28/02/2022

Foods To Have A Healthy Heart

Chickpeas

We could choose several foods to include in our diet if we had ever thought of fighting heart diseases. The first that would pop to our mind would be fruits and vegetables. And while it was confirmed that these were healthy options, there were many other foods we could select.

In this article, we decided to compile a list of fantastic food that would help us start our health journey.

Chickpeas were known to be small but what most people didn’t know was that these were packed with cardiovascular nutrition. Chickpeas were full of fiber and potassium. Not only that but chickpeas were also loaded with vitamins that could aid in lowering our cholesterol levels. In effect, it would also reduce the risk of heart disease.

27/02/2022

The Ticks on WhatsApp

Update 30 Sep 2022: WhatsApp users in S'pore urged to update app to patch security holes
The first system flaw allows an attacker to take control of the app while a user is making a video call REUTERS

WhatsApp users in Singapore have been urged to download the latest version of the application to fix two security flaws that could give hackers complete control over the app.

Issuing the alert on Wednesday, the Singapore Computer Emergency Response Team (SingCert) said users should install the latest version of the app "immediately" even though there are currently no reports of active exploitation of the loopholes.

The first system flaw allows an attacker to take control of the app while a user is making a video call.


Why Does My Message Only Have One Tick In WhatsApp?
One gray tick means that the message is successfully sent but it hasn’t been delivered yet

If you’re new to WhatsApp, you may be confused by all these grey and blue ticks. WhatsApp uses that system to let you know whether your message is delivered and whether the other person has read it or not. Once you understand how the system works, you’ll be able to track what’s happening with your message. This feature makes communication easier and it was introduced in order to avoid potential misunderstandings.

Why Does My Message Have Only One Tick? You’ve decided to text your friend via WhatsApp. It’s an easy way to send a message or photo, without paying a dime. Maybe your friend went abroad and this is the easiest way to stay in touch. As soon as you send the message (if you have a good internet connection), one grey tick will appear below your text.

You may have noticed that sometimes the gray tick turns into two gray ticks immediately, but sometimes it takes a while. If your message has had only one tick for hours, you may think that you’ve done something wrong. But that’s not the case.


Does one grey tick on WhatsApp indicate you have been blocked?
A single grey tick on WhatsApp does not necessarily mean that you have been blocked by a person. There are various reasons for the occurrence of single grey ticks including network issues

WhatsApp, a free messenger app that has been connecting users across the world since 2009, has its own set of ambiguity when it comes to blocking people. Like many other social media platforms, WhatsApp has its own symbols to indicate activities and actions, the most important being the grey and the blue ticks. They not only inform you about the delivery of the message but also bring to your notice the actions of the receiver. For instance, the blue tick indicates that the message has been read by the receiver.

There are, however, various complications attached to the significance of these ticks, especially with regard to blocking someone on this widely used app. A single grey tick on WhatsApp does not necessarily mean that you have been blocked by the person you are trying to message. There are various reasons for the occurrence of single grey ticks that includes having network troubles and unavailability of a data connection. Your messages might also not get delivered if the phone of the person you are trying to connect with is switched off. Here are some indications that you must look for to ascertain that you have been blocked, other than the grey tick:
  • Last seen- You will not be able to see the last seen of the person you are trying to connect with if you have been blocked.
  • Display picture- The display picture of the concerned person will disappear as soon as you are blocked.
  • Status- The status of the account will no longer be visible to you if you have been blocked by the person you are trying to message.

If all of these elements are missing from the contact’s account then there are high chances that you have been blocked. However, before jumping to any conclusion, keep in mind that even these indicators can be modified by the users by changing the settings, according to their own preference.


How do you know if you're blocked on WhatsApp?
WHATSAPP has made it intentionally ambiguous for users to learn whether they have been blocked on the chat app, but there are some signs to confirm your suspicions. Here is how to work out whether you have been blocked on WhatsApp

WhatsApp connects more than two billion people every day via many billions more messages, but they won't all reach their intended destination. One occasion when they won't is when users exercise a block, an often vital feature that keeps people safe and harassment-free. As such, WhatsApp makes it purposefully difficult for people on the receiving end to tell if they are blocked by one of their contacts. 

Check the contact’s Last Seen Status:
  • A early indication is to check the WhatsApp user in questions’ Last Seen status.
  • Users should first of all open a chat with the user.
  • At the very top of the chat window, underneath their name, there should be a message such as: “Last seen today at 3pm.”
  • If such a message is not visible, this could mean you have been blocked.
  • It is important to underline how WhatsApp has a setting to intentionally block such Last Seen status, meaning this is not definitive evidence for being blocked.

Check the WhatsApp blue ticks:
  • WhatsApp’s blue ticks are a method for revealing whether a message has received and read.
  • And the ticks are also a telltale clue revealing if you have been blocked.
  • One grey tick means the message has been sent, two grey ticks means the message has been received and two green ticks mean the message has been read.
  • Users who have been blocked on WhatsApp will only ever see one grey tick.
  • The is because, while a message may have been sent, WhatsApp will not deliver it to the contact.
  • Although on its own, this might mean that the user has lost their phone or can’t connect to the Internet.
  • But in tandem with the first method, it also suggests you have probably been blocked.


No need to disable ‘Read receipt’ - Here is how to read WhatsApp messages without blue tick notifications
Here is a trick that you may find worth if you are a WhatsApp Web user. This trick allows you to read messages as they come even without getting a blue tick to the sender and that too when your Read receipts’ option is on!

If you want to read messages but don’t want to reveal to the sender that you have seen it, some tricks have been cracked that may help you to do the same. Here is a trick that you may find worth if you are a WhatsApp Web user. This trick allows you to read messages as they come even without getting a blue tick to the sender and that too when your ‘Read receipts’ option is on!

As WhatsApp users, one knows that whenever a text is sent, a single tick mark will appear by it to indicate your message was sent. Two ticks mean your message was delivered, and two blue ticks would mean your message has been read.

In the ‘Read receipt’ feature, the double ticks turn blue once the recipient has read it. WhatsApp provides the optional feature of turning off the blue tick option. However, this does not let the sender know whether the receiver has already read his or her message or not. Now here is the trick when you can read messages without letting anyone know and that too with the blue tick optional feature still on!


23/02/2022

What Is Pig-Butchering Scam 杀猪盘

How Malware takes remote control of your HP after you download 3rd party apps

Update 6 Nov 2023: Spate of Online Scams
Mother of 2 loses $320k life savings in scam: 'Everything fell apart'

She didn't just lose her money in this encounter - she lost her faith in humanity as well. Adeline (not her real name) shared with AsiaOne on Nov 10 that she had fallen for an investment scam in October, one which caused her to lose more than $320,000 in just a month.

She was first approached by an individual through Instagram, who presented himself as a high-flying businessman. The scammer chatted with Adeline about their hobbies and work life, before asking her to switch to WhatsApp to continue their conversation. After two weeks of interaction, the two became 'friends' and the 'businessman' allegedly offered Adeline an opportunity - to invest in trading gold commodities through a "seed" investment platform, purportedly based under a larger, reputable investment company. Seed investment refers to financing startups in order to aid their development.

He then showed her detailed information to convince her, and although Adeline wasn't keen on taking the plunge, she eventually acquiesced. Her first foray into this 'investment' platform was funded by this scammer who gave her US$2,000 (S$2,721) to experiment with. After turning a quick profit through the platform, the scammer then invited Adeline to invest a larger sum of US$10,000. However, the amount was too daunting for Adeline, who admitted to AsiaOne that she had no interest in the subject and didn't know much about investments.


Sha Zhu Pan: The Pig Butchering Scam

I want to raise awareness on the Pig-Butchering scam or Sha Zhu Pan in Chinese. So called because victims are patiently worked on every day for 1-3 months before scamming them big time, like fattening up a pig before slaughter. They have extremely well-planned operations and have really been successful in the Chinese-speaking world. Sha Zhu Pan scam has become one of the top Chinese buzzwords in 2019-2020.

Victims are scammed on average $24k, and millions in total have been lost. It's a huge cottage industry that Chinese police has had a hard time stamping out. There are scores of recent news stories, blogs, video clips, and other media online about Sha Zhu Pan victims and scammers. Sadly, almost all are in Chinese. I think the rest of the world has to wise up to this, because now as most Chinese are becoming aware of this Pig-Butchering Scam, the scammers are turning their skills more towards non-Chinese, more so this year.

This first half is somewhat detailed because since everyone is generally aware of romance scams, being vague won't convince someone who is in the thick of it and thinks that his/her online friend is THE exception. Exposing specific details of the Pig-Butchering scam is most convincing to current victims that the "spontaneous" events are actually planned.


And how to Prevent it?

“Pig-Butchering Scam” is a fraud method that induces users to participate in various types of fraudulent investments such as financial investments, gambling games, foreign exchange and other types of fake investments through online dating. Scammers call the deceived users “pigs”.

Next, scammers will follow some established scripts and define themselves as rich and handsome / beautiful, then they will induce users to fall in love and try to gain trust. We call it “pig raising” during this stage. When it reaches a certain level of emotional foundation, scammers will start to lure the other party to invest, and the final stage of fraud is “kill the pig”.

Suggestions of The Prevention of “kill the pig” Fraud:
  • “Don't believe it”, you need to be cautious when making friends online. Don't trust netizens, and don't believe in investment lies such as “stable profit without loss”, “low cost and high return” and so on.
  • "Don't be greedy”, refuse the temptation of gambling and high-return investment, remember that only greed will be deceived because there is no such thing as a free lunch.
  • “Don't transfer”, don't transfer money to unfamiliar accounts. When transferring money to acquaintances, you must also be cautious, and communicate more with your relatives and friends and ask more to prevent falling into a “trap”.


Common Romance Scams 2021: Pig Butchering (Sha Zhu Pan), Fake Investment, Sextortion, … and MORE!

Looking for love? Be careful, romance scammers are looking for people to target, and they are happy to break hearts to get money.

Common Tactics of Romance Scams:
  • Investment opportunities - The scammer emails fake investments invitation with phishing links to gather their victim’s personal details. Also known as “Sha Zhu Pan”, pig butchering is the latest online dating scam. The scammers will invite their victims to invest in cryptocurrencies after winning their trust. Then they run away with all the invested cryptocurrencies.
  • Requests of money for emergencies - Scammers request money for emergency purposes like medical expenses.  After receiving the money, the scammer vanishes.
  • Offers or gifts - The scammers ask for a tariff or shipment fee to send their gifts from overseas, but they disappear once they get the money.
  • Intimate messages - After exchanging private photos, the scammers threaten to share explicit images with the victim’s contacts unless they receive money.


Sha Zhu Pan - AKA: "Pig Butchering" scam

As we all know, the pandemic has had a massive effect on all of us but it's also had a huge effect on your regular street scammers in China, no more incoming foreigners to scam. Thus online scams from China have increased exponentially. This particular one is nasty and probably one of the worst scams out there. It's a combination of the regular romance scam, a cryptocurrency scam and the advanced fee scam but with a few twists. I've put this here because people interested in China/Chinese language etc may find themselves here mid-scam or be aware of it.

The scam - A girl will contact you through social media, mostly dating or language learning apps but I've had a few contact me here on Reddit. Instagram and snapchat are also heavily used. If you have any interest in China you will inevitably run into one of these, this is why it's stickied here. These girls are real and will do video calls/pretend to be interested in you. They're usually paid by an employer to act the front. Everything will start off pretty benign and they will let you guide where the conversation goes, talk about China, send you photos, every day things, a bit of flirting etc. Usually after a bit of time (weeks, so at this point you 'trust' your new friend) the conversation will go towards money and she will say she's very successful but won't say much more. Over the next few weeks she will start to drop hints about cryptocurrency in the hope you take the bait.

If you take the bait she introduces you to her advisor who will tell you all about bitcoin and how he makes the girl money, and you'll invest. Usual pushy sales tactics, they've got a legit looking website, a full (fake) cryptocurrency exchange with logins etc running. They'll ask you to do some 'practice' runs before investing real money. The girl will usually ask you to do that out of 'concern for you'. Eventually you'll invest real money, and even get a small amount back to 'prove the system'. Over the next few months they'll take everything you have through various fees, taxes, withdrawal limits, government bribes, etc - it's all fake, in reality you'd better taking your money and literally burning it... at least it's warm. Once you're out of money the girl and the exchange will move on and you'll never see them again.


The pig-butchering scam: Con artists who come for your heart and wallet
Fraudsters spend months cultivating a relationship with the victims before urging them to invest in bogus investment schemes. PHOTO: PEXELS

Victims in Singapore have lost more money to investment scams than any other ruse in the last three years. It hit a record high last year, with $190.9 million stolen in such scams, more than five times the $36.9 million lost in 2019.

A recent variant that has appeared here is the pig-butchering scam. Fraudsters spend months cultivating a relationship with the victims before urging them to invest in bogus investment schemes. According to news reports, pig-butchering scams started in China in 2016. Back then, scammers groomed their victims to place bets on fake gambling websites.

The Chinese term "sha zhu pan" - it means to fatten a pig before slaughtering it - was coined by the perpetrators themselves to describe their scam. The Chinese government cracked down on illegal betting in 2018. But fraudsters then targeted Chinese speakers in South-east Asia. As the demographic expanded to include Europe and the United States, scam tactics evolved to keep abreast with the growing popularity of cryptocurrency investments.



Woman in S'pore lost $240,000 in 'pig-butchering' scam after fraudster courted her for months
This hybrid of romance and investment scams see fraudsters pretend to be a love interest to swindle unassuming partners. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

After six months of trying to pay back banks, moneylenders and creditors, Christine (not her real name) finally started bankruptcy proceedings over a huge debt. The 37-year-old Malaysian nurse working in Singapore is a victim of a pig-butchering scam.

This hybrid of romance and investment scams see fraudsters pretend to be a love interest to swindle unsuspecting partners.

With a total debt of $270,000 and no recourse, Christine attended a court hearing on Thursday (Feb 17) to declare bankruptcy.



Singaporeans fall prey to Chinese-origin 'pig-butchering' crypto scam

Victims in Singapore have lost more money to bogus investment schemes than any other ruse in the last three years, especially falling prey to Chinese-origin "pig-butchering" cryptocurrency scam, losing SGD190.9 million last year, over five times the SGD36.9 million in 2019.

Fraudsters spend months cultivating a relationship with the victims before urging them to invest in such schemes, according to a report in The Sunday Times. A recent variant that has appeared in Singapore is the "pig-butchering" scam, said the report, adding that the Chinese term "sha zhu pan" means to fatten a pig before slaughtering. It was coined by the perpetrators themselves to describe their scam.

Fraudsters spend months cultivating a relationship with the targets before urging them to invest in bogus investment schemes.


Online ‘pig butchering’ love scams have gone global after getting their start in China
Online scammers try to build months-long relationships with their victims before convincing them into fraudulent investments. Photo: Shutterstock

A scamming strategy called “pig butchering” that started in China is spreading beyond both border and language, transforming into a global fraud racket.

According to the Global Anti-Scam Organisation, a volunteer-led advocacy group, the primary victims of the scheme outside China are Chinese nationals or ethnically Chinese people living in Southeast Asia. But more than a third of the duped people were non-Chinese people in North America and Asia, showing how the demographic targeted is rapidly expanding.

Called sha zhu pan in Chinese, or “pig butchering” in English, the scam involves the perpetrator building a relationship, often romantic but not always, with the victim over months, akin to fattening the pig, before convincing them to invest money into a fake venture, slaughtering the animal.


The Butchering the Pig (Crypto/Forex) Scam

Our international litigation team has been seeing a vertible ton of a particularly sinster crypto/forex scam: The “Sha Zhu Pan” (Chinese: 杀猪盘) or, “Butchering the Pig” scam.

This scam is called “Butchering the Pig” because targets are engaged daily for several months before large amounts of money are sent to the scammers; in other words, it is like fattening up a pig before the slaughter. The scammers, using a profile of an attractive (usually) Asian man or woman, lead the target (the pig) through carefully scripted conversations. Once the target has sent an initial “investment” deposit, the account will show impressive gains. Sometimes the scammer will allow the target to withdraw a small amount of money to prove its legitimacy. The target is encouraged to send further funds to maximize this investment opportunity. Eventually, the scammers cut off all communication, leaving the target without their money or their “profits.”

What makes this scam so insidious and so successful is that while the amounts stolen usually range between USD$10,000 and $2,000,000+, the sheer number of scams occurring is overwhelming. We recently heard from a prominent lawyer who lost more than $5 million on this scam. He eventually decided not to pursue his claims because he feared the publicity would destroy his legal practice. Between January and July of 2021, the FBI alone received nearly 2,000 complaints of cryptocurrency-focused Sha Zhu Pan scams and there is little doubt the number is considerably higher. The police in China don’t really care because they have more important things to do and they are not all that fund of Americans and Europeans (the usual victims) in any event, especially those of Chinese etnicity, who seem to make up a good chunk of the victims. The police in the foreign country (usually in North America or Europe) have too many cases and more important things to do and so they usually don’t do anything either.


Pig Butchering Crypto Scam
A technique known as ‘pig butchering’ has spread globally as a cryptocurrency scam

It looks like we will have to learn some new cryptocurrency scam lingo. A scam technique known as ‘pig butchering’ – a reference to how a target is ‘fattened up’ before being butchered or slaughtered – that started in China is now spreading across borders and countries. languages, evolving into global fraud. In Chinese, it is known as “sha zhu pan”, which translates to “pig butcher” in English. It is essentially a cybercrime, including relationship and investment fraud. The offender builds a relationship with the victim for months, often romantic but not necessarily fattening a pig, before tricking them into investing in a bogus business and, metaphorically, shooting the victim.

According to Global Anti-Scam Organization, a volunteer-run advocacy group, scammers on dating apps and social media groom targets for weeks to interest them in investing in cryptocurrency, forex, gold and other commodities. The scammers do not ask for money directly, but lead victims to a fake investment website or app that they control. Scammers coax and harass victims into depositing more money into their own “account” inside the fake platform using a variety of schemes in the name of “customer service”. In the end, the victims are not able to withdraw their money.

The Global Anti-Scam Organization even uploaded a video to YouTube titled “What’s Behind Today’s Wave of Online Relationship and Investment Scams?” The caption states that the scammers “originate from the cottage industry of telecommunications and online fraud in Southeast Asia and are run by Chinese labor unions.” The caption adds that reports of the scam began “pouring in in China in mid-2019 and it quickly became a smash hit for the scam industry, which dubbed it ‘Pig Butchering Plate “.


Anti-SMS spoofing registry to shut and be replaced by full-fledged system

A registry meant to combat SMS spoofing will be shut down and replaced by a full-fledged system in response to the recent spate of SMS phishing scams, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Monday (Mar 7).

The SMS SenderID Protection Registry, which was initially piloted in August 2021 by IMDA and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), was done in collaboration with the UK Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) as a commercial service provider. "MEF had informed that IMDA’s requirements to meet Singapore’s needs going forward are not consistent with its business model," said IMDA, in response to CNA's queries. "As IMDA will be moving towards a more fully-fledged SSIR, the MEF and IMDA have therefore jointly decided to conclude our pilot which has provided us with useful inputs to move on with our new model." It added that the recent spate of SMS phishing scams in Singapore warranted a "strong response".

The authority said that the "full-fledged" Singapore SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) can identify spoofed messages using protected SMS sender IDs, and block these messages upfront. "This more proactive stance to better protect consumers is a regulatory requirement going forward.


SMS providers, telcos to be required to block spoof SMSes from unregistered senders

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will require short message service (SMS) providers and telecommunications companies to check SMS senders against a national registry aimed at curbing scams, Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo said. The SMS service providers and telcos will have to block spoofed messages sent under a registered sender ID when the sender’s details do not match the registry’s records, she added.

Mrs Teo, who is also the Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity, announced this in a ministerial statement in response to 39 parliamentary questions filed by Members of Parliament on online phishing and spoofing scams in the wake of the recent OCBC phishing scam. Sender IDs are names that identify the sender of an SMS message so that a word or phrase (such as "OCBC"), instead of a number, is displayed on the recipient's mobile phone.

All organisations seeking to send SMS messages using IDs registered with the SMS Sender ID protection registry must also have a valid unique entity number (UEN), which is an identification number issued to a registered entity. This, she said, will help the police with investigations in the event of a scam. However, even with the extra safeguards, Mrs Teo warned that the SMS system was never designed for secure messages and urged organisations to practise more restraint when sending such messages.


Banks to remove clickable links in emails, SMS sent to customers as part of new security measures
New measures for digital banking are to be rolled out for banks in Singapore, after a recent spate of SMS phishing scams affected at least 469 of OCBC's customers

Banks in Singapore will be removing clickable links in emails or SMS messages sent to retail customers and set the threshold for funds transfer notifications to customers by default at S$100 or lower. These are part of several measures to protect account holders from phishing scams. The changes, announced by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) in a joint statement on Wednesday (Jan 19), will be implemented within the next two weeks.

The new measures came after at least 469 customers were affected by an SMS phishing scam targeting OCBC bank customers, with losses totalling at least S$8.5 million. The fraudsters had sent out fake bank alerts that spoofed the bank's official SMS channel, duping many of them into clicking on web links and giving up their personal account information last month. In the joint statement, MAS and ABS said that these measures will bolster the security of digital banking, given that it will lengthen the time taken for certain online banking transactions and also provide an added layer of security to protect customers’ funds.

Other measures that banks will be putting in place include:
  • Delaying activation of a new soft token on a mobile device by at least 12 hours
  • Sending notification to a customer's existing mobile number or email registered with the bank whenever there is a request to change a customer’s mobile number or email address
  • Introducing a cooling-off period before executing requests to important account changes such as in a customer’s key contact details
  • Having dedicated and well-resourced customer assistance teams to deal with feedback on potential fraud cases on a priority basis
  • More frequent scam education alerts


How to spot an investment scam

Find out how you can spot an investment scam and what you can do to avoid falling prey to one. Key takeaways:
  • All investments carry risks. Be wary of opportunities that offer high returns at little or no risk.
  • Don't take everything at face value, or rush into committing your money.
  • Always ask, check and confirm before you invest.
Scammers use increasingly sophisticated and effective tactics to get you to part with your money. Even though some investment scams may look like a real deal, there are some red flags you can spot to help you steer clear of them. All investments carry risk. The greater the promised investment returns, the higher the risk. Be wary when you encounter an investment opportunity that claims to guarantee or protect your capital while promising high returns. Many investment scams offer such lucrative promises in order to lure investors in.

It is important to check how the investment scheme can generate such high profits with low or no risk. Benchmark the returns - find out what other investments offer the same returns and see what the risks are like. It is unlikely that the investment you are being offered can provide the same returns without the same risks at least. Pressure tactics:
  • "Limited time only! Invest before it sells out!"
  • "Special rates for first 50 investors. Don't miss out on this golden opportunity!"
  • "More than 2,000 people have invested - what are you waiting for?"
  • "Invest today and get extra 10% credit with many other benefits."

How You can Avoid being Scammed
Scams have been increasing of late. Here’s how to stay safe

Ever received emails from “royals” seeking help to transfer money out of their country in exchange for a percentage of the loot? Or phone calls informing that you’ve won a seven-figure overseas lottery and the only way to receive the payout is by providing your banking details? These are just some examples of classic scams that have been around since mobile technology became a part of our everyday life.

Scammers, though, have been evolving in recent years, becoming sophisticated cons who not only target individuals but businesses and organisations as well. The first half of 2020 saw the number of scams in Singapore jump by 140 per cent compared to 2019. More troublingly, a survey by the Home Team Behavioural Sciences Centre found that 45 per cent of scam victims reported being scammed more than once. According to the Singapore Police Force, last year saw a whopping $201 million lost to scammers, much of it online as Singaporeans turned to websites and apps to carry out activities like banking and buying groceries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scammers have also begun to target people working from home through robocalls, as well as seniors who are unfamiliar with the Internet.

The rising number of scam victims is testament to the increasing psychological sophistication of scammers’ tactics ­in crafting false proof, impersonating the victim’s close friends and using the victim’s shame about possibly falling for a scam to continue extracting money from them. Romance scammers are especially adept at identifying victims who are lonely, vulnerable and easily manipulated — a group that is increasing in size worldwide, due to COVID-19’s impact on social lives. Ensure your safety and that of others by familiarising yourself with common methods of fraud. Here are the top 10 scams in Singapore (in no particular order):
  • E-COMMERCE
  • SOCIAL MEDIA IMPERSONATION
  • INTERNET LOVE
  • CREDIT-FOR-SEX
  • CHINESE OFFICIALS IMPERSONATION
  • TECH SUPPORT
  • BANKING-RELATED PHISHING
  • NON-BANKING-RELATED PHISHING
  • LOANS
  • INVESTMENT

Crypto scam: Inside the billion-dollar ‘pig-butchering’ industry
A 71-year-old man living in California says he lost about $2.7 million last year after falling prey to a crypto investment scam. Funds linked to that scam reached an account in the name of Chinese businessman Wang Yicheng, Reuters found. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

At a Thai police headquarters in October 2022, Chinese businessman Wang Yicheng congratulated one of Bangkok’s most senior cybercrime investigators on his recent promotion, presenting the official with a large bouquet of flowers wrapped in red paper and a bow. Wang, the vice-president of a local Chinese trade group, wished the new cybercrime investigator “smooth work and new achievements”, according to the group’s website, which displays photographs of the event.

Over the past two years, Wang has forged relationships with members of Thailand’s law enforcement and political elite, the trade group’s online posts show. During that time, a cryptocurrency account registered in Wang’s name was receiving millions of dollars linked to a type of cryptocurrency investment scam known as pig butchering, a Reuters investigation has found. In total, crypto worth more than US$90 million (S$120 million) flowed into the account between January 2021 and November 2022. The victim of one of the scams was a 71-year-old California man. According to blockchain analysis company Coinfirm, he sent money to crypto wallets that channelled more than US$100,000 into the account in Wang’s name.

The man’s family told Reuters he lost about US$2.7 million, his life savings, after falling prey to someone claiming to be an attractive young woman called Emma. The previously unreported transactions provide rare insight into the finances of pig-butchering scams, which involve engaging unsuspecting people online. Scammers cultivate trust and then persuade victims to invest in fraudulent crypto schemes, sometimes via fake websites built to look like legitimate trading platforms. Sometimes the targets initially receive real returns to trick them into believing the scheme is legitimate. Such scams have drawn intensifying scrutiny from global law enforcement over the past year, but little is publicly known about the people behind them.

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22/02/2022

Happy Twosday 22-2-22

The Magical Moment on Twosday 22-2-22 @ 22:22 hrs

Palindrome and Ambigram Today

Today's date 22/02/2022 is both a palindrome and an ambigram, can be read the same way forward, backward and upside down! Today's date is doubly rare as it's not just a palindrome but an ambigram as well. The rare date falls on Tuesday, prompting the people to call it 'Twosday'.

22 February 2022 is written as 22/02/2022 numerically and is, therefore, a palindrome as it can be read the same way forward and backwards. It is an ambigram as well because it is the same upside down! If we drop the slash marks from today's date, 22022022, we will notice that it contains only two digits -- 0 and 2. The palindrome and ambigram work for the British date format (dd-mm-yyyy) but not for the US date format (mm-dd-yyyy) for the 22nd of February 2022.

There are 12 palindrome days in the 21st century in the mm-dd-yyyy format with the first one on October 2, 2001 (10-02-2001) while the last one will be on September 2, 2090 (09-02-2090). Taking the dd-mm-yyyy format into consideration, there are 29 palindrome days in the current century. The first one was on 10 February 2001 (10-02-2001) while the last one will fall on a leap day! 29 February 2092 (29-02-2092) will be the last palindromic day of the 21st century.

21/02/2022

5 Crucial Steps To Make Your Divorce Less Painful


Divorce. This was not a word on your mind the day you said, “I do.” But here you are. Your “I do” has turned into “I don’t.”

Whether you saw this coming or are reeling from a sideways blow, you are about to make a series of decisions.  It’s likely that none of them seem to have any good options. Yet, virtually every decision could have significant financial, legal and relational impact for you, your soon-to-be ex-spouse and any children involved regardless of age. Many will have ripple effects for extended family, community and social circles as well.

What is the best way to navigate this potential mine-field with the least amount of collateral damage? How do you protect yourself? And where do you go from here? This roadmap will guide you through the rocky road ahead:
  • Know What You Want, What You Really, Really Want
  • Understand It’s Business Now
  • Know Your Numbers
  • Create Your Empowerment Team
  • Remember You Are Writing Your Next Chapter

20/02/2022

Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Closing Ceremony


The 2022 Games will wrap up with the closing ceremony at 7 a.m. ET Sunday at Beijing’s National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest for its unique design.

Athletes from all participating countries will parade through the stadium and both China and Italy will put on showcase performances. The Olympic flag will be lowered and handed over to Italy, who will host the next Winter Games in 2026 in the cities of Milan and Cortina-D’Ampezzo. The mayors of the two cities will receive the flag.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach will then declare the Beijing Games closed, which will be made official with the extinguishing of the Olympic flame. A grande finale fireworks show will conclude the event and these Winter Games.


How to Watch the Closing Ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics will conclude with the closing ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 20, and NBC and Peacock will offer multiple ways to watch the festivities.

The closing ceremony will stream live on Peacock on Sunday at 7 a.m. ET, with a commentary-free feed featuring natural sound from inside the venue. It will also stream live on NBCOlympics.com and in the NBC Sports app, with authentication.

An NBC-produced show of the closing ceremony will air at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with that show also streaming on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

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How to watch the Closing Ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics

The 2022 Winter Olympics end this Sunday, February 20 with the Closing Ceremony taking place at National Stadium also known as “The Bird’s Nest”.

Live coverage begins at 7:00 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.

The Closing Ceremony will also air in primetime at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. See below for additional information on how to watch.


Beijing 2022 Opening and Closing Ceremonies

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games represent the official start - and end - of an Olympic Games. Through music, song, dance and fireworks, the ceremonies invite people to discover the culture of the country in which the Games are taking place.

On 4 February 2022, almost 14 years on from the iconic spectacles of the 2008 summer ceremonies, Beijing’s National Stadium (also known as the Bird’s Nest) will once again stage an Olympic Opening Ceremony; this time, for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. After two weeks of competition, Beijing 2022 will come to an end with the Closing Ceremony (which will also take place at the Bird’s Nest), at which point the Olympic flag will be passed on to the Mayors of the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina-D’Ampezzo, the hosts of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The last five medals are awarded on the final day of the Games, before the Closing Ceremony in the evening. In the afternoon, the figure skaters get one final outing on the ice in the exhibition gala (12:00–14:30). The Closing Ceremony will be held on 20 February 2022, Time: 8 p.m. (China Standard Time).


Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022

The 2022 Winter Olympics (Chinese: 二〇二二年冬季奥林匹克运动会; pinyin: Èr Líng Èr'èr Nián Dōngjì Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì), officially the XXIV Olympic Winter Games (Chinese: 第二十四届冬季奥林匹克运动会; pinyin: Dì Èrshísì Jiè Dōngjì Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì) and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (Chinese: 北京二〇二二; pinyin: Běijīng Èr Líng Èr'èr), are an upcoming international winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing and towns in the neighboring Hebei province in the People's Republic of China.

Beijing was elected as host city in July 2015 at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the first Winter Olympics in China, the last of three consecutive Olympics to be held in East Asia (after the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan), and the second overall Olympics to be held in China, after the 2008 Summer Olympics also in Beijing. For the first time, the Winter Olympics will be hosted by a city that previously hosted the Summer Olympics; four existing indoor venues that were originally constructed for the 2008 Games, as well as the Beijing National Stadium (which will host the opening and closing ceremonies), will be used. Concerns and controversies at the 2022 Winter Olympics have included proposed boycotts.

The bidding calendar was announced by the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in October 2012, with the application deadline set for 14 November 2013. The IOC Executive Board reviewed the bids from all applicant cities on 7 July 2014 and selected three cities, Oslo (Norway), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Beijing (China), as the final candidates. Several Olympic committees withdrew their applications during the bidding process, citing the high costs or the lack of local support and funding for hosting the Games.


US boycotts the Beijing Winter Olympics

The US has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The UK, France and Japan are still undecided. Palki Sharma tells you why such half-measures will do little to deter Beijing.


Singapore’s past Olympic medallists

Singapore made its Olympic debut as a British colony at London 1948 with its sole representative, fireman Lloyd Valberg, who was the late grand uncle of Olympic champion Joseph Schooling. He finished joint-14th out of 27 high jumpers with a 1.8m leap.

Since then, the Republic’s athletes have competed in every edition of the Games, except in Moscow 1980 when Singapore joined a United States-led boycott.

The Straits Times looks at the medallists through the years:
  • Tan Howe Liang, weightlifting (1960)
  • Feng Tianwei, Li Jiawei, and Wang Yuegu, table tennis (2008, 2012)
  • Feng Tianwei, table tennis (2012)
  • Joseph Schooling, swimming (2016)
  • Max Maeder, kitefoiling (2024)


Paralympic Games Medals

Singapore began their participation in the Paralympic Games when a squad was sent to the 1988 Summer Paralympics held in Seoul, South Korea. Despite winning no medals in the 1988 Summer Games, Singapore continued to send teams to the Summer Paralympics.[1] At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Singapore sent six athletes and came home with four medals. The 2008 Games was the first time Singapore has won a medal in any Paralympic competition