Tuesday 19 February 2013
Thursday 14 February 2013
Monday 4 February 2013
Many locals victims of online scams
MIRI: The number of Sarawakians cheated in online scams is surprisingly large, and they are surprisingly frequent, with cases involving huge amount of money reported every month.
SUPP information chief, Datuk Sebastian Ting, told The
Star yesterday that his party had been inundated by frequent appeals for help
from victims of the scams.
He used the word “surprisingly” big because with so many
such cases happening, and with so much publicity being given to the cases, the
general public would have be-come wise and be more cautious.
However, he said, it seemed that despite the high number
of victims and wide publicity, even more people have become victims again and
again. SUPP offices across the state, including here, have received increasing
number of reports of such cases from victims, he claimed.
“The number of reports we get, and also the reports
lodged at police stations, have shot up and they are increasing all the time,”
he said.
According to him, it would appear that some people were
making it too easy for online scammers to cheat them by being too easily coaxed
into revealing their personal data, financial details, bank accounts and other
details.
“It is extremely difficult to solve such cases because it
involves tracking down the senders of the messages, which means getting the
cooperation of telecommunication companies or multimedia sources,” he
explained.
He admitted that SUPP did not have enough manpower and
expertise for such an endeavour.
He further pointed out that if the victims had already
made payments into bank accounts, there was a need to track down the account
holders and look at the details of the accounts.
“This would involve banks or Bank Negara. Tedious legal
processes would be involved,” he said.
Ting, who is Piasau SUPP chairman and the proposed SUPP
candidate for Miri parliamentary seat in the coming elections, was commenting
on yet another local scam involving more than RM100,000. Two brothers had
lodged a police report claiming that they had been cheated of large sums of
money by a woman who claimed that she was dying from cancer in the United
Kingdom.
She allegedly cheated them into depositing money into
dubious ac-counts by telling them that she would donate US$15mil to them to
distribute to local churches and or-phanages. Ting yesterday said SUPP had
issued many warnings and advice to people on how they could avoid being cheated
in such scams.
“The very basic principle is that if you receive an offer
of big sums of money from sources you do not know, you must immediately be
suspicious.
“If something is too good to be true, then it may be a
scam. If there is demand for money up front, that is already a reason to ignore
the message and terminate any contact with the sender immediately,” Ting said.
Ting urged members of the public not to entertain such
messages or to discuss terms and conditions with them because the more they
respond, the higher the likelihood that they would end up as victims.
He warned the public that such scams were orchestrated by
people who were very convincing and who knew the tricks of their wicked trade.
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Malaysian men urged to register marriages with foreign women
KANGAR: Malaysian men tying the knot with foreign women should register their marriages in Malaysia to avoid unnecessary hassles, especially in obtaining Malaysian citizenship for their children, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong.
Many Malaysians -- especially those from the Siamese
community living in the rural areas bordering Thailand in Perlis, Kedah, Perak
and Kelantan -- were not aware of the importance of registering their marriages
with their Thai spouses in Malaysia or at least at the Malaysian consulate in
Thailand, if the marriage took place in Thailand.
He said the lack of awareness among the Siamese community
in the rural areas had caused them to face problems in obtaining citizenship
status for their children, thus leaving the children unable to enrol in
government schools.
Speaking at a press conference after the MyDaftar
campaign at Wat Macchimaprasit in Jejawi, here with the Siamese Bumiputera
community yesterday, Lee suggested that those who had not registered their
marriages with the National Registration Department or the Malaysian Consulate
in Thailand should do so at once.
"There have also been cases of parents who had never
registered their marriages and are now facing difficulties in registering their
children at government schools here as their children were not considered
Malaysians.
"This was because many failed to understand that if
a marriage with a foreign wife was not registered in Malaysia, then the
nationality of the child follows that of the mother.
"For example, if the mother is Thai, then the child
will be a Thai national, regardless of whether the husband or the father of the
child is a Malaysian."
Lee said in Perlis alone, where the Siamese community
numbered about 7,300 people, more than 970 such cases had been recorded by the
the NRD from 2011 up to Jan 2013.
They involved matters related to citizenships, late birth
registrations and birth certificates for children.
However, he said the number recorded in 2012, with 312
cases, was half that recorded in 2011, with 647 cases.
It is learnt that based on the figures obtained from the
NRD database from 2007, more than 57,000 non-Muslim locals nationwide had
married foreign spouses. Of these, 45,691 (79.5 per cent) were men while 11,790
(20.5 per cent) were women.
Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu urged
parents in the Siamese community facing difficulties in registering their children
at government schools to bring up the matter with him.
He said such matters could also be discussed with the
state Education Department.
"We are aware there have been cases of children not
allowed to register in government schools as they were not Malaysians.
"However, parents with genuine problems should bring
up this matter and we will find a solution to it."
Yesterday's programme, which saw more than 150 Siamese
registering at the MYDaftar campaign, was also attended by Senator Datuk Boon
Som Inong and NRD Birth, Deaths and Adoption Division director, Zulhairin
Yahya.
RM50m for the needy
KUALA LUMPUR: THE government will disburse RM50 million to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to help single mothers, the disabled and elderly.
The money, channelled through the ministry's Hati Rakyat
programme, will be handed out from next month.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who announced this
at the National Council of Women's Organisations' (NCWO) 50th year celebration
yesterday, said this would be carried out together with the 1Azam programme.
"The funds will be used to help single mothers, the
disabled and elderly, according to their needs. Maybe some will be needing
skills, adult diapers or wheelchairs.
"The RM50 million will expand the social security
net of this group."
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister
Datuk Noriah Kasnon said the programme was being finalised and details would be
given later.
Former women, family and community development minister
Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil thanked Najib and said the allocation was in
tandem with the economic development and transformation of the country.
She said social development had taken centre stage and
was crucial under the administration of Najib and Barisan Nasional.
"This is an acknowledgement for women and the target
groups."
Disabled Persons Association Malaysia president V.
Muruges-waran urged the authorities to use the RM50 million wisely as this
could help the disabled become useful citizens.
"The government should also focus on making the
environment, buildings and infrastructure disabled-friendly so that it would be
accessible to people like us."
Last year, the government had allocated RM1.4 billion to
help single mothers, the disabled and senior citizens. Of that, RM478 million
was allocated to help 135,000 senior citizens through a monthly allowance of
RM300.
The 1Azam programme began in 2010 and is targeted at the
low-income group from all communities, including Indians, Orang Asli and
Bumiputeras. It benefited more than 90,000 last year.
This year, the government has allocated RM400 million for
the 1Azam programme, with some 65,000 expected to benefit.
The core 1Azam programmes are Azam Tani (agriculture),
Azam Niaga (entrepreneurship), Azam Khidmat (service) and Azam Kerja (job
placement). These are aimed at helping the poor break out of the poverty cycle.
[Datuk Noriah Kasnon says the programme was being
finalised and more details will be revealed soon. (And) V. Murugeswaran wants
the government to make infrastructure disabled-friendly]
Saturday 26 January 2013
Mum and daughter get temporary shelter opposite flat they used to live in
 |
|
It’s home for now: Rokiah and Nur
Asyikin moving their belongings to the Chinese
association building where they are
offered temporary shelter.
|
PETALING JAYA: The mother and daughter who have been
living on the streets for the past two weeks have been offered a temporary
shelter just across the road from the flat they used to live in.
Single mother Rokiah Husin, 32, and her 13-year-old
daughter, who only wants to be known as Nur Asyikin, have shifted their
belongings into a small storeroom at a Chinese association building, which
offered to let them stay there for about a week until they find a permanent
home.
“They said I could stay here temporarily as the room was not
being used,” said the grateful mother yesterday, adding that she was still
hoping for the Welfare Department to assist her in getting a low-cost flat.
Rokiah and her daughter have been homeless for the past
two weeks after being forced out of their flat for failing to pay rent.
They had been living under an umbrella, surrounded by
furniture and boxes, outside the flat in Setapak.
Rokiah had been caring for her son, eight, and two
adopted children before they were forced out.
Her relatives have taken in the other children
temporarily, while Nur Asyikin stayed on with her mother.
Rokiah said the Welfare Department had on Friday tried to
take Nur Asyikin into their custody but the girl had refused to leave her
mother's side.
Rokiah, who used to do odd jobs selling diapers and
clothes while babysitting children, hopes to get a business licence to ensure a
stable income and to care for her children.
Despite struggling to make ends meet, Rokiah had earlier
taken in two children from other single mothers who could not afford to care
for their own kids.
Meanwhile, messages have poured in from Good Samaritans
offering financial help for the duo after their plight was highlighted in The
Star yesterday.
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