aside; I was part and parcel of the corruption in the judiciary, the government, the ruling party, and I shared in the tainted rewards. I was decorated with titles and promoted to the Bench of the Federal Court. Rumours were circulating of my nomination for the ultimate prize – the post of Chief Justice – when the broom came. Like many, I chose to resign rather than face removal.
I sometimes dream that I acted very differently from the expectations of the powers that were. I dreamt that I acquitted Anwar of all charges in one blazing moment of truth and justice: the jubilation in the streets, the worldwide applause, the consternation of the government who had thought it could not lose. And Mahathir would have found some airy-fairy charge to throw me into prison and possible torture, but I would have become a hero. Mahathir would have fallen quickly after, and the nation would have escaped great distress. But these are only thin, insubstantial dreams. It’s easy to be brave in hindsight but you cannot turn back time and tide. Now, for me, there is only the blackness and the sleepless nights. What happens after death? An old man at death’s door thinks too much of these things: God’s justice, lost souls, eternal torment in lakes of burning fire. I pray every day and the Reverend Peters visits me once a week to assure me of God’s forgiveness. But can I ever forgive myself?
It’s all dark now, the sparrows are quiet but the mosquitoes are biting. I must go inside, turn on every lamp to dispel the shadows – I have become like a child once more, afraid of the dark, but a child without a mother – and perhaps try once more to write that letter. I hope God will take me tonight in a small, quiet hour of sleep but, if not, I’ll be here again tomorrow to watch the sparrows fly.
AUGUSTINE PAUL PASSED AWAY IN 2010 AT THE AGE OF 66.
Truth : These Are NOT The Parting Words Of Judge Augustine Paul
That is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Note : The fact check credit goes to ManaSiaTauSiaMabuk.
Fact #1 : Augustine Paul Convicted Anwar Ibrahim In April 1999
First, let me just offer a quick refresher on Judge Augustine Paul, and his relevance to Anwar Ibrahim.
Augustine Paul was confirmed as a High Court judge less than six months before he presided over Anwar Ibrahim’s corruption case in November 1998.
After a 78-day trial, Judge Augustine Paul convicted Anwar Ibrahim on corruption charges, and sentenced him to six years in prison on 14 April 1999.
Note the 14 April 1999 date. This will be important in dismissing this article as fake later.
Fact #2 : Augustine Paul Died In 2010
Judge Augustine Paul would later die on 2 January 2010, after battling pancreatic cancer. This will be an important point, as you will see later.
Fact #3 : Augustine Paul Had A Wife + Two Children
Augustine Paul was not alone when he died. He was bedridden due to his illness, but was survived by his wife, Dr. Mary Paul, and his two grown-up children – Dr. Juliana Sharmini and Alan John, who were 29 years old and 27 years old in 2010.
The “parting words by Judge Augustine Paul” was originally shared with a disclaimer, stating:
Disclaimer: Extracted from soc.culture.malaysia; by: apaul@mahathir.show.trial
But in later versions, someone decided to remove the disclaimer, probably to make it appear genuine.
Fact #5 : It Appears To Be Written As “Fan Fiction”
The original source of the “parting words of Judge Augustine Paul” is this article called “I Watch The Sparrows Fly“, allegedly penned by the justice himself.
However, the letter itself was prefaced by this statement:
It is the year 2018 and Augustine Paul is a broken old man living alone. Close to death, he spends much time mulling over the past.
The “I Watch The Sparrows Fly” article was also published on 20 December 1998, at 4 PM to be precise.
That was almost four months before Judge Augustine Paul sentenced Anwar Ibrahim to six years in jail.
Even if you believe that the date of the original posting was fabricated, Judge Augustine Paul died in 2010 – 8 years before he allegedly penned “I Watch The Sparrows Fly” in 2018.
The only reasonable conclusion we can draw is that “I Watch The Sparrows Fly” was penned by an anonymous writer as a kind of “fan fiction”, which has no basis in fact.
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.
Did the Black Friday shopping phenomenon start with the sale of slaves after the Thanksgiving holiday?
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Black Friday Origins : Selling Of Slaves After Thanksgiving?
Photos of slaves being sold in the United States are circulating on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter as evidence that the term “Black Friday” originated with the practice of selling slaves after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The term “Black Friday” originated with the practice of selling off [sic] slaves on the day after Thanksgiving.
Now, do we really need to embrace this kind of torture? Or we are such foolish, that we don’t even research what is this so-called Black Friday and we become so exciting on something like this?
https://youtu.be/8wI_JI_Neo4
Truth : Black Friday Nothing To Do With Sale Of Slaves
The truth is – this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on social media and messaging apps like WhatsApp.
Fact #1 : Black Friday Term Was First Used In 1950s
The earliest known use of the term Black Friday to refer to a particular day after the American Thanksgiving holiday can be traced back to the November 1951 edition of the journal, Factory Management and Maintenance, which referred to the practice of workers calling in sick on the day after Thanksgiving, to get a four-day weekend.
Around the same time (in the 1950s), Philadelphia and Rochester police were also using the terms Black Friday and Black Saturday to describe crowds and traffic congestion at the start of the Christmas shopping season.
Fact #2 : Black Friday Refers To Busiest Shopping Day In America
The term did not catch on until The New York Times referred to Black Friday as “the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year” on 29 November 1975.
It became more popular in the early 1980s, and The Philadelphia Inquirer explained Black Friday in 1981 as the day when retailers would no longer be “in the red”, and would finally start making money.
Since 2005, Black Friday has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States.
Fact #3 : Black Friday Had Nothing To Do With Sale Of Slaves
It may seem silly but we have to say it – the term Black Friday has nothing to do with the sale of slaves after Thanksgiving. It doesn’t even make sense!
America’s history with slaves is long and tortured, and extensively covered. Slaves were bought and sold throughout the year, and not on a particular Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Just in case you are wondering – no, there was no discount on slaves being sold right after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Note : We added the FALSE overlay to prevent the pictures from being further abused.
Fact #4 : Slavery Ended In The US In 1865
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on 1 January, 1863 – effectively making all slaves legally free.
However, it took the end of the American Civil War in 1865, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation throughout the entire United States of America.
On 6 December 1865, Federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce the emancipation. That day is now celebrated as a national holiday in 2021 – the Juneteenth National Independence Day.
Therefore, the poster showing slaves being sold in 1904 at a Black Friday sale in America is categorically false.
Share this fact check with your friends, and help us fight fake news!
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.
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.
Is the Semak.Info website used to check for GE15 voter information really a phishing website?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Semak.Info Is A Phishing Website!
After the official voter information website by the Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) went down a day before the GE15 election day,, people were advised to try an alternative voter information website called Semak.Info.
However, this warning then went viral later that day, claiming that the Semak.Info website is really a phishing website!
The app.semak.info is a phishing site to track your mobile number. Please be informed. Please do not forward. Thanks.
Truth : Semak.Info Is NOT A Phishing Website!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Semak.Info + App.Semak.Info Are Different Pages
First, let me point out that Semak.Info, and App.Semak.Info are two different pages on the same website. Think of them as two different rooms in the same office.
Semak.Info is the public-facing page, where users can check their GE15 voter information. Think of it as the information desk at your office.
App.Semak.Info, on the other hand, appears to be the website administrator’s page. Think of it as the back office.
That’s why it has a login page, just like how your back office would have a door with a lock – so that the public can’t just walk inside.
Fact #2 : Phishing Websites Masquerade As Genuine Websites
Phishing (pronounced as fishing) is a social engineering attack that attempts to obtain your login information, or personal information like credit card and bank account numbers, etc.
Hackers accomplish this by creating fake websites that look like the real website, to trick you into revealing sensitive information like your bank account login and password, or your security questions.
The Semak.Info page does not ask for any login or critical personal information, so it is not a phishing website.
The App.Semak.Info page is blank, with a simple login function. It does not pretend to be an SPR or banking website, and so it is also not a phishing website.
Fact #3 : Semak.Info Is Owned By DAP
When Semak.Info was first circulated, I too was concerned about this “unknown” website. But a quick check showed that the Democratic Action Party (DAP) was the one promoting its use on Facebook.
I did a little digging, and confirmed that the Semak.Info domain is owned by the Democratic Action Party. It also looked like they bought the domain, and developed the website for GE14, way back in 2017.
Fact #4 : Phone Number Used To Send WhatsApp
Some people asked me why this Semak.Info website would require a phone number, when the official SPR website does not require one to obtain voter information.
What they may not realise is that the DAP team added a WhatsApp messaging feature to their Semak.Info website.
Once you key in your phone number and identity card number, the website will give you your voter information. At the bottom though is a blue Whatsapp [sic] button.
If you click on that button, the website will attempt to send a WhatsApp message to that phone number you keyed in earlier, with key voting information.
It doesn’t automatically send the message. You are given a preview of the message, and you will need to tap on the “Continue to Chat” button to actually send that message to the phone number.
Fact #5 : You Can Use A Fake Phone Number
You may be worried that the DAP team could be harvesting your phone number, and tying it to your identification card number.
Frankly speaking, that kind of data is already easily available and sold (illegally) to marketers and scammers alike. So no one actually needs to “scam” you into keying your phone number.
If you are worried, you can use a fake phone number with this website. Just key in any 7-digit number, with a legitimate 3-digit telco prefix (like 011, 012, 017, 018, etc.), and you are good to go.
Please WATCH OUT about such FAKE NEWS on WhatsApp and social media. They are designed to suppress voter turnout in the 15th General Election.
Regardless of what you may read or see on social media, please take the time and effort to cast your vote. This is not only your right, it is your responsibility as a citizen of Malaysia.
Remember – democracy does not guarantee us a good government. Democracy only guarantees us the right to vote out a bad government!
Happy voting on 19 November 2022!
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.
Did the US military just convict Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, and sentenced him to death?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : US Military Sentenced Stephane Bancel To Death!
On 15 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that a US military tribunal just convicted Moderna CEO, Stéphane Bancel, and sentenced him to death!
It is long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
The U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps and Office of Military Commissions had difficulty finding three impartial panelists to hear evidence against Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, for every interviewee knew someone whose life the vaccine had shattered—or killed. Following a weeklong search, JAG picked the three—two male Marine Corps officers and a female Navy captain—who expressed the least ill will toward Bancel. Nonetheless, they found Bancel guilty of murder five minutes after Vice Adm. Darse E. Crandall rested JAG’s case and implored the panel to deliver upon Bancel a punishment commensurate to the damage his vaccines had caused the world.
Vice Adm. Crandall said a Navy nurse had drawn Bancel’s blood shortly after he arrived at Guantanamo Bay. The blood was introduced onto a card containing fusion proteins that detect Covid-19 antibodies.
He called to the witness stand Captain Richard G. Zeber, Director, U.S. Naval Hospital Guantanamo Bay, who stated his name, rank, and credentials for the record. Captain Zeber holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and a Doctor of Optometry degree. His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation, Navy Achievement, and Good Conduct medals.
Vice Adm. Crandall excused the witness, then asserted to the panel that Bancel, as Moderna’s CEO, must have had full knowledge of the clot shot’s deleterious effects but concealed that data to maximize profits. Moderna’s Covid shot made Bancel a multi-billionaire.
“I sincerely hope you won’t get to spend it,” Vice Adm. Crandall told Bancel.
The panel gave its verdict and held Bancel responsible for the deaths and injuries, suggesting he be hanged by the neck until dead as restitution for his crimes against humanity.
Upon hearing the panel’s decision, a furious Bancel came out of his seat and began shaking his cuffed wrists in the air. “How can you do this? I am a businessman. I have two children—”
Truth : US Military Did NOT Sentence Stephane Bancel To Death!
The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.
Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.
Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website
Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.
To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.
This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.
His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:
Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of Stephane Bancel’s Arrest
Only Real Raw News has published his fantastical account of US special forces arresting Stéphane Bancel outside a DC restaurant. That’s because Michael Baxter / Tiffin made it up.
Naturally, there is no news from any legitimate news outlet, or the US military, about Stephane Bancel’s arrest and sentencing.
How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story”?
A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter
Fact #3 : Moderna Is A Public-Listed Company
Moderna is a public-listed company, and is traded on the Nasdaq as MRNA. Its shareholders would have to be informed if their company CEO was really arrested, and sentenced to death.
It is NOT POSSIBLE to keep quiet and pretend it didn’t happen. It’s not even legal to cover up such an event from the shareholders.
Fact #4 : Stéphane Bancel + Moderna Issued A Press Statement
On Thursday, November 16, 2022 – one day after Real Raw News published that fake story, Moderna announced positive results for its two bivalent vaccines targeting the Omicron variant of COVID-19 – mRNA-1273.214, and mRNA-1273.222.
Instead of being incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, as Michael Baxter/Tiffin claimed, Stephane Bancel announced from Cambridge, Massachusetts that:
We are pleased to see that both of our bivalent booster vaccine candidates offer superior protection against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants compared to our original booster, which is encouraging given COVID-19 remains a leading cause of hospitalisation and death globally. In addition, the superior response against Omicron persisted for at least three months after the mRNA-1273.214 booster.
Only Michael Baxter / Tiffin can persist with such a stupid lie, and only his idiotic fans will continue to believe his fake stories.
Fact #5 : Only Enemy Combatants Are Detained At Gitmo
It is ludicrous for Real Raw News to claim that a US military tribunal in Gitmo (Guantanamo Bay) convicted Stephane Bancel, and sentenced him to death.
The Guantanamo Bay prison is only used to detain high-value enemy combatants. Stephane Bancel is not an enemy combatant by any military or legal definition, and would never be detained there.
If Stephane Bancel really committed a crime in the United States, he would have been brought to trial in an American court.
Fact #6 : US Military Tribunals Are Only For Foreign Combatants
It is also stupid for Real Raw News to claim that Bancel was trialed and convicted as an enemy combatant in a military tribunal, when he is a French civilian.
Military tribunals in the United States can only be conducted for members of enemy forces during wartime. The United States is not at war with France.
Needless to say – Stephane Bancel is also not in the French military, so even if he was arrested, there is no way he would be tried in a military tribunal.
Fact #7 : Death Sentences Take Years To Execute
It is also hilarious that Real Raw News readers actually believe the bullshit that someone sentenced to death would be executed just days later.
That may be possible in a country like North Korea, but certainly not in the United States
Death row inmates in the United States wait an average of 178 months – about 15 years after their sentencing, before they are executed.
In fact, none of the six Gitmo inmates charged with capital crime in the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and the attack on USS Cole in 2000, have actually been trialled to date, never mind convicted and sentenced to death.
Fact #8 : Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Under FDA Regulatory Oversight
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was confirmed to be safe and effective, after it successfully concluded its clinical trials with an efficacy of 94.5% against symptomatic COVID-19 infection, in a large study involving over 30,000 participants.
The VRBPAC committee vetted and discussed the study findings on 17 December 2020, and recommended that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine receive its Emergency Use Authorisation, which the FDA granted on 18 December 2020.
Like ALL other vaccines, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was under FDA regulatory oversight. If Moderna lied about their results, the FDA would not have continued to re-issue or amend its EUA and full approval time and time again.
Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.
Now that you know the facts, please SHARE THIS FACT CHECK out!
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.
