Maybank Used For Phishing

Malayan Banking Berhad ("also known as Maybank"), being the largest bank in Malaysia, has been often used by syndicates to dupe Maybank's customers into revealing their internet user id and password. Once you log in using those so-called Maybank 'links' ........ your money will be all gone within seconds, if not minutes.

Received an email from maybank@dynasty.com.my alerting me that my maybank account has been blocked. Is this a Malaysian based email address?

Specifically requested me to click at a maybank2u link to restore my access.

Within minutes, received another email from maybank2u@myb.com.tr. I clicked on the supposedly link to maybank2u.

And this is what you get to see in a new pop-up window. The exact duplication of the genuine site.

If you were so blur and did key in your username and password, you can wave bye bye to all your monies in your maybank account.

This is known as phishing. These internet syndicates were trying their luck / scams in hoping that blur blur Maybank customers will key in their particulars.

In fact, and sadly too, there are blur blur fellas out there.

Related post: Con Job Involving Four Local Banks
Tags: Phishing, Maybank, Malayan Banking Berhad, Maybank2u, Internet Scam, Internet Syndicates, Con Job

Merchants Charge Credit Card Users

The Malaysian government has decided to impose a service tax of RM50 for each principal credit card holder wherelse the supplementary card would be penalised with a service tax of RM25.

Reason given for the implementation of the service tax is to 'teach' credit card holders to spend wisely. What else does the government want to teach me where my credit card balances are clean every month? That I reduce my charges to the credit cards in spite of me having settled all amounts every month? You call that teaching but I call it penalising.

As I'm renovating my house, I was able to charge to my credit cards for lots of purchases and raked up lots of points at the same time lately. I do have the cash but I prefer using my credit cards to pay for it owing to the points.

Unfortunately, the government has decided that I'm to be penalised for using the credit cards. Ok, maybe the government has to think of some ways to earn some revenues to maintain the nation's economy.

But what do you say when the merchants, who have signed up with banks to have a credit card facility in their businesses, are also charging consumers like you and me.

Of late, I have been shopping around for many stuff for the house renovation. Certain shops (not all) that accept the usage of credit cards (applies to both VISA and MASTECARD) for payments have told me this - "I have to charge you 3% extra because you are using the credit card to pay". If you pay by cash, it'll be a bit cheaper.

The goverment is taxing me and now the merchants are passing their costs to me as well. In the end, it's the consumers that are dying.

As far as I understand is that merchants arranged to have credit card facilities in their business premises for their customers' conveniences. At the same time, they'll tell their customers that the credit card facilities were set-up for the benefit of the customers but the customers would have to bear that costs. Fair?

One merchant has fixed the amount of money to be paid if you use your credit card. Say RM5 for each credit card transaction.

What does VISA and MASTERCARD have to say about such practises? Does your company explains to the credit card users who should bear that 3% charges?

What does our local banks have to say about such arrangements? Do you all (banks) know about such games being played?

Are the merchants permitted to pass the costs to the customers? What's the answer?
Tags: VISA, MASTERCARD, Service Tax, Credit Card

Chicks Used To Entice Customers

Dead chickens being hanged outside to dry up or to collect dust before being cooked. How unhygienic.
Tags: Chickens

Buy Your Coffin Online

You can order your own coffin before you rest in peace for good. If you think your time is about to run out, click Wal-Mart.com quickly to order a coffin. Don't worry about the delivery time as they rely on Federal Express to courier the coffin to you.

Who would simply order a coffin for no reason? That's where FedEx come into play and it will reach you within forty eight hours. Hopefully it can reach you on time.

The price ranges from US$895 to US$2,899. The most expensive coffin is 100% bronze and the interior plush velvet is hand made. Wow .......... furthermore, it allows you to pay in twelve installments. I wonder whether you could last that long to pay off the twelve installments?!?!?! Unless you were buying it for another unfortunate person.

The abovesaid coffins are being sold at offer prices and will last till 31 Dec 2009. So, if you want to save some money, die earlier.

Sorry to tell you, you can't return the coffin once delivered to your place unless it due to freight or cosmetic damage from shipping.

Just when you thought this coffin/casket is a taboo product, another similar wholesale company by the name of Costco is giving Wal-Mart a run for their money by selling coffins/caskets too. Costco must have analysed that these products will bring in handsome profits.

Buying tip: If you can't wait up to seventy two hours, don't order from Costco.
Tags: Coffin, Casket, Wal-Mart, Federal Express, FedEx, Costco

Want To Try Flying a Boeing?

Malaysia Airlines is giving you, yeah you irrespective of your nationality, a chance to be in a Boeing 777-200 cockpit. It's no joke but at a price of course.

A normal person like you and me could at last fly a Boeing 777-200 even though we don't have a licence to fly as a pilot. The MH Flight Simulator Experience ("FSE") is opened to the general public at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang.

If you have played those Flight Simulator pc game before, this would be quite similar just that this is done in a real cockpit set-up for such purpose. That's the same cockpit used for training MAS pilots. I remembered those yesteryears in trying to fly a small plane (the pc game format of course) and it was not easy just to take off. Once up there, it's not easy to land it. I gave up on mastering that game without getting to take off and land safely at least once.

As for this MAS experience, the only setback is that you have to pay RM500 for a 20 minutes experience. You'll get a chance to to visit a flight deck and you'll be guided on how to take off and land the plane by a Simulator Engineer. Not bad, isn't it?

You must meet the following simple requirements before being allowed to test the flight simulator:-
a. 10 years of age or older;
b. get written consent from parent or guardian to participate in FSE (applicable to participant under the age of 15 years old);
c. be in good health and free from heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that could be aggravated by the motion of the simulator. It is advised that expectant mothers should not participate;
d. be dressed appropriately in smart casual clothing with flat shoes; and
e. not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Keen? Do contact Flight Simulator Sales & Marketing of Malaysia Airlines.

This is definitely not a paid blogposting. Anyone willing to sponsor me so that I can blog more about it? MAS? Hellooooo ........ can you hear me?
Tags: MH Flight Simulator Experience, Malaysia Airlines, Boeing 777-200, Cockpit, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Simulator Engineer

Singaporean Bloggers To Be Monitored

Blogging in Singapore has taken a new twist.

Singaporean bloggers seated in front of their own desktop PC / laptop will be monitored on how and what they blog about (besides those people who urinates in the public toilets).

Singapore's Media Development Authority is looking at rules to ensure that bloggers do not simply endorse, review, advertise, recommend or promote products & services. The main issue here is that some bloggers are being paid to do so where conflict of interest may arise.

If you are being paid, most likely you are obligated to write positive remarks, right?

One of the rules being looked into is that bloggers would be required to state whether gifts were presented / money was paid / products & services were provided for free - prior to putting up that blog post.

I'm all for this new ruling so that consumers won't be duped into obtaining products & services that could be fake/below standards via blogs.

I do lots of reviews and recommendations but they were my own opinions / experiences while using those products & services. If I do get an opportunity where a party requires me to blog about their products & services, I'll certainly be transparent about it. I won't promote the products & services which are lousy or one that fails even my own standards knowing that I'm to be paid or given benefit-in-kind to write about it. In other words, if I have nothing better to say, I'll just keep quiet.

One thing that disturbs me most is where some bloggers do post about products & services not known to them. Such bloggers will be assigned certain products & services to blog about and will be paid once that's done. The best thing, the products & services do not even exist in Malaysia. There's no blogging ethics at all and money is all they think about.

What's your stand on this issue? Malaysia gahmen should impose this too.

Reading: Bloggers who get gifts or money may have to own up - ytlcommunity
Tags: Blogger, Bloggers Monitored, Singapore, Media Development Authority, Blogging Ethics

Request Made to Reduce Coverage on Auditor-General's Report

There you go ............ as predicted. The Auditor-General's annual report has opened up so many cans that are full of worms in it and a MP,Datuk Wira Ahmad Hamzah, from the ruling party is now suggesting to reduce the media coverage that the annual report is getting now.

Reasons given -
* gives a very bad impression and it is meloyakan (nauseating)
* embarrassing perception which would cause our competitiveness to drop

Trying to cover up something?

The people who caused all this bad impression and embarrassing situations didn't even think of such as long as someone's pocket is filled. And this MP is worried about it instead.

If it was done right from the beginning, we need not come to this stage of shameful reporting. Anyhow, all these years, there were no improvements being made despite many shocking revelations that were exposed.

But that doesn't mean we should just keep it behind closed doors. We still need to publicise such deplorable actions by the respective federal / state government departments. This report is meant for the public's consumption as taxpayers have the right to know how their tax contributions are being managed.

As for this MP, I really wonder about his knowledge on an audit exercise. He said that the auditors should also "teach” and “guide” especially for those who might have done wrong.

Hello MP, if those people had committed those acts, they should be sacked or jailed if any criminal offence existed. The auditors' job is not to teach or guide people.

This MP suggested that prior to the release of the annual report to the public, the auditors should have asked the department head to explain on those irregularities. What if those department head took ages to respond? Wait till the cow comes home?

He also questioned on who should audit the auditors. So, whistle blowers are always the guilty parties, not those who committed the 'sin'.

I think he's very ignorant of what an audit is all about but yet he brought this topic up in the parliament.

Reading: Parliament: 'Filter AG’s report' - Star
Tags: Auditor-General Annual Report, Auditors, Audit