Did the UAE freeze a French fighter jet deal after France arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?! Take a look at the viral claims and video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : UAE froze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!
People are sharing news reports and/or an Al Jazeera video, which purportedly claim that the UAE just froze its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, over its arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
Firstpost : #FPWorld: Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended the deal with France for 80 warplanes, according to a report.
Financial Express : UAE cancels $20 billion Rafale deal with France despite Telegram CEO’s release
Kim Dotcom : The French Govt just lost $17 billion over the arrest of Pavel Durov. The UAE froze a deal to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets and says that the arrest of Pavel Durov is outrageous. Pavel is a citizen of the UAE and a close friend of the Deputy Prime Minister Hamdan Al Maktoum.
Chuck Callesto : SHOCK REPORT: ⚠️United Arab Emirates government look to have FROZEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS worth of contracts with France after the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov..
Zlatti71. : The UAE has frozen a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France: Durov’s arrest has angered the sheikhs.
– The United Arab Emirates took drastic measures by freezing a contract to purchase 80 French fighter jets following the arrest of Pavel Durov.
– The creator of Telegram, who is personally acquainted with the son of the UAE Prime Minister, found himself at the center of an international scandal that has infuriated the sheikhs to the limit.
– Experts believe that by its actions, France has made a serious mistake, provoking the anger of influential allies. Now, Paris is paying for its rashness, and the future of the deal, as well as the trust of the UAE, hangs by a thread.
Suppressed News. : BREAKING: The UAE has frozen a contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France worth at-least $10B as a response to Telegram Owner Pavel Durov’s arrest as it has angered the sheikhs.
Mete Sohtaoğlu : 📹📸 #UAE- The United Arab Emirates has frozen its contract to purchase 80 Rafale fighter jets from France worth a staggering €17 billion over the arrest of Telegram owner Pavel Durov
Truth : UAE did not freeze French fighter jet deal over Pavel Durov arrest!
This appears to be yet another example of Russian propaganda, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No evidence UAE froze French fighter jet deal
Let me start by pointing out that there is no evidence that the United Arab Emirates froze its 2021 deal to purchase 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets.
If that actually happened, it would have been announced by the UAE authorities, and condemned by the French government. As a public-listed company, Dassault would also have to issue a statement on such a shocking development. It would also have resulted in widespread coverage by the mainstream media.
Yet, none of that happened. This fake news appears to have proliferated mainly through Telegram, and X (formerly Twitter).
Fact #2 : Al Jazeera video is fake
The viral Al Jazeera video, which claims that the UAE has frozen its contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France, is fake. Al Jazeera never created, nor posted, this video.
The last time Al Jazeera ever posted about any arms deal between the UAE and France, was on 4 December 2021, when it reported on the UAE and France signing an arms deal involving 80 Rafael fighter jets and 12 military helicopters.
To be clear – Al Jazeera never made or posted the viral video below, or its contents:
The UAE has frozen the contract actions for the purchase of 80 fighter aircraft from France. This comes after the arrest of businessman Pavel Durov in Paris.
It is known that the UAE Prime Minister vetoed the continuation of action on the contract. Experts believe that the contract freeze is directly related to the arrest of UAE citizen Pavel Durov.
Pavel Durov had direct contact with the son of Emirati Prime Minister Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Thanks to the influence of Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Pavel Durov was granted UAE citizenship in 2021.
80 Rafale F4 fighter aircraft were due for delivery in 2027. The estimated value of the contract is about $10 billion. Amid the scandal surrounding Pavel Durov, the contract has been frozen. That could be a serious image blow for the French military-industrial complex.
Political analyst Marwan Bishara is sure that such a decision by the UAE is a consequence of a political mistake by the French government.
“Detaining a businessman who assets are based in the UAE on far-fetched charges that cast a shadow over the entire UAE is a sure way to spoil diplomatic relations between France and the UAE.”
Marwan Bishara emphasises that the UAE leadership has not been notified of France’s intentions regarding their citizen.
Fact #2 : Fake Al Jazeera report started in Telegram
Ironically, this fake Al Jazeera report appears to have originated in Telegram. According to Maria Dubovikova (archive) who traced this hoax, here is the timeline on 27 August 2024 (Moscow Time):
20:29 : Russian Telegram group Condottiero posted (translated) – “The UAE unilaterally suspended the contract for the purchase of 80 French fighter jets due to Durov’s arrest. Additionally, the Sheikhs are considering a complete blockade of trade operations with France, including in the defense sector.”
20:35 : Russian Telegram group Topaz posted (translated) – “The United Arab Emirates have frozen the contract to purchase 80 fighter jets from France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. They are also considering the possibility of a complete blockade of military-technical cooperation with France.”
By 11 PM (23:00), a fake video appeared on X, mimicking an Al Jazeera news video with this information. This video was never on the Qatari outlet’s platforms.
The fake news then spread outside of Russian Telegram channels, after being shared by Western opinion leaders like Kim Dotcom, Candace Owens, Chuck Callesto, etc.
Fact #3 : No evidence Marwan Bishara ever mentioned Pavel Durov
I could also find no evidence that Marwan Bishara ever commented on Pavel Durov, or his arrest by French authorities, or any response by the UAE government or leaders.
In fact, Marwan Bishara has not written any opinion piece for Al Jazeera for more than half a year – his last piece was posted on 24 November 2023, and it was about the Gaza war.
Fact #4 : UAE to receive Rafale F4 fighter jets only in 2027
There is also the inconvenient fact that Dassault is only expected to ship its first Rafale F4 fighter jet to the UAE in 2027, which is 3 years away. So there is nothing to freeze, so to speak.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is the Malaysian government giving every citizen extra RM1000 through the Bantuan Tambahan financial aid?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out why it’s just a scam!
Bantuan Tambahan RM1000 Scam Alert!
People are sharing links to WhatsApp and Telegram groups that purportedly offer RM1000 in extra financial aid from the Malaysian government! Here are the messages, with our English translation in bold.
Bantuan RM1000 telah dikreditkan dalam MyKad bermula hari ini.
Bantuan kerajaan melalui MyKad ini telah dilaksanakan sejak bulan May 2024.
The domain used by this scam website is quite new, and was registered only on 25 October 2023. But more importantly, its ownership is hidden – a common way for scammers and other criminals to avoid being identified.
Fact #3 : This Scam Targets Your Telegram Account!
I investigated the link, and it appears to be a phishing website based on the STR 2024 scam that I debunked earlier this year.
The scam websites, on the other hand, will ask you to submit your full name, and your mobile number.
They will send an OTP to your Telegram account, and ask you to key in the OTP to their website. This will allow them to hijack and take over your Telegram account.
To protect your Telegram account from such hijacking, please make sure you turn on Two-Step Verification!
Even if you don’t have a Telegram account, the scammers now have access to your full name and mobile number, which they can use in future scam attacks.
Fact #3 : STR 2024 Does Not Give RM1,000 Per Month
To help the hardcore poor handle the high inflation in 2024, the Malaysia Ministry of Finance announced an increase in the amount of STR cash aid.
However, even with the increased STR 2024 cash aid, you won’t receive RM1,000 per month. That’s just insane. Here is what the government is giving for STR 2024, in quarterly payments:
Qualifying
Categories
STR 2024 Cash Aid
Household Income
≤ RM2,500
No Children : RM1,000
1-2 Children : RM1,500
3-4 Children : RM2,000
≥5 Children : RM2,500
Household Income
RM2,500 – RM5,000
No Children : RM500
1-2 Children : RM750
3-4 Children : RM1,000
≥5 Children : RM1,250
Senior (Single)
≤ RM5,000
RM600
Single
≤ RM2,500
RM350
As you can see, only the hardcore poor will get RM1,000, or more. If you are middle class, or well-to-do, you rightly will not qualify for this financial aid!
Do NOT click on the links, and do NOT share them with your family and friends!
Please help us FIGHT SCAMS + SCAMMERS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did NATO troops from France and Germany engage Russian troops in battle at Chasiv Yar, Ukraine?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : NATO + Russian Troops Engaged In Battle In Ukraine!
People are claiming that NATO troops from France and Germany just engaged Russian troops in battle at Chasiv Yar, Ukraine.
US Civil Defense News : 🚨Update: Reports that NATO (French and German) troops entered the battle to defend Ukraine near the Chasov Yar, Ukraine! This is bad news.
SilencedSirs : 🇺🇦🇷🇺🇫🇷🇩🇪 BREAKING: French and German forces have engaged in a fierce battle near Chasov Yar against Russian paratroopers. Unlike earlier reports of uncommitted mercenaries, these are highly trained, motivated #NATO troops. Initial encounters indicate they are likely from the French Foreign Legion, with reports suggesting their first casualties number up to 7. This deployment comes as part of France’s covert operations to bolster Ukrainian defenses, with plans to send approximately 1,500 legionnaires. #Ukraine #NATO #French
Lukyluke31 (translated) : 🇫🇷🇩🇪⚡️🇷🇺 French and German mercenaries engaged in combat with units of the 98th 🇷🇺 Div. near Chasov Yar
▶️ Except that they are *NOT* the usual mercenaries, but professional soldiers from NATO countries
– Colonelcassad source
Truth : NATO + Russian Troops Did Not Engage In Battle In Ukraine!
This is yet another example of fake news about the Ukraine War, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Evidence Of Battle Between NATO + Russian Troops
First, let me just point out that there is zero evidence of any battle between NATO and Russian troops at Chasiv Yar, Ukraine. There is also no evidence that 7 NATO soldiers died in that battle!
If such a battle actually occurred, Russia would have officially protested against the direct involvement of NATO troops in battle against its forces. After all, Russia has already threatened action against any NATO troops in Ukraine.
Yet, there was no official condemnation by Russia over this alleged battle with NATO troops from France and Germany. Unsurprisingly, none of those who made these claims ever provided any evidence.
There was also no photographic evidence of the battle, or NATO soldiers fighting Russian forces at Chasiv Yar. That’s because it never happened.
Fact #2 : Photo Was Posted At Least 9 Years Ago
This photo showing French Foreign Legion soldiers posing next to a helicopter, is being shared as “evidence” that NATO troops were deployed to fight against Russian forces. Allegedly, this photo was taken at or near Chasiv Yar.
However, this photo isn’t new. In fact, a Russian forum posted it (archive) on 1 December 2014 – over 9.5 years ago! That may not even be the oldest example of this photo, but it was the oldest I found so far.
The truth is – this photo was not taken in Ukraine, and has nothing to do with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or NATO troops fighting against Russian forces in Chasiv Yar.
The claim of NATO soldiers engaged in battle with Russian forces appear to be based on a single Russian source – Colonelcassad on Telegram, who posted on 5 May 2024 (translated):
French and German mercenaries entered the battle near the Chasov Yar
It is reported from the ground that in the forestry area, on the southern approaches to Chasov Yar, in a shooting battle, the paratroopers encountered groups of mercenaries. However, now these are no longer the same tik-tok soldiers of foreign countries who came to Ukraine to earn money and, at the first threat to their lives, fled from their positions, packed their bags and went back. Now trained, highly motivated and ideological fighters, in other words, professional military personnel of NATO countries, are entering the battle.
The first reports (based on radio interceptions) about the arrival of foreign mercenaries in Chasov Yar arrived about a month ago, but then it was completely unclear what kind of units they were. We dare to assume that the paratroopers met with representatives of the French Foreign Legion, who, according to Military Chronicle, had previously been transferred to Slavyansk. Apparently, the unit, which was originally planned to be used in the defense of Slavyansk (in the event of a front breakthrough), is now involved in the defense of Chasov Yar, where the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is worsening every day.
If this is indeed the case, then yesterday the French Foreign Legion suffered its first losses (up to 7 people)!
It was posted in Russian, hence the Russified name, Chasov Yar, instead of the official Ukrainian name, Chasiv Yar.
However, Colonelcassad provided no evidence to back up his claims. Where is the drone footage? Where are the photos and/or videos of the battle or the 7 dead NATO soldiers???
His claims were never corroborated by other sources, and certainly not by Russian media, or the Russian government.
Fact #5 : French Foreign Legion Soldiers Were Allegedly Deployed
Colonelcassad referred to an earlier report that French Foreign Legion soldiers were allegedly deployed to Slavyansk – a city approximately 50 km away from Chasiv Yar.
That report was based on a single report by the Russian Weapons Telegram channel, which stated (translated):
⚡️The first company-tactical units of the French Foreign Legion are deployed in the Slavyansk and Kramatorsk operational directions. It is this fact that may be responsible for the multiple intensification of high-precision rocket and artillery strikes of the Tornado-S MLRS on the logistics hubs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Slavyansk, Seversk and Kramatorsk.
The Russian Weapons Telegram channel not only provided no evidence to back up its claim, it shared a photo that was taken more than 9.5 years ago (see Fact #2 above)!
So there is no actual evidence that any French Foreign Legion contingent was deployed to Slavyansk.
Fact #6 : French Troops Were Allegedly Only Military Advisors
In any case, Russian Weapons did not claim that those French Foreign Legion soldiers were there to fight against Russian forces. In fact, it only claimed that those soldiers were likely there as foreign advisors to help with Ukrainian rocket and artillery strikes.
It would, therefore, make sense that those soldiers were allegedly deployed to Slavyansk – some 50 km away, and not the frontlines at Chasiv Yar.
Fact #7 : No Germans Troops Were Allegedly Deployed
On top of that, Russian Weapons only mentioned French Foreign Legion soldiers were allegedly deployed to Chasiv Yar.
There was no mention of any German troops, although it is possible that there might be Germans in the French Foreign Legion. French Foreign Legion soldiers are mostly foreigners, with the exception of its commission officers.
That said – German nationals serving under the French Foreign Legion would be considered as French soldiers. On top of that, Legionnaires may apply for French citizenship after three years of service, or upon being wounded in battle.
In any case, there are no known sources claiming that actual German troops were deployed to Slavyansk or Chasiv Yar in Ukraine. So why would anyone quote Russian Weapons and suggest that there were German troops as well???
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The photo used in this scam was actually taken from a website posting about the 2023 Ramadhan aid given by Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (Mаjlіѕ Agаmа Iѕlаm Wilayah Pеrѕеkutuаn, MAIWP).
In its official announcement, MAIWP gave a special one-off RM500 Ramadan financial aid on 27 March 2023. However, this financial aid was limited to existing recipients of monthly financial aid from MAIWP.
Not only was this one-time financial aid limited to 2023, there was no application, and the money was automatically given to eligible recipients.
Ramadan 1444H assistance to recipients of monthly financial assistance.
RM500 One Off
The distribution of aid will be implemented in stages on March 27, 2023 (Monday) corresponding to 5 Ramadan 1444H.
MAIWP wishes you a happy fasting.
Bantuan Ramadan 1444H kepada penerima bantuan kewangan bulanan.
RM500 One Off
Penyaluran bantuan akan dilaksanakan secara berperingkat bermuda 27 Mac 2023M (Isnin) bersamaan 5 Ramadan 1444H.
I investigated one of the links, and it appears to be a phishing website registered in Indonesia, using the domain “madani2024.my.id” that was created on 29 February 2024.
This phishing website attempts to trick you into giving up your Telegram account access, by asking for:
your phone number
your Telegram account password
your Telegram OTP
Once the scammers have that information, they can take over your Telegram account, which can then be used to scam
It is likely that the other scammers may try to steal your WhatsApp account, and/or trick you into giving up your bank account login details.
Do NOT click on the links, and do NOT share them with your family and friends!
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.
Does the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) ban free speech in Malaysia?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2024-04-02 : Updated after claim went viral again Originally posted @ 2023-07-03
Claim : News Sharing Banned By POTA / Prevention of Terrorism Act
This warning about the Prevention of Terrorism Act / POTA keeps going viral in WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Here is the original warning in Malay, and our English translation in bold):
No more sharing of news posting after this.
” AKTA POTA YANG TELAH DILULUSKAN MALAM TADI DI PARLIMEN…
THE POTA ACT WAS APPROVED LAST NIGHT IN PARLIAMENT…
Akta Pencegahan Keganasan (POTA) 2015 yang telah diluluskan Dewan Rakyat boleh dikenakan kpd PENGHASUT PEMBENCI KERAJAAN dilaman2 sosial spti Whatsapp, FB, Tweeter, Blog, dsb. Polis akan menahan mana-mana penyebar Fitnah Kepada Pemimpin Negara termasuk yg mengubahuai gambar pemimpin negara bagi mewujud dan menanam kebencian di kalangan rakyat! Tahanan POTA minima selama 2 tahun. Tidak boleh dicabar di semua Mahkamah. Pusat Tahanan di sebuah Pulau berkeluasan 1000 Ekar di Utara Sabah telah bersedia menanti penghuninya selepas OPS POTA 2015 dilancarkan tidak lama lagi.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) 2015 which has been approved by the Dewan Rakyat can be applied to inciters who hate the GOVERNMENT on social media such as Whatsapp, FB, Tweeter, Blog, etc.The police will arrest any person who spreads defamation against national leaders, including those who alter the image of national leaders to create and instill hatred among the people!Minimum POTA detention for 2 years.Cannot be challenged in all Courts.The Detention Center on a 1000 Acre Island in the North of Sabah is ready to await its residents after the OPS POTA 2015 is launched soon.
Hati-hatilah ye…
Be careful…
Even if you just cut and paste, you can be charged for distribution and dissemination. So please take extreme careful.
Attention all Chat Groups ;
Please STOP immediately from circulating any sensitive issues.
Malaysian government has “Passed the Amendment” to the Sedition Act few days ago.
Please note that it’s an offence now to “propagate” any material that is deemed to be of “seditious tendency”. It’s heavier fine and jail term 20 years.
Be careful what you send in social media.Also note that intent is not necessary for sedition.
That means you can’t say you didn’t intend to spread or send the material to cause disharmony or cause anyone feelings to be hurt.
U may want to forward this msg to anyone who is unaware of this law.
Truth : News Sharing NOT Banned By POTA / Prevention of Terrorism Act!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why!
Fact #1 : Prevention of Terrorism Act Was Passed In 2015
First, I should point out that this is really old fake news that started in April 2015, and keeps recirculating every few years.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act / POTA 2015 (Akta Pencegahan Keganasan 2015) was passed by the Malaysian government on 7 April 2015, and coincided with the arrest of seventeen suspected militants who were allegedly involved in a terror plot in Kuala Lumpur.
Fact #2 : POTA 2015 Targets Terrorism, Not Politics
POTA 2015 is not meant to target any healthy discussion of politics or political issues in Malaysia. Rather, it’s meant to tackle the threat of terrorism in Malaysia:
To prevent the conduct or support for acts of violence involving terrorist organisation of a foreign country.
To ensure that individual involved in terrorist activities do not escape legislative action.
To ensure that Malaysia’s citizens and its security are not threatened by those involved in militant activities.
Fact #3 : POTA 2015 Does Not Ban Free Speech
POTA 2015 does not target people who share news on WhatsApp or social media, even if it’s of sensitive issues. It targets people who are engaged in acts of terrorism, not people who are spreading fake news or criticisms of the government.
Hence, POTA 2015 cannot be used to block people who from sharing this POTA 2015 fake news, which is why the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) had to ask people to stop sharing the fake news, instead of just locking them up!
Even then, people continue to share this fake news about POTA 2015 for the last 7 years on WhatsApp and social media…
Of course, if necessary, the police can use the long-existing Penal Code, and Sedition Act 1948 to prosecute people who share fake news, but that’s another story.
On June 11, 2015, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) publicly posted a long debunking of this viral POTA 2015 warning, calling it “fake news”. Here is the English translation:
PLEASE DON’T SHARE FAKE NEWS ABOUT POTA!!!
✅POTA or Prevention of Terrorism Act (Prevention of Terrorism Act) was not enacted to deal with the issue of incitement but the issue of terrorist activity which the issue of this activity has been enshrined in other substantive laws including Chapter VI and Chapter VIA in the Penal Code.
✅POTA also applies when these terrorist activities involve entities that have been listed in Sections 66B and 66C of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds from Illegal Activities (AMLATFAPUA) Act 2001.
The allegation that this POTA will be used to incite GOVERNMENT HATERS on social media or those who modify the image of national leaders to create and instill hatred among the people is absolutely FALSE. POTA is to deal with TERROR and NOT SEDIMENT.
POTA also cannot be used to detain someone just because of his political beliefs or activities. However, if the party/member/follower of a political party is involved in terrorist activities, then POTA is applicable.
✅The POTA Act prevents before the terrorist activities are carried out. Do you want to see KLCC & KLIA blown up by terrorists, before action is taken? Do you want your children to be involved in terrorist activities, then when the rice has become porridge, new actions are taken? This is because in cases of terrorism, the evidence obtained is in the form of intelligence and most of these evidences are difficult to bring to Court due to the refusal of witnesses to appear in Court to give evidence.
✅This Act is preventive in nature where the Minister’s executive power to impose punishment has been transferred to the Terrorism Prevention Board appointed by the Yang DiPertua Agong (YDPA). The members of the Board are made up of those who have at least 15 years of experience in the field of law.
✅The decision of this Board can be challenged by Judicial Review.
✅ Advocates are allowed to be present when evidence is taken by the Inquiry Officer (IO) appointed by YDPA and the IO must not be a PDRM member/officer.
✅POTA Detention Orders can be challenged, therefore the allegation that POTA Detention Orders cannot be challenged is completely untrue.
✅This Detention Order must also be taken to another Advisory Board as provided for in Article 151 of the Federal Constitution.
✅Considering that POTA is a preventive law, the detainees will undergo a Special Rehabilitation Module that has been designed to neutralize their understanding of extemism, which modules emphasize religious aspects (according to the detainee’s religion), moral and spiritual aspects as well as family relationship issues which family members prisoners are also involved in giving encouragement to the prisoners to successfully continue the neutralization process.
✅It should be remembered that this prevention law is a prevention and not a punitive law. The information about the detention center on a 1000 acre island in the north of Sabah is not true. This is not like the Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay that held the notorious criminal Al-Capone. Instead, the detainees will be placed in a Special Detention Center.
POTA vs ISA
✅POTA or the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 is a preventive law enacted by the Government to deal with any individual or group that commits acts of violence.
✅ This act is not to punish but to detain as prevention and further restore through the Rehabilitation Program organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the police, prisons, Jakim and other Government agencies.
✅POTA is different from ISA because POTA will only be used against terrorists. Can’t be caught randomly.
✅ POTA cannot be equated with ISA. Among the most notable differences are:
▶ Detention Order for ISA is issued by the Minister of Home Affairs whereas POTA is issued by an independent Board whose members are appointed by His Majesty the Yang Di Pertuan Agong. So, for POTA, the minister has no power at all to issue orders or instructions.
▶Before an individual is subject to a Detention Order or Restriction Order, they need to go through a period of detention for police investigation or also called a remand prisoner. The total is 60 days for ISA and POTA. But it is different because the ISA gives full authority to the police to detain directly for 60 days before the Minister issues a Detention or Restriction Order. While POTA needs to be taken to the Magistrate’s Court for the extension of the remand period. So…very different….?
✅One more thing, if ISA, the subject cannot see the family while POTA can see the family or next of kin during the period of detention for police investigation or remand.
✅Finally, for ISA, after a 60-day remand by the police, the Minister will issue an order. As for POTA, it is not the Minister who issues the Order or ‘order’ but an independent Board. In fact, an inquiry officer will conduct an inquiry or investigation to make a ‘recommendation’ whether the subject is involved or not. It should be remembered that the Inquiry Officer cannot be appointed from among the police but they are made up of scheme L officers which is the Law. So it can be seen how transparent this POTA is and there is no issue why this POTA needs to be equated with ISA.
I call for you to spread this explanation instead of false information that can cause annoyance among the community.
DO NOT COPY IF YOU CAN’T PASTE.
DON’T BE POISON IF YOU CAN’T BE A CURE.
It should be noted that spreading false information that can cause public uproar on any social media platform is an offense and can be prosecuted under existing laws including the Sedition Act 1948 and the Penal Code.
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.
Did King Charles just die from cancer at the age of 75?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : King Charles III Just Died From Cancer!
Some people are claiming that King Charles III just died from cancer at the age of 75! Here are just some examples:
TRACKER DEEP : BREAKING: SOURCE REPORTS KING CHARLES HAS DIED AFTER SUCCUMBING TO PROSTRATE CANCER AT THE AGE OF 75
US Civil Defense News : 🚨🚨🚨Update: British King Charles III has died of cancer at age 75!! 🔥🔥🔥
US Civil Defense News : 🚨Update: The Royal Family is saying the news of King Charles death is still not public or ‘official.’ They are still planning a major news conference soon…
THE NAIROBIYAN™ : Who will takeover as the king or queen now that King Charles III has died
Ghost Ezra : BREAKING: SOURCE REPORTS KING CHARLES HAS DIED AFTER SUCCUMBING TO PROSTATE CANCER AT THE AGE OF 75
If King Charles III actually died from any cause, it would have officially announced on the official website, and on the BBC. Yet, there has been no such announcement.
On the other hand, the UK Embassy in Ukraine officially announced that King Charles is not dead:
News about King Charles III death is fake
Fact #2 : King Charles III Death Announcement Is Fake
Other people are sharing what appears to be an official announcement by Buckingham Palace, which states simply:
THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE BY ROYAL COMMUNICATIONS
The King passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon.
Monday, 18th March 2024
Even though this announcement was dated today – Monday, 18 March 2024, it was not posted by Buckingham Palace. We also know that it’s fake, because:
The announcement does not appear to be formatted properly as previous official statements.
Statements issued by Buckingham Palace would not be labelled as issued by Royal Communications.
Fact #3 : King Charles III Does Not Have Prostate Cancer
Here’s another clue why this is a fake claim – King Charles does not have prostate cancer.
On 5 February 2024, Buckingham Palace issued a statement informing the public that when King Charles underwent a procedure for benign prostate enlargement, his doctors discovered an unspecified cancer.
During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
Buckingham Palace declined to reveal what type of cancer King Charles was diagnosed with, and would only confirm that it was not prostate cancer.
No further details are being shared at this stage, except to confirm that His Majesty does not have prostate cancer.
Fact #4 : No One Offered Any Evidence
Quite a number of people are claiming that an unnamed “source” reported that King Charles died from prostate cancer. However, none of them actually offered any evidence such a source exists.
Interestingly, this rumour appears to have first appeared in Russian media, instead of the notoriously inquisitive and free media in the United Kingdom!
Russia’s Gazeta, for example, reported on its Telegram channel that Russian media reported King Charles III died, only to later update it with an announcement that:
Buckingham Palace told TASS that Charles III is alive. He continues to perform work duties and engage in private affairs.
Fact #6 : Rumour Came Right After Major Announcement Fake News
Coincidentally (or perhaps not), this rumour came right after people falsely claimed that the British Royal Family told people to look out for an impending major announcement.
Fact #7 : This Is Just Royal Family Fake News!
This appears to be yet another example of fake news about the British Royal family, like these examples:
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Watch out for the STR (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah) 2024 scam, and find out why you really cannot get RM1,000 per month!
STR 2024 Scam : Get RM1,000 Per Month For Free!
Many people are getting messages about getting RM1,000 in free cash through the STR (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah) scheme on WhatsApp and Telegram, from their family members and friends:
TERKINI: Permohonan untuk bantuan MySTR 2024 RM1000 sebulan . 📒 Borang Permohonan (Online dan Manual) 📒 Kemaskini Maklumat kerajaan . Memohon secara online👇👇 https://xxxx-xxxx-xx-xxx-tunai2024.com/39/kerajaan
This is yet another scam circulating on WhatsApp and Telegram, and here are reasons why…
Fact #1 : STR 2024 Is Only Given Quarterly
First, let me just point out that the 2024 STR (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah) program is genuine. However, it is restricted to the hardcore poor, and is paid out quarterly.
STR 2024
Application Period
Payment Date
Phase 1
1 to 30 Nov 2023
29 January 2024
Phase 2
1 Dec 2023 to 29 Feb 2024
April 2024
Phase 3
1 March to 30 June 2024
August 2024
Phase 4
1 July to 30 Sept. 2024
November 2024
In short – you won’t get the money on a monthly basis, as the scam websites are claiming.
Fact #2 : STR 2024 Scam Targets Your Data + Telegram Account
The scam websites, on the other hand, will ask you to submit your full name, and your mobile number.
They will send an OTP to your Telegram account, and ask you to key in the OTP to their website. This will allow them to hijack and take over your Telegram account.
To protect your Telegram account from such hijacking, please make sure you turn on Two-Step Verification!
Even if you don’t have a Telegram account, the scammers now have access to your full name and mobile number, which they can use in future scam attacks.
To convince you that their offer is genuine, the scam websites often show a scrolling list of successful applicants – each one receiving RM1,000. That’s a fake list.
If you check the source code, you can see that the scammer merely created a manual list of fake names. Here is a small segment with the fake details highlighted in bold, to show you what I mean:
Fact #4 : STR 2024 Does Not Give RM1,000 Per Month
To help the hardcore poor handle the high inflation in 2024, the Malaysia Ministry of Finance announced an increase in the amount of STR cash aid.
However, even with the increased STR 2024 cash aid, you won’t receive RM1,000 per month. That’s just insane. Here is what the government is giving for STR 2024, in quarterly payments:
Qualifying
Categories
STR 2024 Cash Aid
Household Income
≤ RM2,500
No Children : RM1,000
1-2 Children : RM1,500
3-4 Children : RM2,000
≥5 Children : RM2,500
Household Income
RM2,500 – RM5,000
No Children : RM500
1-2 Children : RM750
3-4 Children : RM1,000
≥5 Children : RM1,250
Senior (Single)
≤ RM5,000
RM600
Single
≤ RM2,500
RM350
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did WhatsApp just implement new cyber crime rules to help the government monitor and record your calls and messages?! Find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-10-08 : Updated after message went viral again. Originally posted @ 2023-07-03
Claim : WhatsApp Has New Cyber Crime Rules!
People are sharing this warning about WhatsApp implementing new cyber crime rules, to help the government monitor and record all calls and messages!
Truth : WhatsApp Does Not Have New Cyber Crime Rules!
And here is why this is nothing more than yet another Internet hoax :
Fact #1 : Only China Can Do This
The only country that has accomplished most of what was shared above is China, but it took them decades to erect the Great Firewall of China.
It’s not just the massive infrastructure that needs to be created, it also requires legislation to be enacted, and considerable manpower and resources to maintain such a system.
That’s why China is leaning heavily on AI and cloud computing capabilities to automatically and quickly censor information it deems “sensitive”.
However, no other country has come close to spending the money and resources on a similar scale, although Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Belarus have imported some surveillance technology from China.
All three Facebook-owned apps now run on the same common platform, which provides end-to-end encryption.
End-to-end encryption protects messages as they travel through the Internet, and specifically prevents anyone (bad guys or your friendly government censor) from snooping into your conversations.
That is also why all three apps are banned in China…
Fact #3 : Governments Generally Have No Control Over Those Apps
Outside of authoritarian countries like China and Russia, governments generally have little to no control over social media and instant messaging apps. Even then, their control is generally limited to banning access if they don’t get their way.
The ability to keep conversations and messages safe and private is key to the success of instant messaging apps, in particular. So WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal would never allow governments access to user messages or voice calls, never mind record and monitor them for governments!
In fact, by implementing end-to-end encryption, these companies themselves do not have access to your messages and calls.
Fact #4 : WhatsApp Does Not Have Three Check Marks!
WhatsApp messages only have two ticks / check marks to notify users about the status of their messages:
: The message was successfully sent. : The message was successfully delivered to the recipient’s phone or any of their linked devices. : The recipient has read your message.
There is no third check mark, as claimed by the viral message.
Fact #5 : Governments Won’t Tip You About Investigations
It is illogical for WhatsApp to inform you when the government is checking your information, or when it has started proceedings against you.
In fact, it doesn’t make sense for any government to inform you by instant messaging check marks! If the government is charging you with a crime, it will send police officers, not check marks on WhatsApp!
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)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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.
Please watch out for the Media Prima Digital / Nielsen fake job scam! Don’t forget to warn your family and friends!
Media Prima / Nielsen Job Scam : How They Reel You In…
Scammers are targeting people through WhatsApp, offering an easy way to make extra money through a part-time job you can do online.
I am Shirley , a permanent employee at Media Prima Digital Company in the recruitment department. The HR department sent me this number and asked me to contact you to get you to a job opportunity.
I just want to share some work-from-home freelance job information offer .You don’t have to spend a lot of time on the job.I can explain if you are interested
The job appears to be very simple – just use your Instagram account to follow Media Prima Digital’s brand partners, to boost their follower count and exposure.
Our job is to use Instagram to follow our various partner brands and work with Malaysian brand influencers to increase their exposure. We hire freelancers to work with the hope of earning extra income every day.
You don’t have to do any marketing for the brand, you just have to subscribe Brand. The salary will be paid daily using TnG or Bank transfer.
Best of all, the scammers are promising that you can make easy money doing nothing more than help Media Prima Digital boost their brand partners on Instagram…
This job is like freelancing. You can do it from anywhere and anytime if you can use social media. RM 110-550 per day if you can do it energetically without even a little worry. You can earn up to RM 3,300-16,500 per month.
Wow! That’s more than what many people earn in Malaysia, so why the heck not, right? Just use Instagram to help big brands “cheat” on their follower counts. Unethical, but not illegal, right? And easy money to make.
The scammer will let you try one or two tasks to show you just how easy it is to make quick money. Wow – you can earn RM10 just by following one Instagram account? Easy!
To get paid, the scammer hands you over to the actual fake job syndicate on Telegram…
Why Telegram? Telegram is popular with scammers because it not only offers end-to-end encryption, it won’t expose their actual telephone numbers.
Go to telegram and add to our receptionist. Use this username @AD or you can easily add her using this Link. https://t.me/KL999654
After successfully adding her send her a message. (I’m a new member.) code: JZ 450032 (ML-OS)Please send me a screenshot to confirm after sending code message to her.
She will invite you to join our working group where you can accomplish many tasks and earn more salary.
This “receptionist” will quickly pay you the RM10 (the bait), to “prove” that this is a genuine operation. She will then explain what you need to do to earn RM200 to RM300 a day. That’s more than what most people make in a day!
The finance department is sending money to you, please inform me when you receive it! Now let me give you a detailed description of our part-time work
The main job is to help Instagram users follow their page. You get RM2 for completing one task. RM80+ commission per day depending on your hours. The daily income is between RM 200 and RM 300, as long as you have enough time to do it, you can join
You will get RM2-RM18 commission for completing the task and an additional RM80 salary, which will be calculated based on your working hours today, ending at 8pm
Complete a task for RM2, accumulate RM10 and you can automatically receive commission. The more tasks you do, the more commissions you earn and the higher your salary
Update the task every 20 minutes and send me screenshots when you’re done so I know how much you’ve accomplished. The timeout task has expired and does not need to be completed. Do the latest task in the group
Only RM2 per task? But okay, they are also offering a daily commission. You work it out, and decide – what the heck, you can still get a decent sum every day. So you agree to participate.
After you chug along, accumulating a small but nice sum over several hours, they hit you with the scam… you have to invest your money for the next job.
Subscribe to Tasks: In order to thank you for your support to our company we hereby announce the welfare task and strive for the quota for everyone Subscription Rule (2-4 orders) This task is based on market demand, we are recruiting customers to transfer subscription to increase transaction flow. Increase market turnover. 5 to 10 minutes to complete the task, such as subscribe RM100, get RM130, 30% profit. =========================== MYR 100 Cash back MYR 130 (Newbie subscription) MYR 200 Cash back MYR 260 MYR 300 Cash back MYR 390 MYR 600 Cash back MYR 780 MYR 1000 Cashback MYR 1300
This is when your receptionist will pressure you into at least taking the “newbie subscription” of “just RM100”. She will assure you that you will instantly get RM30 profit.
In the meantime, people in the Telegram group will publicly announce that they are buying subscriptions of RM300, RM600, etc. These are likely just accounts run by the scammers.
If you hesitate, the receptionist will tell you that you cannot proceed without subscribing to this task. If you refuse, you will also lose the money you earned earlier. This is how they trap you.
If you jump right into it, the group will likely pay you the first time, to tempt you into investing more the next time around. That’s when they take your money for good.
Don’t think that you can’t really lose much on such fake job scams. One university student recently explained how he lost over RM22,000 in a similar job scam.
There’s one trick that this scammer is using. He let me start with a small investment, then proceed with stages. They force me to continue because I want to rescue the money that I put in in the previous task. So it keeps getting bigger and bigger.
So please AVOID such online job offers, and help us fight 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.
Did Ukrainian tourists attack a Russian woman with a Putin tattoo, only to end up getting beaten up instead?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ukrainians Attacked Russian Woman With Putin Tattoo!
Pro-Russian propagandists and supporters (vatniks) are promoting a video that claims to show Ukrainian tourists attacking a Russian woman because she had a tattoo of Vladimir Putin, only to get beaten up instead!
❗️A group of Ukrainian tourists attacked a Russian woman holidaying on a Turkish beach who had a tattoo of Vladimir Putin.
😂Unfortunately for the Ukrainians – the Russian woman was a master in combat sambo.
The video, which is about 1 minute and 45 seconds long, is also being shared by pro-CCP netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) on WhatsApp and Western social media platforms.
Claim : Ukrainians Did Not Attack Russian Woman With Putin Tattoo!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to diminish support for Ukraine’s fight to defend itself against Russian aggression, and here are there reasons why..
Fact #1 : The Video Was Originally Released On Telegram
First, let me start by pointing out that the original video was released by the Telegram account @BadShofer at 8:40 PM on 25 July 2023.
Fact #2 : The Video Was Recorded In Vladivostok
The video was not recorded in a beach in Turkey, as the viral message claimed. According to @BadShofer, the video was recorded in Vladivostok (Владивосток).
Vladivostok is a Russian city located near China and North Korea, and where the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet is located. Needless to say – you won’t find Ukrainian tourists in Vladivostok!
Fact #3 : The Video Was Edited
The original video was only 53 seconds long. The viral video is much longer, but actually stops playing after 53 seconds.
The original video also had a much taller 9:16 aspect ratio. The viral video was edited to crop out the watermark at the bottom, which makes it look more squarish. This was probably done to make it more difficult for fact checkers to trace the provenance of the video.
You can watch the original clip posted by @BadShofer below, with the watermark intact.
Just in case @BadShofer may be lying / mistaken, I took a closer look at the table umbrellas sponsored by Amstel, which have these Russian words printed on them:
C УВАЖЕНИЕМ К ДРУЖБЕ И [unreadable] С 1870 ГОДА
WITH RESPECT FOR FRIENDSHIP AND [unreadable]
SINCE 1870
A red Wall’s umbrella can also be seen with this Russian word:
МОРОЖеНОЕ!
ICE-CREAM!
They help to confirm that the location of this incident was not in Turkey, but in Russia.
Fact #5 : No Evidence Woman Had Putin Tattoo
The video itself shows no evidence that the woman had any Vladimir Putin tattoo. The only thing we can be certain of is that she has tattoos on both arms.
Since the incident occurred in Russia, if the lady was really attacked for having a Vladimir Putin tattoo, that must mean he’s really not very popular in Russia these days!
Regardless of the reason for this fight, it seems certain that no Ukrainian tourists were involved! It appears to be nothing more than a couple of Russian holidayers fighting with each other.
Ultimately, the viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. However, it is being shared and promoted by Chinese netizens, and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).
Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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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.
Did Oprah Winfrey just die suddenly in the hospital from a dangerous disease, or after committing suicide in her living room?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Oprah Winfrey Just Died Suddenly In Hospital!
A multitude of videos are claiming that Oprah Winfrey just died suddenly in the hospital. One even claimed that she committed suicide in her living room!
Breaking News: American media proprietor Oprah Winfrey was found dead on her residence right after committing suicide on her living room
RIP…Oprah Winfrey’s Tears Of Grief: ‘She Passed Away Today And My Life Will Never…
RIP…Oprah Winfrey Left Fans In Tears & Devastating, She Died Suddenly and Tragically…
Oprah Winfrey Is Dead. Last Video a week Before Death. RIP Legend
5 minutes ago/ We report extremely sad news about TV Queen Oprah Winfrey, Sad details.
Prayers Up: Oprah Winfrey Is Currently On Her Death Bed And Family Asking For Prayers
Prayers Up, Oprah Winfrey Is Currently On Life Support After Diagnosed With Dangerous Disease.
Sad News Oprah Winfrey Tearfully Begged For Help As She Is Fighting For Her Life In ICU
Prayers Up: Oprah Winfrey Rushed To Hospital In Critical Condition After Suffering From This
Officially! funeral of Oprah Winfrey confirmed / 30 minutes ago
Truth : Oprah Winfrey Did Not Die Suddenly In A Hospital!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on social media, and YouTube, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Oprah Winfrey Is Still Alive + Well!
Oprah Winfrey (born Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954) is still very much alive and well, as of July 12, 2023.
That was when she posted on Facebook about the fourth episode of “The Covenant of Water: The Podcast” with Abraham Verghese!
A day earlier – on July 11, she posted a video of herself speaking about her Love & Happiness Journal.
To be clear – Oprah Winfrey was not hospitalised for any serious disease. She did not commit suicide, or die in the hospital. She is still alive and well!
Fact #2 : No Legitimate Media Reported Her Death
These YouTube videos have been circulating for weeks and months, but people don’t seem to notice that no legitimate media has reported Oprah Winfrey’s death or suicide.
Oprah Winfrey is the “Queen of All Media” and one of the most influential woman in the world. If anything happened to her – even if she just fell down, it would have been worldwide news.
Yet, no legitimate media outlet reported that Oprah was hospitalised or died suddenly in a hospital from any cause. Only a bunch of small-time YouTube channels?!
That’s because it never happened. Oprah Winfrey is still alive, period.
Fact #3 : Scammers Using Fake Oprah Winfrey Death Video
Scammers were found to use a fake video claiming that Oprah Winfrey committed suicide to trick people into installing malware.
The “shocking video” was found to be linked to a fake Fox News Facebook app that, when installed, will request for permission to access the user’s basic information, and post on their behalf.
You should NEVER install any app to view any video, and you should certainly not allow any app to post on your behalf!
Note that scammers may send you the scam links via text messages. Even though telcos have now banned links in SMS messages, scammers can send you similar messages via WhatsApp or Telegram.
Fact #4 : Oprah Winfrey Death Hoax Is Driven By Fake Fact Check Too
This Oprah Winfrey death hoax, ironically, is also being driven by another fake fact check article by MediaMass Project.
News of television host Oprah Winfrey’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the July 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the former host of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ is alive and well.
Rumors of the television host’s alleged demise gained traction on Thursday after a ‘R.I.P. Oprah Winfrey’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the American television host’s passing:
“At about 11 a.m. ET on Thursday (July 13, 2023), our beloved television host Oprah Winfrey passed away. Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”
Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 69-year-old television host was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.
Their claim of a viral R.I.P. Oprah Winfrey Facebook page is false. There is no such Facebook page. It is their standard fake excuse for writing about fake celebrity deaths.
She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.
Hidden in the description page for the MediaMass Project is a disclaimer that they are a “satire” website. That’s the usual “cover” for websites peddling fake news.
Regardless of their reasons, anything posted by MediaMass.net must be considered as fake news, until proven otherwise.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out how a university student just lost over RM22,000 in an online job scam!
Please SHARE this article to warn your family and friends to avoid such online job scams!
Online Job Scam Are Targeting The Poor + Desperate!
Online job scams have been around for a long, long time. But fake job syndicates have become more active recently, probably because more people are getting laid off, and inflation is eating into our money.
Online job scams come in a variety of ways, but most commonly, you get unsolicited messages through WhatsApp or iMessage, offering you the opportunity to make a lot of money through part-time work, in the comfort of your own home.
This is especially appealing to people who are currently jobless and desperate. Or in this recent case – a university student who is just starting out in life.
I am Shirley , a permanent employee at XXXX Company in the recruitment department. The HR department sent me this number and asked me to contact you to get you to a job opportunity.
Hello! I am Miss Aisyah Binte Ahmed, from The Recruitment Dept. at YYYY Digital, Malaysia. Our company is hiring part-time and full-time online Employees. Can I briefly share the details with you?
How A University Student Lost RM22K In Online Job Scam!
I had earlier written about how fake job syndicates cheat people of their hard-earned money, but I didn’t realise that these scammers are also targeting university students!
A university student recently shared how he quickly lost over RM20,000 to an online job scam, despite being warned that it could be a scam!
How They Reel The Student In…
These online job scams always start by offering their victims an EASY way to make A LOT of money!
It all started two days ago, when an unknown person asked me if I’m interested in a part time job. I usually don’t decline offers like this because I’m also a student looking for internship or job opportunities.
He gave me simple tasks, like subscribing to YouTube channels and get RM10 for each subscription. I was interested as money did really go to my account.
Then, I was added into a group. They would give these free tasks of subscribing to YouTube channels.
These scammers also know that people are now wary of scams, and will always demonstrate their willingness to pay… at least in the beginning.
And occasionally will provide merchant tasks throughout the day, which you bank in a certain amount of money to them, which was said to help improve crypto merchant’s reputation or some sort, then they’ll return you a good amount of earnings after the task is completed. It takes around half an hour to do so. So for these two days I earned around RM500.
This is how the scammers establish trust with their victims, and convince them to “invest” to get even more money!
The “merchant tasks” is when they start scamming you, and the scam occurs very quickly. You may think that you’re earning a lot of money, but you will never see a cent of it.
So here’s where the fishing begins. A merchant task has started. A rule was stated that I must complete all the tasks given or I will not get the money that I banked in before.
It doesn’t matter how little you “invest” in this “merchant task” scheme. Once you are in, they will quickly use your “earnings” to force you to keep paying them!
I chose the least risk package, give RM300 to get RM360. Then, I was required to continue the next task. Same, I chose the smallest amount RM2000 to get RM2600. Again, need to continue the next task, I chose the smallest RM5000 to get RM7000. Then, RM15000 to get RM19500.
Then, RM40000 to get RM52000. At this point, I still haven’t realize it’s a scam. All I’m focussed on is I need to take back the money that I banked in, so I’m just thinking about completing the tasks given.
By The Time He Realised… It Was TOO LATE!
Because the university student was so engrossed in getting back the money he “invested” earlier, he didn’t realise that he was giving the scammers more and more money… until it was much too late.
There’s one trick that this scammer is using. He let me start with a small investment, then proceed with stages. They force me to continue because I want to rescue the money that I put in in the previous task. So it keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Unfortunately, by the time the university student realised his mistake, it was much too late… He had already lost over RM22K!
At that time, I have not enough money in my bank to fork out RM40k. So I panic and find my friend to lend me some money.
Luckily my friend as a sideliner noticed that this is a scam and stopped me. I woke up finding that evervthing was too late. Just like that, two days, RM22300, gone.
As the university student later realised, many of the people in the group are part of the online job scam syndicate. Their job is to give the victims the perception that this is a legitimate job with many people participating.
During merchant tasks, I’m asked to leave the big group and will be joining a small group of 3-4 members. One of the scary parts in this operation after I realize it’s a scam is that, all the group members in the group are actually controlled by the same person.
Out of the 4 members, two might be playing rich vips who will play the highest package, pressuring you to play with more money, the other person looks like a newcomer like me and plays along with me, choosing the lowest package.
Precautions Were Useless
The university student was actually warned by his parents that it could be a scam. He even prepared for the possibility he could be scammed:
Some Precautions | Made While Attempting This:
I was being very careful with this. I shared with my parents on the first night. My parents did warned me about it being a scam, but didn’t stop me from it since I’m earning something. They just ask me to be extra cautious.
I have two bank accounts, so I moved most of my savings such that I have a “small” account and a “big” account, to prevent losses if anything goes wrong.
I also created a new chat account with another phone number solely for this “part time job”. I also made a plan and promise to only invest my earnings, so I cannot touch my savings.
But as German Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke once said, “No plan survives contact with the enemy“, and the student’s precaution was useless when he got “emotionally invested” in getting his money back, and ended up taking out all of his saving from the “big account”!
I believe we always read about news of scams in Malaysia, asking why are they so dumb, why they fall into these type of scams. Until I’m in their shoes. I was being very cautious taking the above steps and always remind myself to not be greedy, play only the least risk.
The worse part is, when I’m within that situation and cannot think straight. I even use my savings from my “big” account, just because I want to rescue the money I put in.
The university student is now “emotionally depressed” and “thinking about suicide” over the loss of so much money. But do the scammers care? No, they couldn’t care less if people commit suicide over the loss of their hard-earned money.
He has also contacted his bank fraud hotline, and lodged a police report. Unfortunately, he is unlikely to ever recover any of the money he lost. But I hope he understands that his life matters more to his family than money, and he can always make back the money as long as he lives.
Please SHARE this article out, and WARN your family and friends!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The Malaysia Ministry of Finance just issued a warning, calling the viral news about extra RM600 STR benefits fake news!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : You Can Qualify For Extra RM600 STR Benefits!
People are sharing a message on WhatsApp, which claims to provide you with the opportunity to get RM600 of extra STR (Sumbangan Tunai Rahman) cash benefits!
Here is the original message in Malay (with the scam link removed) and our English translation:
ADA PENERIMA STR YANG LAYAK DAPAT RM600 TAMBAHAN: BERIKUT SENARAI PENUH PENERIMANYA
Senarai Penuh Penerimanya 👇 <link removed>
Bank lagi info di Channel Telegram ==> <link removed>
SHARE INFO dengan rakan-rakan dan keluarga
THERE ARE STR RECIPIENTS WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR AN EXTRA RM600: THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL LIST OF RECIPIENTS
Full List of Recipients 👇 <link removed>
More info on the Telegram Channel ==> <link removed>
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS and SCAMS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why!
On Wednesday, 5 July 2023, the Malaysia Ministry of Finance posted an official press release labelling the claim of extra RM600 STR (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah) as fake news.
Here is the official notice in Malay and the English translation:
PERHATIAN BERITA PALSU
Kementerian Kewangan ingin menegaskan bahawa maklumat mengenai tambahan Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) sebanyak RM600 adalah palsu. Berhati-hati dan jangan mudah terpedaya dengan berita sebegini di Telegram. Tidak pasti, jangan kongsi.
STR Fasa 3 sudah disalurkan pada 26 Jun yang lepas. Bagi memastikan program STR 3 ini disasarkan kepada mereka yang layak, tempoh permohonan rayuan juga akan dibuka mulai 3 hingga 31 Julai 2023. Pemohon boleh mengemukakan dokumen berkaitan untuk semakan semula oleh Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri Malaysia (LHDNM).
BEWARE OF FAKE NEWS
The Ministry of Finance would like to stress that the information regarding the additional Rahmah Cash Contribution (STR) of RM600 is false. Be careful and don’t be easily fooled by this kind of news on Telegram. Don’t share if you’re not sure.
STR Phase 3 was channeled last June 26. To ensure that the STR 3 program is targeted at those who are eligible, the appeal application period will also be open from 3 to 31 July 2023. Applicants can submit relevant documents for review by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRB).
[/su_note]
The MOF pointed out that STR Phase 3 was already fully disbursed as of June 26. However, they opened an appeal application period from 3 to 31 July, to ensure that all qualifying recipients have the opportunity to apply for this financial aid.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Another Russian SAM battery tried to take down another Storm Shadow missile on yet another missile vs missile battle in the Ukraine War!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out who won this round!
Claim : Russian SAM Brings Down Storm Shadow Missile!
After the recent dramatic failure of the Russian Pantsir-S1 short range air defence (SHORAD) system in hitting the Storm Shadow cruise missile, they decided to go for Round 2!
In a now-viral video, another Russian short range air defence (SHORAD) system fired multiple missiles at an incoming Storm Shadow stealth cruise missiles the United Kingdom supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The video was shared by a pro-Russian Telegram user called Mikhail Solomin (Михаил Соломин), who claims that “another” Storm Shadow fell “like a stone” after being shot down by high quality surface-to-air missiles, before falling apart like the European Union after Brexit.
Очередная пiрiмiга, лягушатно-наглосаксонская вундервафля пошла камнем вниз после качественной работы расчетов Панцирей, и упала в чисто поле, развалившись как евросоюз после брексита. Поскольку прошлый подобный видос уперли все возможные и не возможные паблики , как то позабыв указать на первоисточник, вешаю плашку в полвидоса.
Another frog, the frog-arrogant Saxon prodigy went down like a stone after the high-quality work of the Shells’ calculations, and fell into an open field, falling apart like the European Union after Brexit. Since the last similar vidos was blocked by all possible and not possible publics, somehow forgetting to point to the source, I hang a die in half a vidos.
A Russian poet! But did the Russians finally bag the elusive Storm Shadow? Or did Anglo-French military technology win the day again for Ukraine? Take a look!
The viral video appears to have been taken by the Russian military at possibly a frontline airfield, with a flat terrain and low buildings – all censored to hide any identifiable features.
When the 38-second video starts, you can see two long contrails, which suggest that two longer-ranged missiles had already been fired earlier.
Then you can hear five successive surface-to-air missiles (SAM) being launched from two different missile launchers, possibly Pantsir-S1 SHORAD systems like in the earlier video.
None of them were heard exploding. But just before the video cuts out, the Storm Shadow missile is seen diving towards the right side of the screen and exploding in a big fireball.
Mikhail Solomin claims that this is evidence that the Russian missiles successfully took out the Storm Shadow missile through “the high quality work of the shells’ calculations“, because it hit an empty space to no effect.
Можно сравнить масштаб ракеты, и масштабы зацензуренных фрагментов, нет там не Панциря, не складов с боеприпасами, нет ни какого крупного и интересного объекта. Она просто упала в пустое место.
You can compare the scale of the rocket, and the scale of the censored fragments, there is no Shell, no ammunition depots, no large and interesting object. She just fell into an empty space.
Mikhail also claimed that the Storm Shadow’s nose cone was intact during its dive – evidence that it was not functioning properly during its dive:
“Подъём на высоту предназначен для достижения наилучшей вероятности идентификации цели и её пробития. Во время подрыва носовой конус отбрасывается, чтобы позволить термографической камере высокого разрешения (инфракрасное наведение) наблюдать за районом поражения.” (инфа с вики) А как видно на скришоте, обтекатель на месте, пiримига-недомога.
“Climbing to a height is designed to achieve the best probability of identifying the target and penetrating it. During the explosion, the nose cone is discarded to allow a high-resolution thermographic camera (infrared guidance) to observe the affected area.” (info from wiki) And as you can see on the screenshot, the fairing is in place, the frog is unwell.
It is true that the Storm Shadow / SCALP missile has a nose cone that is ejected on reaching the target zone, to allow its high-resolution thermographic camera to scan for, and locate, the target. However, the nose cone that is ejected is only a small portion of the Storm Shadow missile’s nose.
Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell from the few frames in the video whether the Storm Shadow still has its nose cone attached. The image is just too pixelated.
What the video clearly shows though is that the Storm Shadow SCALP missile was intact, and diving down (as intended) during its terminal approach. You can even hear its turbojet engine running.
This suggests that the Storm Shadow missile was not damaged by any of the five to seven surface-to-air missiles the Russians sent to intercept it.
To avoid interception, the Storm Shadow cruise missile “hugs the terrain” at very low altitude, and only pops-up on reaching the target area. So you will only see it diving down like that at its target area.
This tells us that, whether it still has its nose cone or not, the Storm Shadow missile in this video had already reached its intended target area, and did not just fall out of the sky because it got shot at with 5-7 Russian missiles.
Due to the heavy pixelation of the terrain, it is impossible to tell if the Storm Shadow missile merely slammed into open ground, or actually hit some kind of target. If it hit nothing of significance, then one has to wonder – why did the Russians so heavily pixelate all that “empty ground”?
Besides, the Storm Shadow missile could have been targeting an underground bunker. Its BROACH warhead has an initial shaped charge that is designed to clear the topsoil and/or penetrate a bunker, before its main charge explodes inside.
However, it is impossible to know for certain, because the video was heavily censored. One has to wonder why the Russians would pixelate the video if it truly showed a malfunctioning Storm Shadow missile hitting an open field.
An uncensored video would potentially allow OSINT teams like Oryx or Bellingcat to geolocate the action, and confirm or verify that the Storm Shadow missile really hit nothing of consequence.
Ukrainian bloggers are claiming that this incident occurred near Berdyansk, and the Storm Shadow hit a Russian armoured car. However, we really cannot see any evidence of that. And frankly speaking – no one in the right mind would fire a $3.2 million long-range cruise missile at an armoured car… unless Vladimir Putin himself is inside!
Based on the current evidence, it is likely that the Storm Shadow missile at least hit its target area (if not its actual target), and this viral video is yet another example of Russian propaganda. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did these eight famous people mock God, and consequently died early?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Did These Famous People Mock God And Die?!
This story has not only been posted on many websites, it has been repeatedly shared on social media and even WhatsApp and Telegram.
The stories have a variety of names – “Famous People Who Mocked God And Died Untimely“, “Untimely Deaths Of Famous People Who Mocked God“, or just “8 in 8‘, whatever that meant!
The story is very long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS? I SURE DIDN’T TILL NOW
Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death!
Make a personal reflection about this…… Very interesting, read until the end……
It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap…”
Here are some men and women who mocked God :
John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said : ‘Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that… I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him’ (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.
Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency.
Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.
Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During a show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said: ‘God, that’s for you.’
He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner.
The man who built the Titanic
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said: ‘Not even God can sink it’
The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic
Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said: ‘I don’t need your Jesus’.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment
Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
‘Don’t stop me; I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell’.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked by his own vomit.
Campinas (IN 2005)
In Campinas , Brazil , a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend……
The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car: ‘My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.’
She responded: ‘Only If He (God) travels In the trunk, cause inside here….. It’s already full.’
Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact.
The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken
Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer) said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written.
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.
Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive. ‘Jesus’
PS: If it was a joke, you would have sent it to everyone. So are you going to have courage to send this?.
I have done my part, Jesus said, ‘If you are embarrassed about me, I will also be embarrassed about you before my father.’
You are my 8 in 8 seconds. I am not breaking this. No way!
I’M TOLD THIS WORKS!!!!! Bishop T.D. Jakes ‘8 Second Prayer.’ Just repeat this prayer and see how God moves!!
‘Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus’ name. Amen.’
Pass this message to 8 people {EXCEPT YOU AND ME}…. You will receive a miracle tomorrow. I Hope that you don’t ignore and let God bless you.
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 John Lennon quote was somewhat inaccurate. He never mocked God, he only mocked Christianity, saying:
Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right.
We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first — rock and roll or Christianity.
Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.
More importantly, that interview was NOT conducted by a US magazine, but with Maureen Cleave from the London Evening Standard.
When it was first published in the London Evening Standard in March 1966, there was no outcry. It was only when Datebook, a US teen magazine printed the same quote five months later, that protests broke out in the United States.
Even so, it took fourteen years after that statement for a born-again Christian called Mark David Chapman to kill John Lennon.
But he didn’t shoot Lennon six times (as claimed). He shot 5 times at John Lennon, hitting him 4 times.
Was Mark David Chapman God’s avenging hand? If so, then it’s obvious that God believes that revenge is a dish best served cold.
Tancredo Neves Did Not Mock God
There is no evidence that Tancredo Neves ever made such a claim. It would have been out-of-character to mock God, since he was a religious Catholic by all accounts.
The Archbishop of São Paulo at that time, Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, said,
“He was loved by the people and is being very much missed. He was also a personal friend and a good Catholic. I was at his side when he died.“
Tancredo Neves also did not need 500,000 votes from his party, because the Electoral College that elected him as President only had 686 members.
Tancredo won 480 (70%) of the Electoral College votes. 480 votes, ladies and gentlemen, not 500,000 votes.
Finally, Tancredo Neves did not die a day before being made President. He fell sick much earlier, complaining of abdominal pains, and was admitted to the hospital a day before his inauguration on March 15, 1985.
Cazuza, whose real name is Agenor Miranda Araújo Neto, did indeed die at the age of 32. However, he died from AIDS-related complications, not lung cancer as the hoax claims.
There was also no evidence Cazuza ever mocked God, specifically “while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said ‘God, that’s for you.’ during a show in Canecio [sic] (Rio de Janeiro)”.
Despite extensive searches, I have not come across a direct testimony by a fan who attended the concert, that Cazuza actually mocked God in that manner, much less actual published articles on that act.
In fact, I located the only video I have ever seen of a full concert at the Canecão in 1998 on YouTube. In that video, Cazuza never smoked a cigarette during the entire concert, much less mocked God with cigarette smoke.
You have to wonder how the writer of this hoax knew about this, when it is virtually impossible to prove this act ever took place in this age of Google and YouTube.
The Men Who Built Titanic Did Not Mock God
The writer of this hoax cannot even name “the man who built the Titanic“, and claimed that “Not even God can sink it“. That’s because there is no such person.
First of all, the Titanic was not built or even paid for by any individual. It was built by Harland and Wolff, a shipbuilding company from Belfast, Ireland for the White Star Line, a shipping company.
Neither J. P. Morgan (whose holding company financed its construction), nor Joseph Bruce Ismay (the chairman of White Star Line) ever made such a claim to a reporter. The same is true for Thomas Andrews, the naval architect who designed the Titanic.
Which of these 3 men built the RMS Titanic? L to R : J. Bruce Ismay, J. P. Morgan, Thomas Andrews
The claim that “Not even God can sink it” was purportedly made by a deck hand to Sylvia Caldwell, a second class passenger on the Titanic :
After we came aboard the Titanic we were watching deck hands carrying up baggage I said to one “Is this ship really unsinkable?”
He answered “Yes, lady, God himself could not sink this ship.”
White Star Line, and its parent company, International Mercantile Marine, did make claims that the Titanic was practically unsinkable (due to its watertight compartments), but at no point did any of their representatives claim that “Not even God can sink it“.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The claim that Marilyn Monroe was visited by Billy Graham just a week before she was found dead is categorically untrue.
As one of the most famous celebrities during her time, she was closely followed by fans and the press. So we know with certainty that Marilyn Monroe never met Billy Graham in her entire life.
Billy Graham also did not preach to Marilyn Monroe, or even had a conversation with her… ever.
According to a spokesperson for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, “there was no discussion between Marilyn Monroe and Billy Graham”. Therefore, we can safely say that this claim is utter nonsense.
Interestingly, Marilyn Monroe was a Christian who converted to Judaism in 1956, 6 years before she tragically died.
But whether she was a Christian or a Jew, she prayed to the same God, and it appeared that she took her religion rather seriously. At least, according to her rabbi, Robert Goldburg :
“She indicated that she was impressed with the rationalism of Judaism, its ethical and prophetic ideals and its concept of close family life,” wrote the Reform rabbi.
“Marilyn was not an intellectual person but she was sincere in her desire to learn. It was also clear that her ability to concentrate over a long period of time was limited.
However I did feel that she understood and accepted the basic principles of Judaism.”
Even after her divorce from her Jewish husband, Arthur Miller, Marilyn told Goldburg that she “remained committed to Judaism”.
Even if Marilyn Monroe did say that she did not need Jesus, that would not be an insult, but the correct belief of a practising Jew.
God would certainly not kill her for not accepting a prophet that was not part of her faith. Or would he?
Bon Scott Did Not Mock God
AC/DC released their hit single “Highway To Hell” in 1979, and yes, Bon Scott died six months later at the back of his friend’s car.
It was said that Bon Scott choked on his own vomit, after passing out from a night of heavy drinking. That is certainly a possibility when someone’s totally wasted.
However, his official cause of death was “acute alcohol poisoning“.
More importantly though, Highway To Hell became one of the most famous songs in the world. Millions of their fans sang the same song, and many more still do today.
Many other singers also covered the song, including Marilyn Manson, Lazlo Bane, Maroon 5, Bruce Springsteen and even Billy Joel. Yet, they did not die from the wrath of God, did they?
And why should God be angry at Bon Scott, or anyone singing about going down the “Highway to Hell”? The song in no way mocked God or any religion.
2005 Campinas Car Accident Likely Did Not Happen
The purported Campinas car accident in 2005 cannot be corroborated in any way. But the story itself is preposterous, for several reasons.
Which mother in the world would let her daughter sit in the car of obviously drunk teens?
Why would there be a crate of eggs in the trunk of a car driven by drunk teenagers?
In any accident, the trunk is the most likely part of the car to survive a head-on collision.
If the trunk survived intact (as the story claims), then the car would have been easy to recognise.
Common sense would dictate that this is nothing more than a rather silly urban legend designed to drive the fear of God into “foolish” teens.
Christine Hewitt Did Not Mock God
First of all, there is no evidence Christine Hewitt called the Bible “the worst book ever written”. Even if she said that, that would be a criticism of a book, not mocking God.
Christine Hewitt was found burnt beyond recognition in her Toyota Hiace minivan. However, that was only done to cover up the act of murder, and/or to destroy evidence.
She did not spontaneously combust or die as a result of the fire, as the hoax insinuates.
She was actually shot dead and her body placed in her minivan, which was then driven to a lonely rural road before being set on fire.
Her husband, David Lloyd Gordon, and his brother, Wordsworth Gordon, were ultimately charged with her murder.
Obviously, they are not the hands of God… unless God condones murder?
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Russia proudly declared that its forces destroyed eight Leopard tanks, but guess what – they were apparently just farming tractors!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Russia : Our Troops Destroyed Eight Leopard Tanks!
On Tuesday, 6 June 2023, the Russian Defence Ministry proudly announced that its troops destroyed eight Leopard tanks while fighting off a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The Russian Ministry of Defence released a video on Telegram, showing three of those Leopard tanks being destroyed as evidence.
Кадры уничтожения иностранной бронетехники, в том числе танков Leopard
Footage of the destruction of foreign armored vehicles, including Leopard tanks
The 47-second video shows missile strikes on two vehicles in the distance, from the gunner’s perspective.
While the Russian Ministry of Defence did not mention whether its troops destroyed the newer Leopard 2 tanks, or the much older Leopard 1 tanks, Ukraine has only received Leopard 2 tanks, so killing eight of them would be a tremendous coup.
Truth : Leopard Tanks Russia Destroyed Were Just Tractors!
The Russian government has done nothing but lie from before it invaded Ukraine until today, and this is no different.
Those Leopard tanks that it allegedly destroyed were really just farming equipment! That’s why they don’t appear to be moving in the video clip. Just sitting still in the open fields like sitting ducks.
Ironically, it was not the Ukrainians or Western government officials who exposed this new example of Russian government fake news, but pro-Russian military bloggers!
Just hours after the Russian Ministry of Defence triumphantly released its video showing at least two Leopard tanks being blown up, the video was thoroughly debunked by the pro-Russian Telegram channel, Military Informer.
These “Leopard tanks” were identified as John Deere 9000 and 700 series combine harvesters, which are commonly used in Ukraine.
And this “Leopard tank” was identified as a John Deere 4830 sprayer tractor. Also commonly used in Ukraine.
The Russian military military bloggers even highlighted the tractor’s wheels, which the Leopard tanks do not have.
A detailed comparison of the silhouettes of vehicles from the DoD video with agricultural vehicles, to which these silhouettes are most similar.
These are American combine harvesters John Deere 9000 and 700 series, as well as tractor-sprayer John Deere 4830. This equipment is quite popular in Ukraine.
Why it was necessary to give out frames with an erroneous defeat of agricultural equipment for an actual video of the defeat of the Leopards, we do not know.
It is unknown what ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) were used to destroy these farming machines of death (to wheat and insects), but those missiles likely cost more than the tractors that got blown up.
Just in case there’s any confusion, this is what the real Leopard 2 tank looks like, and its silhouette. As you can see, its 120mm Rheinmetall smoothbore cannon does not have a muzzle that bends downwards. Neither does it have four large wheels.
Another pro-Russian military channel also fumed about this ridiculous claim, “Why the fuck did they pass these off as Leopards?”
This pathetic propaganda effort notably comes after the same Russian Ministry of Defence announced that it “stopped” the Ukrainian counteroffensive, killing 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers and 109 armoured vehicles, including the eight Leopard tanks.
Wagner Group head, Yevgeny Prigozhin, even publicly called it “absurd science fiction“, and sarcastically suggested that this meant that “we [Russian forces] have already destroyed the entire planet five times over“.
Prigozhin also quipped that the war can now end because Russia has “no one left to fight“, and he would now get a tattoo of Defence Minister Sergei Shogun, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, and Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov “to mark this wonderful occasion“. What a burn!
Just in case you are wondering, this is not a photo of a Leopard 2 tank destroyed by Russian forces. It’s actually a Leopard 2A4 tank that was reportedly involved in a training accident somewhere in Poland. It apparently collided with another Leopard tank, causing a barrel strike that lifted the turret right off the chassis.
Ultimately, the viral video is just another example of Russian propaganda, which is shoddy as usual. Here is a selection of Russian and Ukraine War propaganda that have been proven false:
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Find out how fake job syndicates operate, and how they reel you into their scams, and cheat YOU of your hard-earned money!
Make sure you SHARE this article, to warn your family and friends to avoid the fake job scams!
Fake Job Scams : What Are They?
Fake job scams have been around for a long, long time. But fake job syndicates have become more active recently, probably because more people are getting laid off, and inflation is eating into our money.
Fake job scams come in a variety of ways, but most commonly, you get unsolicited messages through WhatsApp or iMessage, offering you the opportunity to make a lot of money through part-time work, in the comfort of your own home.
Good day YouTubers!! This is Alexa from Youtube Entertainment. We invite you to participate in our event by liking and subscribing to our channel and we will give you XXX. Please reply “YES” if you are interested. Thank you.
Hi, I’m the recruitment manager of XYZ company. XYZ invites you to do regular work at home.
You can easily earn [large amounts of money] with your mobile phone every day, and your salary will be settled on the same day.
Please add my WhatsApp to sign up. The number of places is limited, only for today.
Hey! You have been selected for a job. Daily salary XXXX to YYYYY. WhatsApp [number removed]. Reply YES to apply.
I personally have received many of such fake job offers, and have always ignored them. But when I saw a sudden surge of fake job offers, I decided to look into it. I also wanted to find out how they worked.
So I took a dive into two different fake job scams last week, and here was what I found…
How They Reel Their Victims In
It all starts with scammers tasked with “fishing” for victims. They will try to contact you by email, Facebook Messenger, SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or iMessage. Regardless of the method, the hook is simple – we are offering you an EASY way to make A LOT of money!
Once you are suitably impressed, these “fishing” scammers will offer you a simple task to show you just how easy it is to make a lot of money. To entice me, the two scammers offered me a pretty good sum of money for a very simple task:
Syndicate A : Subscribe to this YouTube channel, and send me the screenshot to receive XXXX.
Syndicate B : Like this YouTube video, and send me the screenshot to receive YYYY.
The Fishing Scammer Hands You Over To The Syndicate
After you complete that task, the fishing scammer then hands you off to the actual fake job syndicate, ostensibly for payment. You are asked to contact the company secretary / account manager on Telegram, with a “payment code”.
From what I surmise, the “payment code” is actually the fishing scammer’s referral code – they get paid for every victim they send the syndicate.
This will be your last contact with these fishing scammers. They are off to reel in more victims!
The syndicate secretary / account manager will ask you to register your details with them, but they are not too particular with any details, except for your phone number. If you give them the fake number, they will know because they will check with the fishing scammer using their referral code. But feel free to give them other fake details – they won’t care.
The fake job syndicate will then send you the payment for that “test” job, using a mule account. If you ask them why they are sending you the money through a different company account or even a random person’s account, they will tell you that they have many bank accounts because of daily transaction limits.
Syndicate Baits You With Simple Tasks
The syndicate will then add you to their Telegram channel offering multiple tasks per day. Instead of YouTube channels or videos, you are tasked to very simple tasks like:
open a link to a product page on an online shopping platform
take a screenshot of that product page
post that screenshot to the Telegram group
share that screenshot with your syndicate agent
You will breeze through the first three tasks easily, and the fake job syndicate will pay you promptly.
Fantastic, isn’t it? What could go wrong? After all, there are hundreds of other people participating in the same tasks, and getting paid!
At this point, you have done some calculations, and realise that you can easily make good money every day doing these simple tasks.
That’s when the fake job syndicate offers you the opportunity to make some serious cash. But there’s one catch – you need to PAY them to get access to jobs with serious money.
For every dollar you prepay, the fake job syndicate promises that you will get that back PLUS 10% to 30%, within minutes. Just in case you are worried about losing your money, hey, they are offering a refund. Honest!
And how can they offer you so much money for so little work? The syndicate throws in the magic word – cryptocurrency! Of course! That’s the only way anyone can make tons of money easily, with both eyes closed!
To convince you that they are legit, you will see many people posting screenshots of their payments to the Telegram group. They will also publicly announce how much they are investing. In some cases, they also post excitedly about how much money they already made, and how much they plan to make today.
This is just a charade to make you believe that people are really making money through this scheme. Most of these “participants” appear to be bot accounts, with a few sock puppet accounts. If you monitor these accounts over time, you will see them change names. I even spotted one of these fake participants (mercado livre in the screenshot above) become the Telegram group admin!
The genuine victims are those asking questions in the group like “We have to prepay?” But oddly enough, no one else in the group (except the Telegram group admin) will respond. That’s not how real people behave.
And if you check their receipts, you will notice some discrepancies in their receipts, which suggest that they were edited:
transfers within the same bank were labelled as transfers “to other banks”.
account numbers are too short / long for that particular bank
The others are possibly genuine receipts (by people who were scammed earlier), with their dates and times changed.
I managed to get in touch with two victims of this scam, who claimed that once they deposited the prepaid amount, they were ghosted and removed from the Telegram group.
So that appears to be the scam – they bait you with a bit of money, until you are convinced that they are real. Then once you prepay them for the “big job”, they dump you right away.
Your assigned syndicate agent will block you, and you will get kicked off the Telegram group, which often disappears after scamming a few victims. Often, you will find your Telegram conversations with them mysteriously deleted. By then, it’s much too late – you have already lost your money.
To ensure they don’t lose money, they will price the introductory offer low enough to entice victims, but high enough to cover their costs and then some. But they will inevitably score some big fish, which is why the fake job scam persists.
Now that you know how the fake job scam works, please DO NOT get trapped into it! NEVER pay to get a job. It is just a scam!
Please SHARE this article out, and WARN your family and friends!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did actor Ray Liotta die suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine SADS?!
Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Ray Liotta Died From COVID-19 Vaccine!
Within hours of news breaking that veteran actor Ray Liotta passed away, people started claiming that he died from the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ray Liotta has passed away at the age of 67 in his sleep… from sudden death syndrome caused by vaccine effects on his heart? #rayliotta #LongCovid #COVID19 #VaccineSideEffects
Still no official cause of death for RayLiotta. Apparently a heart attack in his sleep. Hey, doesn’t the #Pfizervaccine cause blood clots?
Now @rayliotta ?! When are we going to start looking at the cause of sudden death of the ridiculously high numbers of #Hollywood elite? #VaccineSideEffects #vaccine #COVID #suddendeath hmmm 🤔
Ummmm he just died in his sleep…. yep i bet he was vaccinated 💉💉💉💉
Another vaccine death….. they will cover up #rayliotta 👇👇👇👇
When I read about Ray Liotta’s death it made me think of Bob Saget who also died suddenly. Is there a connection that both deaths were vaccine related? The true cause of death will NEVER be disclosed. SAD 😞
Truth : Ray Liotta Did Not Die From COVID-19 Vaccine SADS!
It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths on the COVID-19 vaccine.
So it’s no surprise that they would immediately claim that Ray Liotta died from the COVID-19 vaccine. Here are the reasons why these claims are FAKE NEWS…
Fact #1 : Ray Liotta Died In His Sleep
On 26 May 2022, Raymond Allen Liotta died in his sleep at the age of 67, according to his publicist, Jennifer Allen.
Paramedics rushed to his room, but he was already dead when they arrived 12 minutes later.
Fact #2 : Ray Liotta’s Cause Of Death Was Not Vaccine!
Ray Liotta’s body was transferred to the National Forensic Institute of Santo Domingo for an autopsy, with a toxicology report expected later. Authorities said that there were no signs of foul play, or anything suspicious about his death.
His publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed on or around June 9, 2022, that the claims that Liotta died from the COVID-19 vaccine are “100% not true“. She also stated that :
The family has not released the cause of death yet, but I do know the cause, and (it) has nothing to do with COVID or the vaccine.
That was finally confirmed by his official autopsy report which was released on 8 May 2023.
According to Dominican Republic officials, manner of death for Ray Liotta was categorised as “natural” and “non-violent“, and his official causes of death were respiratory insufficiency, pulmonary oedema (fluid in the lungs), and acute heart failure.
The autopsy also revealed that Ray Liotta also suffered from atherosclerosis, although that was not a direct cause of death.
Now that the official cause and manner of death for Ray Liotta has been released, let this be the final word – his death had nothing to do with COVID-19 vaccines.
Casas del VXI Hotel in Santo Domingo, where Ray Liotta stayed while filming ‘Dangerous Waters’ in the Dominican Republic
Fact #3 : Ray Liotta Was Shooting A Movie
Liotta died in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting a movie called “Dangerous Waters”.
By all accounts, he was healthy and well. There was no evidence he was suffering from any side effects of COVID-19, or any vaccination he may have received.
Fact #4 : His Fiancée Was With Him When He Died
Ray got engaged to former hairstylist, Jacy Nittolo, in December 2020, and she was with him when he died.
In fact, Jacy was the one who called 911 at around 6 AM on that Thursday morning.
This was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Dominican Republic’s General Direction of Cinema :
We understand that he was accompanied by his [fiancée] and that the [fiancée] asks that you please respect her grief.
Fact #5 : His Fiancée Did Not Say He Died From Vaccine
His fiancée who was by his side when he died, did not claim that he died from the COVID-19 vaccine.
When she spoke of the tragedy in her Instagram post, she only mentioned the life they shared together :
My life these past couple of years have been nothing but truly magical.
Ray and I share a deep love that I will cherish in my heart forever.
We laughed daily and we were inseparable.
The chemistry was wild in the best way.
He was everything in the world to me and we couldn’t get enough of each other.
The kind of real love that one dreams of.
He was the most beautiful person inside and out that I’ve ever known…and even that is an understatement.
Fact #6 : His COVID-19 Vaccination Status Is Unknown
Claims that Ray Liotta died from side effects of the Pfizer vaccine are not based on any evidence. In fact, we don’t even know if he was vaccinated against COVID-19, much less what vaccine he received!
The Dominican Republic no longer required travellers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination on arrival, since 23 April 2022.
The government also suspended all COVID-19 restrictions since 16 February 2022, after “100% of the tourism sector personnel… have been vaccinated with two doses, and are in the process of being vaccinated with a third dose of the vaccine against COVID-19“.
Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who claims that Ray Liotta died from the COVID-19 vaccine is likely lying to you.
Fact #7 : Ray Liotta Looked Healthy Days Earlier
A woman called Alba spotted Ray walking with his handlers at the BlueMall in Santo Domingo several days before he died, and asked to meet him.
Ray not only embraced her, he agreed to take a selfie with her. He looked happy and healthy in the selfie that Alba shared.
If he was sick from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, he wouldn’t even be taking a stroll through a mall, never mind filming in a foreign country!
COVID-19 vaccines underwent massive clinical trials, and were only approved after they were proven to be safe and effective.
In addition, they were constantly monitored after they received their approvals, which picked up rare side effects after they were administered to billions of people.
Anti-vaccination activists have often claimed that those who received the vaccine would die. Yet, the opposite was true – the vaccines were not only safe, they were effective in protecting people from getting hospitalised or dying from COVID-19.
Fact #9 : Vaccine Side Effects Generally Last Only A Few Days
COVID-19 vaccine side effects are generally mild, and last only a few days.
In rare cases, the recipient may suffer from blood clots (AstraZeneca) or myocarditis (Pfizer), but they develop within days of receiving the vaccine, not months later.
If Ray Liotta received the COVID-19 vaccine, he would have received all his doses last year. It is quite impossible for Ray’s death to be related to any COVID-19 vaccine he may have received months earlier.
Fact #10 : Post-Vaccination Myocarditis Not A Risk For 50+
Claims that Ray Liotta died from a heart condition brought on by the Pfizer vaccine are based on the fact that the mRNA vaccine can cause myocarditis in some recipients.
Those claims are nonsensical, because the post-vaccination myocarditis happens within days of receiving the mRNA vaccine, not months later.
In addition, the risk of developing post-vaccination myocarditis is practically non-existent for his age group – Ray was 65 years old when the Pfizer vaccine was first approved, and 67 years old when he died.
To help you understand that, I created this table to show you the risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis for different age groups.
It clearly shows that even if Ray was indeed vaccinated against COVID-19 using the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, there was no risk of getting vaccine-induced myocarditis.
Note : Baseline refers to the typical number of myocarditis cases expected in the unvaccinated population.
Age Group
Male Rate
(per million doses)
Baseline
(per million doses)
12-17
32.4
2.0
18-24
30.7
1.8
25-29
12.2
1.9
30-39
6.9
1.9
40-49
3.5
1.9
50-64
1.9
1.9
65+
0.61
1.05
Fact #11 : Claims Of Celebrities Dying From 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 in every instance.
Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next celebrity death…
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please support our work!
And please 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.
Can hackers use Good Morning videos, pictures and messages to hack your devices, and steal your data?!
Find out what is happening, and what the FACTS really are!
Updated @ 2023-04-21 : Updated with a new 2023 version of the hoax Originally posted @ 2022-11-01
Claim : Hackers Are Using Good Morning Messages To Hack You!
This post about Chinese hackers using Good Morning videos, pictures and messages to hack your devices, keeps going viral on social media and WhatsApp.
It’s a long message, so just skip to the next section for the facts!
Dear friends, please delete all welcome photos and videos in Good Morning format and the like. Read below the article to the end, which will be clear why I ask about it. From now on I will only send personally prepared greetings.
Read all! Please send this message urgently to as many friends as possible to prevent illegal intrusion. Warning from Olga Nikolaevnas lawyer:
ATTENTION! For those who like to send Good Morning pictures! Good day! Good evening! Do not send these “good” messages.
Today, Shanghai China International News sent SOS to all subscribers (this is the third reminder) that experts recommend: please do not send good morning, good night, pictures and videos,.
Reports show that hackers in China designed the images, the video is so beautiful to hide the phishing codes inside them, when everyone sends these messages, the hackers use your devices to steal personal information, such as bank card information and data to crack the phone.
It has been reported that more than 500,000 victims of fraud have already been deceived.
If you want to greet others, write your own message to protect yourself and your family and friends.
Important! Delete all greeting messages and pictures that you have on your phone for your own safety. If someone sent you such a picture, immediately remove it from the device. Malicious code takes time to deploy, so if you act immediately, no harm will be done.
Tell all your friends about this to prevent hacking.
Greet others by writing your own words, and send only images you create. The material you create yourself is completely safe.‼️‼️ ️‼️
Please understand me correctly! All have credit cards attached to their phone. Everyone has a lot of contacts in their phones. You will create a threat not only to yourself, but to all the contacts that you have on your phones, your friends and acquaintances. ‼️ ️‼️ ️‼️
Take this very carefully! This is a harsh reality‼️ ️‼️ ️‼️
Fact #3 : No Fraud Involving Good Morning Messages
There has been no known fraud involving Good Morning or even Good Night messages, videos or pictures.
Certainly, half a million victims of such a scam would have made front page news. Yet there is not a single report on even one case…. because it never happened.
Fact #4 : Image-Based Malware Is Possible, But…
Digital steganography is a method by which secret messages and other data can be hidden in digital files, like a photo or a video, or even a music file.
It is also possible to embed malicious code within a Good Morning photo, but it won’t be a full-fledged malware that can execute by itself.
At most, it can be used to hide the malware payload from antivirus scanners, which is pretty clever to be honest…
Fact #5 : Image-Based Malware Requires User Action
In January 2019, cybercriminals created an online advertisement with a script that appears innocuous and would pass any malware check.
However, the image itself has an “almost white” rectangle that is recognised by the script, triggering it to redirect the user to the cybercriminals’ website.
Once there, the victim is tricked into installing a Trojan disguised as an Adobe Flash Player update.
Such a clever way to bypass malware checks, but even so, this image-based malware requires user action.
You cannot get infected by the Trojan if you practice good “Internet hygiene” by not downloading or installing anything from unknown websites.
Fact #6 : Malicious Code Executes Immediately
If you accidentally download and trigger malware, it will execute immediately. It won’t wait, as the hoax message claims.
Deleting Good Morning or Good Night photos or videos will free up storage space in your phone, but it won’t prevent any malware from executing.
There is really no reason for malware to wait before it infects your devices. Waiting will only increase the risk of detection.
Whether the malware serves to take over your device, steal your information or encrypt it for ransom, it pays to do it at the first opportunity.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin kneel before Chinese President Xi Jinping, to kiss his hand?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Vladimir Putin Was Forced To Kneel Before Xi Jinping!
People are claiming on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, that Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to kneel before Chinese President Xi Jinping, and kiss his hand!
…Slava Ukraini…braveness of Ukraine soldiers has led the cruest current dictator Putin to kneel before China Xi jinping…Putin can’t believe the strongness of Ukrainians… Slava Ukraini
#putin gives #xi a kiss and kneels
We all wonder does Putin need to go on his knees in order to get Weapons from China?
Back in the old day Leaders often Visited Leaders and needed to kneel down while requesting support. #leaders #china #russia #Criminals
#Russian propaganda loved to spread the slogan “Russians won’t kneel.”
Truth : Vladimir Putin Did Not Kneel Before Xi Jinping!
This is yet an example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by pro-Ukrainian groups to mock Russia and China, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported This
No legitimate Ukrainian, Russian, Chinese or international media outlet reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was forced to, or voluntarily chose to, kneel before Xi Jinping during the Chinese President’s state visit to Russia.
The very act of a Russian head of state kneeling before his Chinese counterpart would have caused massive outrage in Russia, and shock in Ukraine, the West and even in China.
Yet no legitimate media outlet reported on it? That’s because it never happened.
Fact #2 : Photo Appears To Be AI-Generated
A closer examination of the photo shows several artifacts that suggest that it was AI-generated.
The man on the left appears to lack thumbs, and his two hands appear to melt together.
The nose and left ear on Xi Jinping’s head appears to be misplaced.
Vladimir Putin’s head is overly large in proportion to his body, and his ear is strangely misplaced.
Vladimir Putin’s legs appear to be distorted with the right leg appearing much larger than the left leg.
Vladimir Putin’s right knee mysteriously appears behind the heel of his left leg.
Based on those anomalies, this photo is very likely generated by a text-to-image generator.
Fact #3 : Photo Originated In A Ukrainian Telegram Group
This viral photo of Vladimir Putin kneeling before Xi Jinping to kiss his hand appears to have originated in a Ukrainian Telegram group called УНИАН – новости Украины (UNIAN – news of Ukraine).
Fact #4 : OP Indicated The Photo Was Edited / Generated
The person who originally posted the photo in the Ukrainian Telegram group, indicated that it was Photoshopped.
Хейтеры скажут, что фотошоп, но мы-то знаем, что х*йло давно хотел облобызать нефритовый стержень товарища Си 😅
Haters will say it’s photoshopped, but we know that x*ylo wanted to kiss Comrade Xi’s jade rod for a long time 😅
Fact #5 : Background Do Not Match Actual Meeting Room
The furniture and walls in the viral photo also do not appear to match the official photos of the room where Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met.
Instead of a dark green and white columns, the actual meeting room has a light green wall with gold trims and white columns.
The chairs in the viral photo are dark brown with beige cushions, while the real chairs are white, with off-white cushions. The actual table is also white, while the table in the viral photo is dark brown.
Fact #6 : This Is Just Ukraine War Fake News
This is yet another example of fake news created around the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and here are other examples:
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)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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.
Did an American man harass Chinese female tourists, telling them to go back to China?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-02-19 : Added more details Originally posted @ 2022-06-10
Claim : This American Harassed Chinese Female Tourists!
People are sharing a video of a man harassing two Asian females, as evidence of anti-Asian racism in the United States. The video shows a man recording himself berating two Asian females on a beach, saying :
Go! Go! Take your dress and go from this country.
I hate Chinese. Fuck China. China, fuck you.
Translated from Turkish : You people made corona[virus] a thing, and now the economy is shit
Originally spread in June 2022 targeting Americans, it’s being shared again in February 2023, with messages targeting Turkey and/or Europe:
Chinese ladies were asked to leave the beach in Europe….they were not welcome there. Better be careful and alert while travelling in Europe… the situation might turn violent if you confronted the “white”. Safer to travel in Thailand East Asia.
The INTERNMENT CAMPS are coming…. should HOSTILITIES breakout with CHINA.
It’s time for CHINA to stop putting their TOURISM MONEY into the hands of these UNGRATEFUL COUNTRIES.
CHINA Chinese ladies were asked to leave the beach in EUROPE….as they were not welcome there.
Truth : He Is Not An American Harassing Chinese Female Tourists!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and pro-CCP netizens.
After investigating this video, here are the facts that I was able to ascertain…
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded In Cyprus
First, let me point out that this video wasn’t recorded in the United States. It was recorded at the Nissi Bay Beach in Cyprus.
In fact, I geolocated the precise location to a few metres south of the Petra Snack Bar, at the Nissi Beach Resort.
On the left is a screenshot at 0:15 of the video clip; and on the right is a picture of the Petra Snack Bar taken in October 2019 by Matthias Schelker, at almost the same position!
You can see the same white Petra Snack Bar signboard, and stairs leading up to the cafe; as well as the red Life Guard shack.
Another man who was standing nearby (seen here in the left screenshot) told him off, “No, no”, to which the man responded, “What the fuck, no?”
The man in the video is not American. Even though he asked the ladies to “go from this country“, he’s not even a citizen of Cyprus!
He’s actually a Turkish citizen called Taner Tolga Tarlacı, who is living in Cyprus because he was sentenced to 18-20 years of jail in Turkey for a variety of small crimes.
Allegedly, he learned about the arrest warrant on a ferry from Cyprus to Turkey, and literally jumped off the ship and swam back to Cyprus to avoid arrest!
Fact #3 : Taner Creates Controversial Videos
Taner is actually a minor Turkish celebrity, after participating in Turkish Got Talent and Survivor Turkey (Survivor Türkiye). Since then, he has been creating controversial or crazy videos… and even porn!
He is notable for bizarre antics, so much so, he allegedly got his own TV show cancelled when he chased his guests with a fire extinguisher on its first episode!
So it is possible he recorded the video to “go viral”, which is why he made sure he figured prominently in it.
For small-timers like Taner Tolga Tarlaci, bad publicity probably is better than no publicity at all. Such controversies help keep him in public light.
When Taner told the Asian ladies to leave the beach, you can hear the lady who was standing up say, “Yeah, okay” in what sounds like an American accent. She could possibly be Chinese American!
In any case, there is no way to know if the ladies are Chinese citizens as alleged. They could be Japanese or Korean, or people of Chinese ethnicity from other countries like the United States.
Fact #5 : The Video Was Allegedly Taken In 2020
According to several netizens, the video was allegedly taken early in the COVID-19 pandemic, circa 2020.
I am bringing this up because people are claiming that this is a new video in various websites, social media and even WhatsApp.
This video first came to our attention after going viral in June 2022, and has gone viral again in February 2023.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did Russia just destroy four Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Ukraine?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Russia Just Destroyed 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine!
People are sharing a video of Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov claiming that Russian forces destroyed four Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV) in Ukraine!
Here is the accompanying message, which I machine-translated into English.
💥 За сутки боевых действий на данном направлении противник потерял 11 танков, 17 боевых машин пехоты, в том числе четыре БМП «Брэдли» производства США, 10 других боевых бронированных машин, 5 пикапов с крупнокалиберными пулеметами и более 150 военнослужащих.
💥 During the day of hostilities in this direction, the enemy lost 11 tanks, 17 infantry fighting vehicles, including four US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 10 other armored combat vehicles, 5 pickup trucks with heavy machine guns and more than 150 military personnel.
Truth : Russia Did Not Destroy 4 Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS spread by pro-Russian netizens and groups.
Fact #1 : Video Was Recorded On 4 September 2022
The video is genuine, but it isn’t new. It was actually posted on the official Russian Ministry of Defence’s Telegram group on 4 September 2022.
In that longer video, Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov was giving a report on the state of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
⚡️ Сводка Министерства обороны Российской Федерации о ходе проведения специальной военной операции на территории Украины (04.09.2022 г.)
⚡️ Report of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine (04.09.2022)
Fact #2 : Bradley Fighting Vehicle Donation Only Announced In January 2023
President Joe Biden only announced that the US government would be sending Ukraine about 50 Bradley M2A2 ODS Fighting Vehicles on Wednesday, January 4, 2023.
That’s exactly four months after Russia claimed to have destroyed four of them!
Fact #3 : There Are Still No Bradley Fighting Vehicles In Ukraine
Even today, it is impossible for Russian military forces to have destroyed four Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Ukraine, because the Ukrainian army still does not not have any!
Yes, President Biden announced a new $2.8 billion weapons package on January 4, 2023 that would include about 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, but those vehicles will take months to deliver.
As Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced on January 5, 2023 – the Bradley Fighting Vehicles have not been delivered to Ukraine.
You will see when Bradleys arrive on the battlefield. Let Ukraine announce it.
Fact #4 : Ukrainians Need To Train On Bradley Fighting Vehicles First!
Logistically, the US Army has about 4,000 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and can easily deliver the 50 vehicles to Ukraine in weeks, if not days.
However, Bradley Fighting Vehicles are complex vehicles, and it will take several weeks for each vehicle and maintenance crew to learn how to use and maintain them. And that is expedited training.
In fact, the Ukrainians will only start training on the Bradley M2 vehicles this week in Germany, as announced by Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder in a briefing last week.
Training will mostly start next week in Germany. We expect this training to last weeks, not months.
Regardless of when the US government sends the Bradley M2 vehicles to Ukraine, they will only appear on the battlefield after there are trained Ukrainian crews.
This is nothing more than old but official Russian propaganda that is being used by pro-CCP and pro-Russia netizens and groups to promote the perception that the United States is wasting resources in Ukraine.
Be wary of such claims, because there are plenty spreading on WhatsApp, Telegram and social media platforms. Here is a selection of similar Russian propaganda that I fact checked in the past:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
In this guide, I will share with you how to turn on two-step verification in Telegram.
Step 1 : Open Telegram.
Step 2 : Go to Options > Settings > Privacy and Security.
Step 3 : Tap on the Two-Step Verification option.
Step 4 : In the Two-Step Verification screen, tap on the Set Password option.
Step 5 : Key in your preferred password, which can be any combination of capital or small letters and numbers.
Step 6 : You will need to key the same password again, to confirm it.
Step 7 : Next, you can create a hint to remind you of your password. This is optional, and you can skip it if you prefer.
But if you key one in, the hint will be displayed whenever you are asked to key in the password in the future.
Step 8 : After that, you will have the option of adding a Recovery Email address, just in case your account is hijacked.
This is optional as well, but I highly recommend you add a recovery email, which is simply the email address you use.
Step 9 : If you entered a Recovery Email address, Telegram will now send you an email with a 6-digit code to verify that email address.
Step 10 : Look for the Telegram verification code email, and key in the 6-digit verification code.
That’s it! You’re done! From now on, you will be required to key in the password whenever you log into a new device.
This will prevent hackers / scammers from taking over your account, even if you accidentally give them the Login code you receive by SMS.
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Watch out for the Telegram screenshot hack and scam! Find out how the Telegram screenshot hack and scam works, and what you can do!
Telegram Screenshot Hack : New Twist To Old Trick
My friend just got hit by the Telegram screenshot hack, and the hacker is now trying to scam everyone on his contact list!
The Telegram screenshot hack is a new twist to an old trick, and here is how they do it…
Step 1 : Identify A Suitable Target
After obtaining a legitimate Telegram account through phishing or other means, the hacker reads through the messages to identify a suitable target – usually a close friend whom you often chat with, and trust.
For the purpose of our example, the hacker stole your friend’s Telegram account and has identified you as a suitable target.
Step 2 : Attempt To Login From Another Device
The hacker installs Telegram in another device and attempts to log into your account. He only needs the your phone number to do that.
The login attempt triggers Telegram to send a Login code to the your registered devices to authenticate the login. Usually, that’s the Telegram app in your smartphone.
Step 3 : Ask For A Screenshot Of Telegram
Traditionally, this is when the hacker will use your friend’s Telegram account to message you and ask for that Login code. However, asking for the Login code may trigger suspicion, so hackers have now come up with a new twist.
Instead of asking you for the Login code, the hacker will use your friend’s Telegram account to ask you to take a screenshot of your Telegram app and send it to him.
What harm is there? After all, many of us take screenshots and share them with family, friends and even on social media!
The problem is – the screenshot will accidentally reveal your Telegram Login code! Take a look at the actual screenshot my friend sent – it clearly shows the Telegram Login code!
Step 4 : Terminate All Other Sessions
The hacker will immediately use the Login code to log into your Telegram account on his device.
Then he will terminate all other sessions from that Telegram account, which means you get logged out from your Telegram app on your own smartphone!
Step 5 : Change Password
To prevent you from logging back in, and terminating his Telegram session, he will change the password.
Step 6 : Scam Your Friends
Now that the hacker gained control of your Telegram account and locked you out of it, he is free to scam your friends.
In this case, my friend’s contacts all started getting pleas to borrow money for some kind of emergency. The hacker will, of course, promise to pay you back quickly.
Your unsuspecting friends may not realise that this is not you that they are talking to, and may end up sending the hacker money.
In this case though, my friend managed to quickly alert us via WhatsApp that his Telegram account was hacked, so we didn’t tall for the scam.
One of his friends toyed with the scammer, and obtained the bank details. That is obviously not my friend’s name or account number!
Telegram Screenshot Hack : How To Prevent It?
Now that you know how the Telegram screenshot hack works, you can pretty much figure out how to prevent it.
Here is my quick summary for those who didn’t go through the whole process above :
Do NOT send anyone your Telegram Login code. Not even anyone claiming to be working for Telegram.
Do NOT send anyone a screenshot of your Telegram app. Even if it’s not a scam, it reveals portions of your chats!
Turn on Two-Step Verification in Telegram. This lets you recover your account, even if you accidentally let someone take over your account.
Telegram Screenshot Hack : How To Recover Your Account?
If you failed to turn on two-step verification, there is still a way to recover your Telegram account after it is stolen by a hacker.
For these steps to work though, you need to have access to your phone number. You must also do this quickly, as the hacker will be alerted to your attempt.
Step 1 : Open Telegram.
Step 2 : Log into your Telegram account using your phone number.
Step 3 : You will be asked if you have the correct number. Click Yes.
Step 4 : Telegram will send a 5-digit code to all your devices with Telegram installed. You won’t receive it since the hacker has already terminated all other sessions.
Step 5 : Click on the option just above the keypad – “Send the code as an SMS“.
Step 6 : You will now receive an SMS with the 5-digit code. Key it in, and you will now have access to your Telegram account.
Step 7 : Go to Options > Settings > Privacy and Security.
Step 8 : Scroll down and tap on Devices.
Step 9 : Tap on the option – Terminate All Other Session – to boot out the hacker.
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
