Destiny Steps

In the midst of our hightech society, it makes the world smaller, the people closer but it comes with its own set of complication. With technology, it can be indentity without faces. Thus making security a concerning issue.

It was just not too long ago, a colleague told me of an incident where her friend went to a cyber-cafe & used msn online chat. She left without clearing the cache. As a result, someone has assumed that lady’s identity and started harrassing the contacts in the list. The good thing was my colleague was suspiscion of the chat & decided to pick up the phone & call her friend to verify.

A week ago, a mail circulation came into my mailbox reading : Beware…Maybank. It brought about another alarming identity theft incident. This time round, it involves money. According to the email, this incident happened to an employee in Intel.

Disclaimer : The content was a forward email received. Although incident verifcation is done and police report was lodged according to the victim but forward email are susceptible to change, therefore they are not legally binding in any manner. This message & information is only intended to warn the readers of this blog. I will take no responsibility of the names/identities referred to in the email content posted here.  Victim’s verification response message

The email reads : 

From: Chew, Choy Yee
Subject: Please beware!
Guys& gals…. please beware of MSN fraud! Read on:
It happened around 1125am on 19th October 2007. When i was busy with work, a friend suddenly ‘IM’ed me using MSN messenger. She used to be my roomate and i am very close with her. So, she asked if i could log in to may bank2u account because she couldn’t. As I’ve tried, i could log in. She asked me for a favor saying that she owed a friend money and been delaying him very long and its kind of urgent to return the money and asked if i could help her to transfer money to her friend first and saying that she’ll definitely bank in the money back to me after work that day. The amount she asked was initially RM800, but since i got not that much money in that bank account, she told me to wait as she will ask her friend if its okay paying him RM400 first. So, sensing some kind of emergency here, i without any hesitation (this friend once asked me to lend money to her the same way), I’ve banked in the amount to the bank account she gave me. The account no. is 1111-1428-6194 and the owner’s name is KEW MIN TECK. Well, at the end of the day, after working hour, i still yet to receive any call from my friend regarding the money. So, i smsed her regarding the money. She was shocked about it and asked if she still owe me money. (We stayed together for the past few months, so, sometimes she owes me money for bills…)So, with the thought that she forgot bout it, i mentioned to her that she asked for my help to transfer RM400 to her friend first. With that, she’s even more surprised and gave me a call. When i told her about it, she said it must be her email account being hacked already. (FYI - MSN uses email account to login) because she received a SMS from an unknown number saying that he’s matthew and he hacked her email and asked her if she wants him to restore for her. This guy’s number is 012-2141405 which is a prepaid number. I was so shocked with the news and immediately went to Maybank to see if the transfer could be stopped. It was already 720pm at that time, offices already closed down. I’ve called the may bank hotline and they asked me to make a police report and bring back to Maybank tomorrow. So, i quickly went to the nearest police station and make a report believing that with the guy’s bank account number and name, police force could at least track him down or get evidence on him for the crime he’s committing. I told my friend to do the same thing and tell her to sms all her friends regarding her account being hacked. At the police station, there’s this policewoman at the counter. She asked me where did i do the transaction and i told her at my office. she told me that i must go to another police station to make the report as that is not under their district. I was like ‘huh?’ However, i managed to make a police report. That policewoman did not even listen properly to the incident i was telling and she started to type on her own. Since she did not attentively listen to what i was saying, she got things wrong and asked us to write the story down. I was lucky that i got a friend to accompany me to the police station. (i don’t even know where’s the police station is… i’m a KL ppl in Penang now). Even though I’ve made a police report, the case wasn’t open. To no avail, nothing has been done. The policewoman then called another officer (it seems that this officer has the higher rank) and he talked to me. I was asked by him ‘why do i need the police report’, the reason of getting a police report? (is that suppose to be a question? i wouldn’t have trouble myself to lodge a report if i find it not necessary)By telling him that at least could get details on the guy from the bank, he told me to go to Maybank and get the guy’s particulars and hopefully i could talk to that guy and it’ll be good if he returns the money else, i’ll need to treat it as a wrong investment. (wrong investment!!???) So, particularly, nothing has been done.
 
The next amusement thing about this is that, i went to Maybank as told by the officer the next day along with the police report and hope that i could get details on that guy. And the only thing that i found out is that they need an officer/personel to come along only authorised to view the details! (omg! how come no one told me bout it at the police station?) The guy in may bank was very helpful. He managed to help me check (i got a peep on it) about that hacker’s bank account. To my surprise, there are alot of transcation to this guy account! Besides mine at 11.25am, at 11.30am there’s another transaction (RM620) transfered to his account. There are several more. And at that moment, his account only left RM146! Doesn’t it obvious that this guy is vigorously cheating others by hacking into other people’s account? Since, nothing can be done without an officer/personel, with much despair i decided to go home. Just on the way back, i received a call from a friend from KL stating that the hacker the friend’s email account to online again and now talking to him. That hacker uses the same tactic to him asking for help to transfer money using may bank2u. I asked my friend to entertain him to see if it is the same guy,same bank account number. So, when i reached home. I tried to talk to that guy again. He’s using the same conversation again! (omg! doesn’t he remember that he has already conned me?) by making it sounds like i’m talking to my friend, i talked to him again. So, as predicted. He asked the same question again and the whole lot conversations were the same. And without any surprise, the name and the bank account number is the same! So, i called the police station where i make a report yesterday to tell them about it. The policeman who picked up the phone was so rude. Then, i told him bout the incident and my report number and told him that this guy is in action again. And yet, another disappointment. The policeman said that there’s nothing he could do as he can’t get out of the police station and he then gave me a hp number to call. I called that officer who’s responsible for this kind of cases but only got ‘i’m busy at the moment. i’m taking some statement here’ as the answer. My KL friend who got the whole conversation which of course, the same account number and the same name - went to make a police report and requested to open up a case for this. After waiting for 4 hours at the police station and listening to the policemen saying that there’s nothing they can do, there’s no evidence and a more ridiculous question thrown to my friend is “Berapa Ribu kau hilang?” (how many thousands you have lost?)
 
Isn’t it the police’s responsibility to track this fella down? And why am i the one suppose to get the particulars from Maybank? Doesn’t he knows that we’re not authorise to do any checking on people’s particulars unless there’s an officer/personel together with the police report only could do that? Why am i not told about it when i’m at the police station lodging the report? And isn’t it the job of the police to get evidences on this guy who is doing the crime? It doesn’t matter on how much we got cheated, it is still our money and furthermore, what if that i’m not the only person being conned here? Imagine, each person he conned RM400, so if he managed to con 10 people, that would make it RM 4000 per day! I am seriuosly being dissappointed with the act of the police force. It’s as if they are imaginary since they claimed that they could do nothing about it. And these kind of crimes will continue and it’ll be even worse as there’s no action being take and these culprits will happily commit these crimes without being afraid of getting caught.
 
So, people! What you can do now is be more extra careful when you’re dealing with your money. Always verify with the people you’re sending money to, no matter how close he/she to you. And don’t assume that your friend’s/family’s eamil account is not being hacked!
 
p/s: this is part of the conversation I got (the day after when he’s trying to con me again) And I got to know from may bank that he’s account is from kuching, Sarawak .
 
=jOcElYn= says (12:36 PM):hey
çhof??? says (12:36 PM):eh
=jOcElYn= says (12:36 PM):how are you??
çhof??? says (12:36 PM):fine lo
çhof??? says (12:36 PM):how about u?
=jOcElYn= says (12:36 PM):not very good not very bad
=jOcElYn= says (12:36 PM):haha
=jOcElYn= says (12:36 PM):just fine like u
=jOcElYn= says (12:36 PM):you getting prettier!
çhof??? says (12:36 PM):P
çhof??? says (12:37 PM):no la
=jOcElYn= says (12:37 PM):no need shy le
çhof??? says (12:37 PM):u’re prettier
=jOcElYn= says (12:37 PM):haha, no la
=jOcElYn= says (12:37 PM):i ugly one
=jOcElYn= says (12:37 PM):eh, do you have may bank2u acc?
çhof??? says (12:38 PM):why?
=jOcElYn= says (12:38 PM):dunno why i can’t login to the site since yesterday
=jOcElYn= says (12:38 PM):u manage to login?
çhof??? says (12:39 PM):erm.. ya
=jOcElYn= says (12:39 PM):i think my pc got virus already
=jOcElYn= says (12:40 PM):the page cannot finish load
çhof??? says (12:42 PM):oh! really?
çhof??? says (12:42 PM):u din install antivirus meh?
=jOcElYn= says (12:43 PM):got scan but took very long time so i always press cancel..haha
=jOcElYn= says (12:43 PM):can u do me a favor?
çhof??? says (12:43 PM):aiyoo
çhof??? says (12:43 PM):u better scan it properly la
çhof??? says (12:43 PM):else ur data all gone lagi teruk
=jOcElYn= says (12:43 PM):i need to transfer money to my fren and been delaying hin since yesterday…u help me to bank in can? i bank in back to u this evening when i go out
çhof??? says (12:46 PM):ooo
çhof??? says (12:46 PM):why so urgent geh?
=jOcElYn= says (12:46 PM):cause delayin him very long already. i feel so bad
=jOcElYn= says (12:46 PM):can u help me?
çhof??? says (12:47 PM):ohhh
çhof??? says (12:47 PM):who is that?
=jOcElYn= says (12:47 PM):my fren, i asked him help me buy some stuff and he already send to item and yet i still havent paid him
çhof??? says (12:49 PM):eh, u din go back hometown ar?
=jOcElYn= says (12:49 PM):nolar
=jOcElYn= says (12:49 PM):can u help me or not?
çhof??? says (12:49 PM):wait wait
çhof??? says (12:49 PM):i’m loading the page
çhof??? says (12:49 PM):also vry slow lo
çhof??? says (12:50 PM):my connection very slow
çhof??? says (12:50 PM):sooo sorry
=jOcElYn= says (12:50 PM):u using dial up?
=jOcElYn= says (12:50 PM):or streamyx?
 
=jOcElYn= just sent you a nudge.
 
=jOcElYn= says (12:54 PM):

çhof??? says (1:17 PM):y not i send cheque to u or pass cash to u?
çhof??? says (1:19 PM):ok ma?
=jOcElYn= says (1:19 PM):i need to transfer the money to him now
=jOcElYn= says (1:19 PM):pass me cash also no use
=jOcElYn= says (1:19 PM):he’s in malacca
=jOcElYn= says (1:19 PM):i got money in my may bank2u just can’t log in!
çhof??? says (1:20 PM):oh
çhof??? says (1:20 PM):u give me ur fren’s acc then
çhof??? says (1:20 PM):so i can transfer when the page loaded finish
=jOcElYn= says (1:20 PM):u manage to log on now?
=jOcElYn= says (1:21 PM):1111-1428-6194 kew min teck
 
Thanks & Regards,
Choy Yee
Design Automation Engineer, Intel

************************************************************************************************

Victim’s response email :

From: Chew, Choy Yee

Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 8:47 AM
Subject: RE: beware….maybank
 

Hi,
Yes, it happened back in October. So, just be extra careful when dealing with money via the internet. And I’ve been receiving a lot of emails seeking for verification. First of all, I wouldn’t have typed this email to warn others if this has not happened. And now, I wouldn’t want to know who the cheater is and so fort, just wanted to tell people out there that this kind of incidents are happening around. Take Care. Thank You.
Thanks & Regards,
Choy Yee

 

 

Bumped into a couple friend at a “makan” place just the other day. So there was this quick catch up. His son is in US LA pursuing his tertiary study totally on sponsorship. Undoubtly, we asked about his graduation. The proud parents quickly said is just one more year to go. RW who was with me for lunch was quick to make a statement, “oh, Don’t come back, stay there. It is better to explore there”. This statement sparked quite a reaction from the father :

“What do you mean by don’t come back ?”
“hello, his parents are here lar”

When we went on to explain the cost of living & the living standard is better there. That sparked an even bigger reaction :

“Harlo, foreigners are coming in here to stay.”
“Things are so much cheaper here!”
“It is so easy to fly & travel here. Look at AirAsia”

I felt like telling him, “Duhhhhhhhhhhh….cheap ? Benchmarking against what ? Indonesia ?” Take a read of Life As A Malaysian & do your math please !! Cheap ????? A Mitsubishi Outlander in UK is about 17K Sterling Pound. It is about RM200K here. An average earner of RM60K/pa in UK can afford an Outlander but not for the Malaysian here !! Ok, don’t look so far away…just next door neighbour. An 80GB ipod videos is SGD 385 but RM1099 in KL. If you are almost fresh grad earning SGD3500 in S’pore, you can easily afford it (approx 10%). But if you are earning RM3500 in KL, you will think more than twice to buy one (is 1/3 of your salary). Even a bowl of noodle is about 14-16% lower in S’pore. But oh well, I decided to keep my peace and give him a warm smile. Let the ignorant be the ignorant.

As I ponder on later that day, I wonder how many among us are as ignorant as he is and caught in the blissful thinking of we are doing fine. 2006 figures, our income per capita, ie. a person’s average annual income, is about USD5K/pa while S’pore is about USD26K/pa. Does that tell you something ? Does this make any sense ?

Merry Christmas everyone. May your Christmas be warm, surrounded by dear friends & family & love ones. May you be richly blessed towards an awesome 2008.

A friend forwarded this posting in malaysiantalk.com via email to me. Aparently the author is currently residing in London. It is for your reading pleasure. How true is his statement ? I can’t verufy. Be a judge for  yourself

Posted by zain on March 26, 2006 at 04:01:29 (Posted - 24/03/2006 : 09:39:21)  Life as a Malaysian

The cost of living in each country (especially UK and Europe) based on what you earn in the respective country and whether the standards are higher than in Malaysia. I tried to point out that many Malaysians always convert and that is why they say the UK is expensive. In fact, the cost of living is much cheaper than in Malaysia. 

In actual fact, Malaysians are being conned because for such a rich and resource rich country, the pay in Malaysia is way too low compared to the cost of living and inflation. One good example is Singapore.

Singaporean’s (average) earns around S$3000 to S$4000 and nearly everything is half the price of Malaysia. E.g. Clothes, computer parts, electronics etc. But the average Malaysian still earns RM2000 plus and goods are double the price of Singapore. This is the same as the UK. If you earn around 2000 pounds, you can liken this to the person earning RM$2000 in Malaysia. I give you some examples below. Maybe you can understand.

1) Good terrace house

It is more or less the same. If you want a house in KL, it would most probably be in Puchong and not Damansara Heights. So your house would be RM200,000. In UK, you can get a decent new house in Zone 6 (still within the tube) for 200,000 pounds. If non London, you can get a nice house also for less than 200,000 pounds outside London. The same also applies to buying a house in Seremban, Kajang etc. You can buy a nice house for RM200,000 below. So buying a house is the same for the local and the Malaysian. Renting a place is the same too or maybe cheaper than in Malaysia (I am Not sure of this). A 2-bedroom flat in London is about 750 pounds (Zone 2). 500 pounds outside Zone 6 but still able to commute to London. A 2-bedroom house in Nottingham is 450 to 500 pounds. A 3-bedroom house in Belfast is about 300 pounds.

2) A car

A good Wira is RM55,000. Most Malaysians have to take 7-year loans and be in debt all the time. If you are earning RM2000 a month, you take nearly 3 years saving the RM2000 with not eating at all just to buy a Wira. In UK, the average local earns about 2000 pounds. He saves 3 months, he can buy outright a good Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Corsa without being in debt. If buying a second hand car, even better. A 1990 Mercedes 190E cost 500 pounds. My 1996 Mercedes E220 cost 2000 pounds. My friend just gave me his 1989 Honda Accord (Auto) for free because he said he could only get 30 pounds for it. I used it for a few months and decided to give it of for free too. That alone speaks for itself. Even if you are kuli or an office boy, you still can drive a Mercedes or a BM. Yes, kuli’s and office boy’s get paid quite well. Average temp/office boy in London can earn about 7 to 10 pounds and hour. Overtime is 1.5 times or double. A brick-layer can earn 20 pounds an hour.The same Indon who lays bricks in Malaysia earns RM$50 for the whole day. Before I became a doctor, I used to be an office boy and I earned near 300 pounds a week working about 70 hours a week. My makan was 30 pounds a week. My rent was 70 pounds a week for a room but I still drove a BMW back then. I bought the 10-year old BMW 3 Series car for 200 pounds. Amazing how an office boy can drive a safe and luxurious car.

3) Petrol.

For a UK person earning 2000 pounds, 89.7 pence a litre/gallon is cheaper than RM1.92 paid in Malaysia. If you don’t convert, it is like paying 90 sen a litre in Malaysia

4) Shopping

20 pounds (which is 1% of 2000 pounds) can buy you 1 week’s worth of groceries in Tesco. RM$100 (which is 10% of RM$2000) can also buy you 1 week’s worth of groceries in Tesco, Giant or Carrefour.

5) Utility Bills

(This is what I pay in UK)
1. Virtually non-stop heating the whole day only 20 pounds a month. (Only 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)
2. Electricity, I use my electricity maximum only 20 pounds a month. (Only 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)
3. My water bill also comes to about 20 pounds a month (Only 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)
4. My Internet ? I get 2Mbps for about 25 pounds (Bulldog DSL) (Also slightly above 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)
5. Astro Equivalent (NTL cable or Sky) ? 30 pounds per month (Also slightly above 1% of the 2000 pounds earned)

 

In Malaysia, this is what I used to pay

1. Tenaga Bill comes to RM$200 to RM300 a month with 3 air-cons. This is more than 10% of the RM$2000 earned)
2. Water (Puas) comes to RM$40 (This is about 2% of the RM$2000 earned)
3. Astro RM$100 (if you take Chinese package) (This is about 5% of the RM$2000 you earn)
4. Internet Streamyx 512K RM 88 per month (This is about 5% of RM2000 you earn)

6) Books

A good book is about 10 to 15 pounds in the UK. This is less than 1% of The 2000 pounds you earn. In Malaysia, you have to spend RM$75 to RM$100 for a decent book in MPH or Kinokuniya in KLCC. This is about 5% of the RM2000 ringgit you earn.

7) Education

I think it is about RM$20,000 per year to do a degree in Sunway Monash and> about RM$12,000 per year to send your kid to UM, UKM, USM etc. I am not sure about this. But in UK, it is only 3000 pounds a year to send your kid to a great university. That also, the white man still makes a lot of noise because The grants were taken away. Previously, it was virtually free for the English man to send his kid to university but now, since the grant was taken away, he has to spend 3000 pounds per year to send his kid to university and less money to get drunk in the pub. Well, if you are earning RM$2000 ringgit, sending your kid to UM to study is quite difficult. If you are earning 2000 pounds per month, you can easily send you kid to university in the UK. Even worse for the poor non bumi’s not given a place in local university. Even if they can afford, they won’t get a place because of the quota system. Unfortunately, the Chinaman and the Indian who gets 5A’s in STPM have to be sacrificed and not given a place to let the Malay fellow with 2E’s and 3 Fail’s to enter the Medical Faculty or Law Faculty. So the non-bumi’s have to save RM100,000 per year to send their kid to the UK. In the UK, at least the white man still can go into university based on results and merit and only pay 3000 pounds per year.

Luxuries

Panasonic Plasma TV in Malaysia about RM20,000. If you are earning RM$2000 a month, memang mahal! You have to save 2 years your monthly salary to buy it. In UK, the same Panasonic ironically, Panasonic plasma is made in Japan and Japan is close to Malaysia, so the plasma should be cheaper in Malaysia) is only 2000 pounds. And this is only 10% of the 2000 pounds earned.

9) Health

NHS is free. Though the service is slow, quality is still there. You still can get a top quality by-pass for free although you may have to wait many months. In Malaysia, IJN charges RM$30,000. SJMC charges RM$50,000. GH is free but as many people know, GH and UH have clown doctors. For example doctors who wear tudung and use a pen to touch the patient because scared dosa.

10) Assessments to local councils

I may pay high council tax but at least my council assures my streets are clean and safe, got no holes (pot holes) on my roads, and they jump and attend to me whenever I call them. When I stayed in Malaysia, I paid my assessment and quite rent but MPSJ (I lived in Subang) told me to “podah” whenever I asked them to come and fill up the pot holes, cut the long lalang, put street lighting etc. The councils, especially MPPJ and MPSJ, were more interested in eating Nasi lemak and going for 10 teh tariks in a day during office hours and hardly did anything for their residents.

11) Income Tax

My national insurance and income tax also is not wasted. When I was unemployed in 1997, the government via social security paid for my 2-bedroom flat for one whole year and I was given about 100 pounds per week for me and my wife to live on. I am happy to know that one day if I lose My job, I can still claim social security and get my apartment paid and food to eat again for free. It is a good security to know. All, the list goes on. Here alone you can see, the sterling they earn goes a long way in the UK. So their quality of life is far better in the UK than a Malaysian in Malaysia. It is just that Malaysians are just too content with what they have. But you compare apple for apple. The British just love to complain. They have it made but still they love To complain. Nothing is good enough for the British. The government gives the citizens so much but they still seem to want more and more.

Written by,
Dr Zain Azrai
London