I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Chinese readers “Gong Xi Fa Cai” ahead of the Chinese New Year celebrations next week. (I hardly go online over the weekend lately as it will normally being packed out with so called ‘eventful’ plans, so it is the best for me to put it an advance wish). As always, if you are going to travel longer distances, I hope you will continue to make safety your top-most priority as you embark on your journey. :)
Eunice and 'Ah Boy'... this is for you guys! Comment lor! Dont be a 'silent reader' ...
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Investigator
So why am I calling myself an investigator?
Indeed yes, I feel like I’m one now. Detective Liyana.
A friend of mine received a courier from her online ‘boyfriend’ from UK and there in the parcel, the guy has placed together a cash of 5000 pound. Since there is no way for any cash to be sent via courier, she has faced so many problems in claiming the parcel from the courier company, Fast Link Express and needs her to pay RM 4,960 for the clearance administration.
I know, it sounds so unreasonable, but yes, she paid for it and this has been done via wired transfer to the courier company bank account. Later on she received another advised from them that the process of releasing her parcel needs Inland Revenue execution, thus the package and its contents has to be insured and the added valued tax has to be paid before her parcel can be dispatched and delivered to her.
But this time, she become ‘conscious’, so she refused to further pay any amount and requested for the RM 4,960.00 to be returned.
[Judgment 1: The courier company bank account is under a personal account number. If it is really a true courier company, they should have their own trade account number right?]
But it wasn’t as easy as she might think and she nitpicked her boyfriend and told him her frustration. And since the Mr. Prince Charming didn’t want to ‘loose’ her sad princess (or the money?) and get loose of her ‘trust’, he remitted 250,000 pound into her saving account. (That is like a million over Ringgit!)
He told the girl that his love is for real and he really thinks that she is his lucky charm. Jada-jada drama.
As per normal remittance procedure, he asked from her the swift code, her account number and the receiving bank details and she gave him all. Prior to that, she received another call claiming that it is from CIMB Johore, to confirm on such transfer whether it is a valid transfer. And the ‘bank officer’ advised her on the procedure to claim the amount. She has been given two choices, first to wait until they received clearance approval from BNM (as it is a very large amount and abnormally transacted into her account) which will take sometimes to be cleared and engaged tedious procedures or the second, for her to open an account in the sender’s bank, which in the Barclays Bank of UK.
After listening to the ‘branch officer’ best advice, she opted for the second, without any doubt and much deliberation.
[Judgment 2: Why should CIMB Johore called her when her home branch is in Shah Alam? And why is there no specific branch location given?]
To open an account in Barclays, she needs to have an initial deposit of 1,300 pound for the account opening and this ‘can’ just being done online. And she agreed. And the money was then transferred to the ‘bank officer’ personal account who claimed to be the middle agent of Barclays. She had as well submitted all of her personal details and the ‘account opening form’ via email to Barclays.
[Judgment 3: Can we really open an account online? I mean initial account opening. Nope, I don’t think so.]
It was until I met her the other day and she told me the whole story and she has been keeping this to herself for almost 2 weeks! Gosh! I then told her all my doubtfulness and helped her to call CIMB to check on their bank procedure and seeking advised on the next steps of actions. And after some checking, we found out that the officer who called her is not a CIMB staff but she might be the middle remittance agency in charged of the deposit clearance. So the next morning, she called her home branch and it is confirmed that they are unable to retrieve such agent. Sigh.
I did my own checking with my colleagues too, and it is confirmed to be a big time scam. Firstly, as per my manager’s advice who served Barclays before joining OCBC, they have a policy for not to communicate or ask any personal details via email and secondly, their email address is @barclays.co.uk and not as the one my friend received, barclaysfinances@mail2Uk.com.
Further to that, the contact number provided in the email, +447031862891 is a mobile number! (No bank will communicate in such manner right?)
So I went to Barclays’s website, and checked under their security clauses and practice, yes, it is indeed true as being told. I would say, from my own finding and conclusion, I don’t think it was conveyed by Barclays Bank but just a scam.
So my dearest readers please and please be aware of such scam. So should you receive such offer in the future, just disregard it by any chance. Fraudsters are ubiquitously and even my credit card has been used without my authorization twice before for some purchases made online. We never know, we might be their next victim. So do keep your personal details to yourself and not to let it be freely shared with everybody. Of course, please do not trust anyone that easy even they are our friends or somebody close to us. We never know. It is human normal penchant and desire that we just do something without much thinking when we see any opportunity. And for that desires, we might forget and become the perpetrator or becoming the victim.
For what ever that we do, think twice. Life is beautiful and sweet. How we wish that everything were nice to be true. But sometimes, and most of the time, it is just too damn good to be true.
Someone knocks my heart :)
Indeed yes, I feel like I’m one now. Detective Liyana.
A friend of mine received a courier from her online ‘boyfriend’ from UK and there in the parcel, the guy has placed together a cash of 5000 pound. Since there is no way for any cash to be sent via courier, she has faced so many problems in claiming the parcel from the courier company, Fast Link Express and needs her to pay RM 4,960 for the clearance administration.
I know, it sounds so unreasonable, but yes, she paid for it and this has been done via wired transfer to the courier company bank account. Later on she received another advised from them that the process of releasing her parcel needs Inland Revenue execution, thus the package and its contents has to be insured and the added valued tax has to be paid before her parcel can be dispatched and delivered to her.
But this time, she become ‘conscious’, so she refused to further pay any amount and requested for the RM 4,960.00 to be returned.
[Judgment 1: The courier company bank account is under a personal account number. If it is really a true courier company, they should have their own trade account number right?]
But it wasn’t as easy as she might think and she nitpicked her boyfriend and told him her frustration. And since the Mr. Prince Charming didn’t want to ‘loose’ her sad princess (or the money?) and get loose of her ‘trust’, he remitted 250,000 pound into her saving account. (That is like a million over Ringgit!)
He told the girl that his love is for real and he really thinks that she is his lucky charm. Jada-jada drama.
As per normal remittance procedure, he asked from her the swift code, her account number and the receiving bank details and she gave him all. Prior to that, she received another call claiming that it is from CIMB Johore, to confirm on such transfer whether it is a valid transfer. And the ‘bank officer’ advised her on the procedure to claim the amount. She has been given two choices, first to wait until they received clearance approval from BNM (as it is a very large amount and abnormally transacted into her account) which will take sometimes to be cleared and engaged tedious procedures or the second, for her to open an account in the sender’s bank, which in the Barclays Bank of UK.
After listening to the ‘branch officer’ best advice, she opted for the second, without any doubt and much deliberation.
[Judgment 2: Why should CIMB Johore called her when her home branch is in Shah Alam? And why is there no specific branch location given?]
To open an account in Barclays, she needs to have an initial deposit of 1,300 pound for the account opening and this ‘can’ just being done online. And she agreed. And the money was then transferred to the ‘bank officer’ personal account who claimed to be the middle agent of Barclays. She had as well submitted all of her personal details and the ‘account opening form’ via email to Barclays.
[Judgment 3: Can we really open an account online? I mean initial account opening. Nope, I don’t think so.]
It was until I met her the other day and she told me the whole story and she has been keeping this to herself for almost 2 weeks! Gosh! I then told her all my doubtfulness and helped her to call CIMB to check on their bank procedure and seeking advised on the next steps of actions. And after some checking, we found out that the officer who called her is not a CIMB staff but she might be the middle remittance agency in charged of the deposit clearance. So the next morning, she called her home branch and it is confirmed that they are unable to retrieve such agent. Sigh.
I did my own checking with my colleagues too, and it is confirmed to be a big time scam. Firstly, as per my manager’s advice who served Barclays before joining OCBC, they have a policy for not to communicate or ask any personal details via email and secondly, their email address is @barclays.co.uk and not as the one my friend received, barclaysfinances@mail2Uk.com.
Further to that, the contact number provided in the email, +447031862891 is a mobile number! (No bank will communicate in such manner right?)
So I went to Barclays’s website, and checked under their security clauses and practice, yes, it is indeed true as being told. I would say, from my own finding and conclusion, I don’t think it was conveyed by Barclays Bank but just a scam.
So my dearest readers please and please be aware of such scam. So should you receive such offer in the future, just disregard it by any chance. Fraudsters are ubiquitously and even my credit card has been used without my authorization twice before for some purchases made online. We never know, we might be their next victim. So do keep your personal details to yourself and not to let it be freely shared with everybody. Of course, please do not trust anyone that easy even they are our friends or somebody close to us. We never know. It is human normal penchant and desire that we just do something without much thinking when we see any opportunity. And for that desires, we might forget and become the perpetrator or becoming the victim.
For what ever that we do, think twice. Life is beautiful and sweet. How we wish that everything were nice to be true. But sometimes, and most of the time, it is just too damn good to be true.
Someone knocks my heart :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Happy Isnin
As promised, I’m back today. And I’m learning hard in chorusing the reading and writing in such a chock-a-block schedule. It is such a wearing Monday. I opened my department inbox this morning and ‘smiled’ ‘with pleasure’ to the so much convivial-welcoming remark ‘inbox [60]’.
Yeay!
Doing business communication thing is undeniably my cup of tea. Even so when it is Monday, I just can’t get hold of calling it an agitated day. How you wish that pleasant and amusing weekend could run eternally but was bunged by an annoying alarm clock that rings at 6am and washing away your castle in the sky. Adieu fantasy.
And added with nearly 55 letters and emails prepared and replied to customers today, it builds up my abhorrence-ness of M.O.N.D.A.Y.
(Dear inner soul, stop complaining!)
Hey! I wasn’t that awful in fact. As it is the payday! A.k.a the debt paying day! Sigh.
(Dear inner soul, stop becoming belligerent!)
O-K
There is nothing much to talk about today. But I have a nice Monday brainteaser for all of you...
"Is it more correct to say the yolk of eggs is white or the yolk of eggs are white?"
Answer:
Next post!
Where O where...
Yeay!
Doing business communication thing is undeniably my cup of tea. Even so when it is Monday, I just can’t get hold of calling it an agitated day. How you wish that pleasant and amusing weekend could run eternally but was bunged by an annoying alarm clock that rings at 6am and washing away your castle in the sky. Adieu fantasy.
And added with nearly 55 letters and emails prepared and replied to customers today, it builds up my abhorrence-ness of M.O.N.D.A.Y.
(Dear inner soul, stop complaining!)
Hey! I wasn’t that awful in fact. As it is the payday! A.k.a the debt paying day! Sigh.
(Dear inner soul, stop becoming belligerent!)
O-K
There is nothing much to talk about today. But I have a nice Monday brainteaser for all of you...
"Is it more correct to say the yolk of eggs is white or the yolk of eggs are white?"
Answer:
Next post!
Where O where...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Rojak
I have been contemplating the whole world of blogging again. Once you get out of blogging on a regular basis sometimes it's hard to get back to it. There are so many things you'd like to blog about, but where do you start?
I’m stuck in a vicious circle.
Offline, there are numerous things you'd like to blog about, but you just can't for some ‘unavoidable’ reason, until when you are blogging again, it’s just a whole different natter. It is just poles apart.
Unavoidable?
I proclaim myself that I’m a multi-tasking monster. But not for reading and writing. Sadly, I just can’t do both at the same time. And that is to reason my away. And for the past 2 weeks, I’m on my own unidentified reason reading marathon. Not the kind where people run a lot, but the kind where the book in question has pegged that you on and has therefore masterfully planned to keep you glued to the spot by showing pages after pages of nicely written fiction. And before I started the fifth book, I realized that it is time for me to blog again. And nope, I’m not gonna let my blog decompose.
So we're 18 days into 2009 and what a better time to start rolling out my Goals, (I prefer not to call it resolutions).
And so far, I’m so thankful that it commenced flawlessly. Though there are still humps in between, I believe life is for the living and we simply have to give our best to get the best. Embracing where we are and not to sweat the small stuff as the humps is just part of the life that makes us stronger and a better person forward. After all, time brings about change, and change brings about growth.
Kan?
Btw, with all the excitement of the new year, I forgot to mention my new 'do'. I have cut my hair short, and now regrettably announcing that I miss my old hair! But then again, I take it as a way to cut off all the blueness away. And to start fresh emotionally and physically as a new person for a better days ahead. Insyallah.
Alhamdullilah, for I believe in every test that the God has tested us with, with patient and incessant praying and tawakal, insyallah, there will always ‘something’ nice destined for us. To share a good news, I have passed my PTD (PAC) assessment test. So I’ll be sitting for the 3rd test, the interview in February. I’m very much excited but yet stunned as I just couldn’t believe as true that I have make it to the interview session which is the last assessment. Alhamdullilah.
Will talk more about it tomorrow, or should I say the next post? Ha-ha. We will see :)
Till then.
Akmarina! Thanks a lot for the news. Cepat cari tips,..hehe
I’m stuck in a vicious circle.
Offline, there are numerous things you'd like to blog about, but you just can't for some ‘unavoidable’ reason, until when you are blogging again, it’s just a whole different natter. It is just poles apart.
Unavoidable?
I proclaim myself that I’m a multi-tasking monster. But not for reading and writing. Sadly, I just can’t do both at the same time. And that is to reason my away. And for the past 2 weeks, I’m on my own unidentified reason reading marathon. Not the kind where people run a lot, but the kind where the book in question has pegged that you on and has therefore masterfully planned to keep you glued to the spot by showing pages after pages of nicely written fiction. And before I started the fifth book, I realized that it is time for me to blog again. And nope, I’m not gonna let my blog decompose.
So we're 18 days into 2009 and what a better time to start rolling out my Goals, (I prefer not to call it resolutions).
And so far, I’m so thankful that it commenced flawlessly. Though there are still humps in between, I believe life is for the living and we simply have to give our best to get the best. Embracing where we are and not to sweat the small stuff as the humps is just part of the life that makes us stronger and a better person forward. After all, time brings about change, and change brings about growth.
Kan?
Btw, with all the excitement of the new year, I forgot to mention my new 'do'. I have cut my hair short, and now regrettably announcing that I miss my old hair! But then again, I take it as a way to cut off all the blueness away. And to start fresh emotionally and physically as a new person for a better days ahead. Insyallah.
Alhamdullilah, for I believe in every test that the God has tested us with, with patient and incessant praying and tawakal, insyallah, there will always ‘something’ nice destined for us. To share a good news, I have passed my PTD (PAC) assessment test. So I’ll be sitting for the 3rd test, the interview in February. I’m very much excited but yet stunned as I just couldn’t believe as true that I have make it to the interview session which is the last assessment. Alhamdullilah.
Will talk more about it tomorrow, or should I say the next post? Ha-ha. We will see :)
Till then.
Akmarina! Thanks a lot for the news. Cepat cari tips,..hehe
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Bye Bye Fun
I'm back... It was a great trip with the Pretties. Talk about it tomorrow aite! Still ‘Jetlag’? Ha-ha. Yah rite… (kunon)
Charlatan you! *vanished* p.l.e.a.s.e
Charlatan you! *vanished* p.l.e.a.s.e
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