Cautionary Information

The advent in Technology era has open up to various unscrupulous parties who abuses it for personal gain. With this in mind, I wish to remind all visitors to be on guard on the critical information I’d received from concern friends. The information shall be posted into this column for convenience reading so that all visitors shall to be alerted on any dubious claims by unauthorized party. Protect your confidential information from these irresponsible parties.

- Last posting on Thursday, 08, October 2009, (5 Postings).

Disclaimer! The information contained in this column is intended only for the reader of this column. This information may be subject to legal privilege. Therefore, reader discretion is required. It is not the expressed view of ESJien ICT Consultancy Services unless that is clearly stated. The ESJien ICT Consultancy does not accept liability for any damage caused by this information.

1. Be Aware of calls from 03-2178 8888.
Received : Wednesday, 02 September, 2009 09:11
Sender : Anonymous

Dear friends,
Please do not believe the call from 03-2178 8888 xxxx Customer Service Hotline.

This happened in my family.

Incident 1
My father received a call from xxxx last Wednesday. The customer service officer was told that my father having an outstanding amount of RM3,800 in credit card account. My father was felt weird and called me to check. I told my father to ignore the call since he does not have any account in xxxx. But he insists me to check & gave me the number that appeared in his mobile, which is 03-2178 8888. Finally I have called to xxxx Customer Service Center & told them regarding the incident. The officer told that they have received a lot of customer complains regarding the same incident recently. They have make a police report regarding the incident. She told me NOT to believe those calls from 03-2178 8888 because the hotline is for public to call in and the same number will not appear if the call is really from xxxx’s staff.

Incident 2
My youngest brother received a call from 03-2178 8888 from xxxx yesterday & the guy want to check with my brother whether he is using the credit card to buy jewelry from Poh Kong in KLCC & the amt is about RM3, 000. My brother was wondering because he does not have any credit card from any bank. Then the guy told him that maybe there is someone using my brother identity to apply their credit card. The guy said my brother has to pay a outstanding amount of RM5, 000 which has been swiped previously even though he does not have the card. My brother was very angry, but the guy taught him to report to Bank Negara and he directly transferred the line to “Bank Negara Officer”. The “Bank Negara Officer” told that my brother has to change all the PIN number of his saving accounts since his identity has been used by somebody. “The Officer” asked my brother to go to ATM machine immediately and he will call my brother again to teach him how to change the PIN number. He told my brother not to check his account within 3 days after change the PIN number. My brother was wondering & he told the “Officer” that he only can do it by next day. At last, the “Officer” asked my brother go to the ATM machine at 10am the next day & he will call my brother. After hang up the call, my brother called me & told about the incident. I have asked my brother to ignore it & told him regarding the incident that happened to my father last week. My brother told that those “Officers” were very professional & make him felt that incident is really happen.



2. FROM POLIS DIRAJA MALAYSIA~ HIGHWAY SAFETY ALERT.
Received : Tuesday, 09 December, 2008 18:19
Sender : Anonymous

The message below is from a CID Officer with Polis Diraja Malaysia on HIGHWAY SAFETY ALERT.

A police officer working with the DARE program has issued this warning:
If you are driving after dark and see an on-coming car with no headlights on, DO NOT FLASH YOUR LIGHTS AT THEM. This is a common gang member initiation game. The new gang member under initiation drives along with no Headlights, and the first car to flash their headlights at him is now his "target". He is now required to turn around and chase that car, and shoot at or into the car in order to complete his initiation requirements.

Make sure you share this information with the drivers you know.

3. Happening in Malaysia!~ Girls... please be careful.
Received : Monday, 17 March, 2003 16:07
Sender : CARING MALAYSIAN

Guys ........warn your girlfriends or wife
Girls...... take note

There was a case reported in the Star yesterday (28 Jun) about a 17 yr old girl that almost got raped near Tropicana. I won't give you the details, but it happened at 1 Utama (this wasn't mentioned) abt 10pm when she and her bf were stopped by a guy on motorcycle. Luckily, nothing terrible happened except that the bf got beaten up. Take care out there my housemate's colleague experienced this:
Forgot about the place but as she was turning in, she was suddenly blocked by this white audi in front of her. A few guys got down from the car with sticks and went towards her car. They asked her to get down, but she was smart, she managed to divert their attention and she quickly reversed her car and fled toward the main road. The white car didn't manage to follow behind coz the driver forgot to shut the car doors and reversed thus knocking down his fellow friends. She thought she was out of danger and went to her husband's office, and she was slowing down the car, a van suddenly came out of nowhere and tried to block her way. Good thing she acted fast and drove straight to the police station nearby and reported the case. And she was told that these incident was the 3rd time occurring. But the police are not doing anything about it.
So, be careful wherever you are and always be on the alert.
I don't know how true this is.

BEWARE to all u gals out there..
if u go to ss2.. and ...(section 14)..beware... coz there hev been a white van catching girls into the van then rape them then throw them out naked... so if u gals wanna go there make sure u all go in groups or wif guy please. Pass it on to your other gal pals. And guys...please be alert too and take care of the girls ok??? Take Care

4. Scam False Kidnap.
Received : Thursday, 17 September, 2009 12:13
Sender : Anonymous

This happened recently.. the H in this case works in our company.. scary

Jz to share with you all. This scam happened to our GBS colleague 2 days ago.

Hi All Colleagues & Friends, Thanks for the help on yesterday incident and finally me & my family member are safe. Appreciate alot for all of you on helping my family member to reach and verify my safety.

Here is my wife's tragic experience mail content:-

My dear Collegues,

It is my duty to create awareness to everyone to learn from my tragic experience yesterday. It was the most horrifying incident that happened to me which involved the life of my family member. I was alone in the house with my baby son when I received a call through my house phone about 2pm. So far only close family members know my house phone number.
The following incidents happened. Characters below: K (Kipnapper), M (my mum), B (my brother), H (my Husband)

In my house
1. An unclear crying voice of a man shouted in Mandarin "Something had happened to me. Please help me".
2. K took over and said "I have kipnapped H (didnt mention H's name). I have killed some people & need to leave the country. I need ransom of RM100,000 if you want to save H's life."
3. I was too panic and gave K my name and mobile number when he asked.
4. I told K that I don't have such large sum of cash and need to borrow from M up to RM10,000. K refused that I involved M as 3rd party. My personal cash from bank was only RM6,000.
5. K accepted RM6,000 and told me to withdraw from the bank. I told K that my son would be alone in the house. K told me to pass to neighbours which was impossible as they were not around.
6. K told me to call M to go over to my house to take care of my son. K stayed on line and wanted me to call M through my mobile and listened to our conversation.
7. K wanted me to stay on to my mobile and kept calling me even line was disconnected. Incoming call from K to my mobile was shown as 'Number unknown'.
8. M arrived about 30 mins later. I wrote on a short note to M but she didnt understand. I hurrily left the house without explaining further to M.

Bank
1. The journey to the bank took 30 mins with heavy traffic jam. I withdraw all my cash then inform K. K ask me look for the neareast Public Bank, CIMB or RHB.
2. I dirve another 20 min to look for Public Bank. Finally I parked inside a building after finding a car park for some time. I didnt tell K which branch I was going.
3. I lie to K that I will use the lift which my phone line may cut then I walked using the staircase and end my call with K. I quickly took the opportunity to call M and explained. I told M to contact H.
4. K asked me to find Western Union. Public Bank was closed and the guard didnt allow me to enter.
4. I ran to another building to find RHB Bank which was still opened.
5. K gave me the bank account details of a Chinese name spelled Zheng Xue Xia, address at 18 Tak Wah Street, Tsueen Wan, Hong Kong. K refused to give me more information of the account holder like colour of hair and eye, height and gender. (I purposely delayed the time). He got frustrated easily if he thought I was not cooperative.
6. Finally M managed to contact H who was having training and mobile was put on silent mode during that time.
7. B looked for me in RHB Bank. I quickly switched off my mobile after knowing that H was safe. The funds was not transferred.

Police Station
1. B took me to the nearest police station.
2. After recording my case, police said since I didnt lose any cash and H was safe, they will keep my file (hopefully will receive fresh clue for investigation)

Dear Colleagues, I hope everyone will inform your closed ones about my experience. We all know about such fake cases from the press but in such circumstances, I was alone and couldnt control my emotions. The 'fear for life' of my husband overtook my sensible thinking.

Chin Yin

Suggestion & Lession Learned.

- Please pass some of your peer colleagues/ company security team/department phone number to your immediate family member. This may help when so coincident they not able to reach your handphone number at thatcircumstances.


The Star Online > Nation, Tuesday April 7, 2009

Ransom for fake kidnaps

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have warned the public to be on the alert for a syndicate that preys on families by claiming their children have been kidnapped.

Three such cases - two of which had the families pay their callers ransom totalling RM40,000 - have been reported to the city police.

City CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Datuk Ku Chin Wah said the “kidnappers” would contact parents on their mobile phones and inform them that their child had been kidnapped and then demand a ransom.

“The syndicate members will be very adamant and do not hang up until the parent has paid the money. We believe the syndicate members obtained details of the victims through random phone interviews earlier,” said SAC II Ku.

The first incident took place on March 31 when the “kidnappers” claimed that they had abducted an 18-year-old boy.

They initially demanded RM60,000 but settled for RM12,000 after negotiations.

However, the payment was not made as the father noticed that his son was at home.

The second was on April 2 when the “kidnappers” contacted another family and demanded RM100,000 for the release of their 13-year-old son. After much negotiations, the “kidnappers” settled for RM35,000.

“However the parent only found out that their child was not kidnapped after transferring RM20,000 to the kidnapper’s account,” said SAC II Ku.

Later the same day, another woman fell prey to the scam when she banked in RM20,000 into an account number she had been given only to discover later that her daughter had never been kidnapped.

SAC II Ku urged the public, especially the Chinese community, not to fall prey for such scams and to contact the police.

5. Beware of the ‘push pocket’ scam.
Received : Saturday, October 3, 2009
Sender : The Star Daily

PETALING JAYA: A new type of scam has supposedly emerged where small items like mobile phones or some money are pushed into the pockets of unsuspecting persons who are then accused of theft.
The scam, called “push pocket,” has been hotly discussed in the Internet and has been the topic of various e-mails and blogs.
The discussions also pointed out that KL International Airport (KLIA) was a major scene of the crime.
The authorities however have denied the existence of such crimes in KLIA.
According to Daily Chilli, The Star’s new online portal, a perpetrator would slip a mobile phone or wallet with a few ringgits into the victim’s pocket.
The perpetrator would later accuse the victim of stealing.
Another person would then show up and claim to have seen the victim “committing the crime.”
The cheats would then pull the victim aside to discuss a settlement. The victim would pay up to avoid a ruckus or police involvement.
There were even stories of victims languishing in jails as the perpetrators managed to convince the police to arrest the unwary travellers.
The usual targets are said to be those from the West or Middle East.
An article in Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com), a travel website which also has articles written by travellers, warns tourists of the scam at KLIA.
The scam is also discussed in several online forums and there are both believers and sceptics.
The authorities however have denied the existence of such crimes.
Home Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Mahmud Adam said he had yet to hear of such a scam.
A Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad spokesperson said there were no cases of “push pocket” reported at both the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) and the KLIA in recent years.
“The airports make public announcements to warn travellers not to leave their luggage unattended.
“However, there are no announcements advising travellers to be wary of pick-pockets or ‘push pockets.’
“It has never happened at any of our airports,” said the spokesperson.
The police beat base at KLIA/LCCT reported that there were no reports on “push pockets.”
“Push pocket” is being seen as Malaysia’s version of Thailand’s “Zig-Zag” scheme.
In July this year, the Bangkok Post reported that Thai Transport Minister Sophon Zarun had ordered Airports of Thailand to step up measures at Suvarnabhumi and other airports to prevent extortion scams.
Reports said passengers were being detained every month in the duty-free area on suspicion of shoplifting.
They are then held by the police until they paid large sums of money to buy their freedom.

More to come.....

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