A Review On "Four lose RM100,000 to phishing syndicate"

Website: http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/Legal


The 28-year-old woman, who was being suspected to be phishing syndicate, creates Legal Issue on phising. I personally feel that the four victims, all professionals who lost more than RM100,000 had become the victims of phising scam because of the constructive techinques of the perpetrator where the victim is prompted to key in their password and PIN numbers, ostensibly to upgrade security features.

The URL of the fake website was similar to the real bank website that the victims did not realise they were in a different website.The victims were not familiar with the URL of the bank's website and so used a search engine to find it. When the search results are given, several URLs are listed, including the real bank website and the phishing site.Clicking on the wrong URL brought the victims to the phishing website, where they were prompted to give their password and PIN numbers.

To the point, phishing refers to the act of sending an e-mail from perpetrator to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. E-mail fraudster registers dozens of lookalike domain names, such as yahoo-billing.com and ebay-fulfillment.com. They also create Web sites that contain the names of well-known companies and brands like Amcore Bank, Amazon.com, MSN, yahoo and Amcore Bank.

Prevention is better than cure. There are some methods to prevent Phishing:
1. Never open an email link, if it claims to be from a bank, or credit card company.

2. Don’t provide any answer if you get calls over the telephone claiming that its from your bank or some other agency and they are trying to get your information.

3. Protect your computer from spyware and viruses.

4. Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you received, regardless of who sent them.

5. Change your passwords monthly. It is advisable to change your password at least once a month and try to select passwords that will not be obvious to potential hackers.

6. Next time you visit your bank's website, make sure you have the right web address, or uniform resource locator (URL)!

Keep in mind these few golden steps. Or else, phising may perishes you.

References:

http://www.fairwinds.org/security/Types/fraud_phish.asp

Corporate blogging:a new marketing communication tool for companies

A corporate weblog is published and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals.Nowadays, Many companies have incorporated blogs into their websites. Blogs can be categorized as either external or internal.

Internal
Any employee can view this weblog through many corporation's Intranet generally accessed through the corporation's Intranet. Many blogs are also communal, allowing anyone to post to them.

External

A public space where company employees, teams, or spokespersons share their views to to explain and clarify policies, react on public criticism, announce new products and services and as a a window to the company culture.

Let us look at a company, which is Mobile88.com. Corporate blogging is a tool for marketing communication tool in the sense that it use blogs to sell their products and promote their companies. For instance, the main purpose of Mobile88.com is to provide a platform to enthusiastic members who are keen to share information as well as opinions on the mobile industry, devices and technology. Besides,it also helps build the brand.

Blogging provides a platform for businesses to interact with potential customers as well as a way for companies to build their brand through knowledge sharing. For example, many photographers across the country have started blogs in an effort to keep in contact with their current clients, offering them “sneak peaks” of their session images, and also attracting new potential clients.

PROS:

• Posts and comments are easy to reach and follow due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads

• It also helps you get beyond the typical sleek front and go to the back and know what this company stands for 'Blogging supplements a voice.


• It’s also interesting because it’s a voice that is anti-establishment, it also generates a lot of interest in your beliefs. People now are very focused on your beliefs rather than corporate vision. This helps to attract like-minded clients and staff. For example. Foto-ZZoom’s blog is used solely to provide information on the company’s latest cameras as well as photography tips.


• The company also uses its blog to better handle queries from potential customers. Customers can also ask questions in the comments area.

CONS:

• There is a risk that an ill-judged comment could be seized upon by the media or disgruntled investors.


• Blogs make many organizations look like disorganizations, with multiple tones and opinions.


• It can be tricky to drag public comment out of a company without first routing through the sanitizing filter of a press office.

References;

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblog

2. http://www.kommunikationsforum.dk/default.asp?id=2&mode=kronologisk

3. http://www.ximnet.com.my/thelab/articles/default.asp
4. http://www.punchaboveyourweight.com/index.htm

E-Government in Malaysia : Its Implementation So Far and Citizen’s Adoption Strategies

Electronic government is defined as the use of Internet and other digital devices in public sector to deliver services and information. The adoption of e-government integrates both the processing and the communication technologies since it integrates people, processes, information, and technology in the service of achieving government objectives. By implementing e-government, it will help to improve the government processes, connect citizens and build interactions with and within the civil society.


As one of the strategies to achieve Vision 2020, Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) has been introduced to accelerate Malaysia’s entry into the Information Age.

Under the e-government flagship, seven main projects identified which are:
- Generic Office Environment (GOE)
- Electronic Procurement (eP)
- Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)
- Project Monitoring System (PMS)
- Electronic Services Delivery (eServices)
- Electronic Labor Exchange (ELX)
- ESyariah.

Factors for a successful e-Government implementation in Malaysia are:
- The government’s willingness to share information with the public and across government agencies/departments
- Expansion of national electricity grid and promotion of alternative energy sources
- Promulgation of relevant laws and regulations to secure privacy and legal recognition of electronic interactions and electronic signatures
- The technical and decision making skills in government increases

In order to encourage citizens to adopt e-Government, government have to know the citizens’ needs. Citizens expect and demand governmental services with a high degree of quality, quantity, and availability in a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, and year-round fashion. Besides, citizens do not adopt e-Government because they are lack of confidence with the system. Thus, government should make sure the e-transaction does not suffer from security leakage problems. Furthermore, the government also must take note the availability of the system, integrity and confidentiality of data and system. Moreover, government should also provide assurance to show that the security measures have been properly implemented.

The latest update can view this PDF document www.epractice.eu/resource/203

The achievement in the e-Government plan can view this PDF document http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/documents/2008_Expanding_E-Gov_Report.pdf

Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction

Nowadays, buyers and sellers alike benefit from the great opportunities that online auctions provide. However, the rapid growth of online commerce presents new opportunities and new challenges for both traditional retailers. According to the National Consumers League’s Internet Fraud Watch, auction fraud is the most common sort of online fraud.

Auction fraud occurs when an item won in an online auction never arrives or has been significantly misrepresented. Because of the liability policies for card-not-present transactions and because buyers cannot see the item, they may get a defective product, thus, the fraud rate in e-auctions is very high.

Here have some tips to take not to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in e –auction:

1. You should understand how an online auction works before you bid on merchandise and should understand obligations as a buyer or seller.

2. Ensure you understand refund, return, and warranty policies, such as: does the auction site provide insurance that covers buyers up to a certain amount? How would the auction site handle a dispute between buyer and seller?

3. Review the seller's feedback if available on the auction site which provides users with the ability to comment on their experiences with other individuals.

4. Investigate the seller as much as possible. You should be cautious of sellers who provide only an email or post office box address. It is better that you call the seller to see whether the phone number is working, or send an email to see if the email address is active.

5.Before you bid, contact the seller with any questions you have, such as: find out what type of payment is required, when you can expect delivery, and if shipping and delivery are included in the price.

6. Protect yourself from identity theft by not giving out such personal information as your social security number, driver's license number, credit card numbers or bank account numbers, as sellers do not need this information.

Although e- auction provide many convenience to us however we should alert anytime when use the e-auction service to prevent we suffer the financial loss due to e-auction fraud.

Reference:

1. More on Electronic Auctions

http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/260/267260/online_appendices/Turban-Appendix2A.pdf

Review on e-tailing

Opinion after reading the post on (http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/e-Tailing)

Toch n Go (TNC) is the smartcard looks similar to a debit card. Information contain in this card can be read and written via magnetic induction using specified radio frequency and smartcard software. The electronic card reader will deduct the exact fare from the value stored inside the card after a user uses the Touch n Go card each time. User can continue using the card as long as it is pre-loaded with electronic cash.

From the post, I have noticed that the usage of Touch n Go has been expanded from a pre-load card for transportation and toll collection purpose to some other fast food industry and petrol station such as Caltex.

The company and retail outlets in partnership with Touch n Go are holding special promotions to encourage consumers to use the card. For example, fast food chains such as A&W will give 10% discount on Ala Carter menu and KFC will offer vouchers to Touch n Go cardholder whom purchase Touch n Go cards or Reload RM50 and above. They are giving out discounts, vouchers and freebies to customers from yesterday until June 2008.

In line with the company’s tagline ‘Life in the fast lane’, the card is now a solution for lifestyle convenience as it is one card for all such as toll, parking, public transport and theme park. With the ongoing promotions, it is not just a debit card, it also gives cardholder benefits. Lastly, I hopefully Touch n Go card can includes more function in the future.

Review on a local e-commerce site - Lelong.com.my

What is Lelong.com.my? I believe everyone is familiar with this website, especially for people who are used to purchase goods online. It is similar to the international auction site, such as eBay.com which powers a robust and secure avenue for trading in Malaysia. But, what are the attractions of using Lelong.com.my? Certainly there are benefits in abundance! The benefits that you will get include Professional Store Listing with gallery, more exposure for your product or service, discount on hosting packages and special rebate for featured listing prices. Furthermore, you will have a storefront with your own sub-domain (URL) with your own store logo, more advance functions and special fees rebate.

In addition, the users of Lelong.com.my are mostly are very varied with different interests and preferences. They come from all walks of life; with different races, age groups, jobs, salary structures, location and interests. With the facility of credit cards and direct debit, people can easily purchase their goods through this website. Not only that, Lelong.com.my also provides a afetrade service for buyer to pay for their goods. Lelong.com.my intended to provide a safe and neutral environment to complete buyers’ online transactions with a charge of RM 2.00 per trade. From that, both buyer and seller interests are protected when using Safetrade. The buyer is guaranteed delivery in good time since seller will not get payment until shipment is made. Seller is guaranteed payment as long as the item is shipped.

Moreover, this website have several eye-catching features. It is convenient for users to seek for goods they desire as it is arranged in categories accordingly such as arts, antiques and collectibles, clothing and accessories, electronic and appliances and even “Feng Shui”. For example, if customer looking for watch, by just clicking on “clock & watches”, the picture will appear in one time. The catalogs used are static catalog which the pictures are no motion or animation. There is also a site for ladies where clothes, lingerie and hosiery, beach and swimwear and cosmetics are sold. Various methods of selling products available in lelong.com.my. The methods are classified into “standard auction”, “Dutch auction”, classified, “wanted and “for sale and buy now”. A search icon is also available where we can search for current items, closed items and even find members.

Electronic Currency

Imagine, instead of walking into a book store to browse and purchase the latest novel, one may simply log onto the World Wide Web (Web), browse through thousands of abstracts and purchase the novel. Due to the new development of electronic currency, an online purchase is just a few clicks away. Money was originally a physical substance like gold and silver. It could even be alive. Cattle were one of the oldest forms of money.

Electronic currency refers to money or scrip which is exchanged only electronically which involves use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems. One of the most reliable, secure and useful electronic currencies today is Pecunix, others are e-bullion, Liberty Reserve, WebMoney,. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and direct deposit.

Some of the digital currencies are backed by real gold stored in vaults, such trustworthy currencies with proven record of good faith and reliability ensure buying and selling gold with ease because gold doesn't become obsolete with time due to inflation, economy, political events or any social .You can also get profits when gold grows up. The advantages of electronic currency payment system are:

1) Confidentiality/Privacy
When an electronic currency amount is sent from a customer to a merchant, there is no way to obtain information about the customer. This is one significant difference between electronic currency and credit card systems.

2) Security
The security of electronic currency is provided by the use of encryption. The utilization of digital signatures in electronic currency provides a secure means of conducting transactions in electronic commerce.

Whereas, the disadvantage is:
1) Fraud
A major disadvantage to electronic currency is fraud. If a consumer somehow misplaces his private key and a perpetrator uses it to withdraw funds, the bank would never know and the consumer would be liable.

On the other hand, Electronic currency trading involves converting base currency to a foreign currency at the market exchange rates through an online brokerage account.
currency trading by this method is wholly electronic, execution speeds are extremely fast, allowing the trader to quickly buy and sell currencies to cut losses and take profits at a moment's notice.

References: http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v6n3/ishman63_text.html#Introduction_C

http://ezinearticles.com/about.html
http://www.e-currency-directory.net/definition_e_currency.htm
http://www.bigblogcompany.net/index.php/products_services/individual/internal_blogs/

Mobile Payment System in Malaysia : Its Potentials and consumers adoption strategies

Cash payments in Malaysia still account for a large portion of the number of transactions in the economy. In order to take advantage of the technology and innovation wave, it is expected to move towards more efficient payment modes. One of the efficient payment modes is mobile payment .According to research, mobile payment usage via a mobile enabled payment mechanism is expected to be used by 1.4 billion people by 2015.Mobile payment is a point-of-sale payment made through a mobile device, such as a cellular telephone, a smart phone, or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

Potential Mobile payment system in Malaysia:
Bank Negara Malaysia sees tremendous promise in mobile telecommunication networks as an electronic payment channel since mobile phones are already in the hands of most Malaysians, with 88% (25 million) of the Malaysian population subscribing to mobile phone services. Moreover, mobile phones are integrated into consumers’daily lives, so there is potential to develop a robust business model around mobile payments. Mobile payment also acts as an efficient payment mode which can increases operational efficiency, simplicity and convenience at minimal cost for the public.

Consumers” adoption strategies:
One of the function of mobile payment system is to enable consumers to pay for goods and services at anytime, anywhere using only a mobile phone coupled with a 6-digit security PIN (Personal Identification Number) via SMS (Short Messaging Service).For example, Mobile Money is a PIN-based Mobile Payment Solution designed by Mobile Money International Sdn Bhd .It functions like a Credit Card and debit card which address the limitations and bottlenecks created by cash, cheques and credit cards and gives the freedom to shoppers to buy products online and pay the merchant using his/her mobile phone without being physically present at the store.

Lastly, the current mobile payment options are not fully functional, in the sense that they have not been made completely secure and are inconvenient in certain situations, so, for mobile payment system in Malaysia to succeed, there is a need to strengthen consumer confidence in safety, security and reliability of its networks as a means for consumers to access financial services. I believe that in the near future Mobile commerce will eventually replace the existing E-commerce systems.

Reference:
1. Mobile money
http://www.neowave.com.my/mobilemoney_overview.asp
2.Zeti Akhtar Aziz: Towards a more efficient payment system – electronic payments
http://www.bis.org/review/r080605d.pdf

The Application of Pre-paid Cash Card for Consumers

There are two types of Pre-paid Debit Cards:
(i) ATM Cards
- designed for payment transactions requiring the secured entry of a PIN at both the Point of Sale or ATM
(ii) Branded (or Signature or full-function) Pre-paid Debit Cards
- can be used for transactions at every respective Point of Sale terminal carrying the Visa or the MasterCard logo (with or without PIN pad)
- can be used to pay bills and purchase online
There are several applications of pre-paid cash card for consumers, such as:-
(a) General Spending Debit Card
(i) For funds security
(ii) ATM cash withdrawals
(iii) Purchase at POS
(iv) Full-function Visa & MC branded Prepaid Debit card can be used for ‘signature-based’ purchases, bill payments and online purchases

(b) Payroll and commission payout Card
(c) Remittance – Funds Transfer within and across borders
(d) Affinity Group Card
(e) Travel Card
(f) Student Card
(g) Gift Card

**These debit cards can be issued to everybody with a valid government issued ID and verifiable address, for instance, “Bankable People” and “Un-bankable People” with:
(i) No bank account needed
(ii) No banking history needed
(iii) No credit check
(iv) Just about everybody approved, no declines
(v) No employment verification needed

Besides, there are also several benefits by using those pre-paid cash card, such as:-
- This payment quickly and securely moves “Checking Account Like” funds without the hassles or risks involved with paper checks
- Security features such as personal identification numbers (PINs) protect consumers against theft and fraud
- Consumers prefer Prepaid Cash Cards because they act virtually the same as cash, only with much more security
- Consumers who make debit card purchases are free of interest charges associated with credit cards
- Funds Transfer – Consumers can conveniently and inexpensively transfer funds to friends and relatives everywhere
- Bill Payment and On-line Purchases – Un-banked consumers can pay bills and purchase products and services on-line or through phone calls



http://www.onedebit.com/PrepaidDebitCardsOD.pdf

Credit Card Debts: Causes and Prevention

What is credit card? Credit card is any card that may be used repeatedly to borrow money or buy products and services on credit. It is issued by banks, savings and loans, retail stores, and other businesses. Credit cards can be very useful especially for emergencies. Therefore, using credit wisely is an important tool in establishing your financial independence. Unfortunately, a lot of people use credit cards as a "crutch." If they can't afford something they really want, they charge it. When it comes the time to pay the bill they pay the minimum amount due. This is where credit card debt arises where debt accumulates and increases via interest and penalties.

Causes of credit card debts:
1. Poor money management - Without money spending plan, you have no idea where your money is going. You may be spending unnecessarily each month.

2. Banking on a windfall - Very often, spending tomorrow's money today is very tempting. It is advisable that don’t spend until you hold an amount of money in hand.

3. Financial illiteracy - Many people don't understand how money works and grows, how to save and invest for a rainy day, or even why they should balance their checkbook.

Preventions:
1. Prioritize your debt repayment - Credit card users are advisable to pay off your debts to get rid of the highest interest payment first. List all of your credit card debts, and the amount you are paying each month. Pay off the lowest amount first. Then use that money to start paying off the second lowest amount.

2. Move your debts - This is by moving debt from a card with higher annual interest rate to a lower interest rate. This can eventually allow you to pay the lower amount of interest and buy more.

3. Cut up your cards so that you are not tempted to use them - Pick the one with the lowest interest rate and cut up the rest. The one you keep should be deemed an ‘emergency card.”

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card

2. http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/debt/debt_manage_2004/top-10-causes.asp

3. http://ezinearticles.com/?Credit-Card-Debt---Prevention-Is-Better-Than-Cure&id=226244

Safeguard of Personal and Financial Data

Nowadays, the pace of technologies are accelerating, you may give out your personal and financial information in some way or other. It could be using a loyalty card when you are shopping, in your workplace or when you carry out a transaction with your bank. Crimes such as identity theft are increasing and it is even more important that you safeguard your information and protect yourself. Criminal groups can find out and use your personal details to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards and loans and get benefits in your name. Besides, there are some other ways that the criminal groups can steal an identity, such as dumpster diving, mail theft, impostors, and direct access to personal documents at home.
But, don’t panic! There are some simple steps you can take to safeguard your information. They are:-
- Store any documents that carry your personal details, such as passport, driving license, bank statement and utility bills in a safe place
- Shred or destroy personal documents carrying your personal details, such as bank statements, bills, receipts or credit card statements or any other document that carries your name, address or other personal details
- Ensure any receipts are disposed of safely, especially if your payment card details are imprinted
- If you move house you must redirect all your mail, inform your bank, utility companies and other organisations of your new address.
- In the public computer lab, do not access to your personal and financial details, such as bank balance.
- Create password for your confidential information to avoid people access to it. Remember, avoid using the birth date and the password must keep to yourself!
- Review your credit reports annually to safeguard your identity
- Avoid giving your personal details to unknown parties through phone or email.
- Check your bank and credit-card statements regularly for unusual or unfamiliar transactions
- Regularly get a copy of your personal credit file to check for any suspicious credit applications.
- Always consider who you are giving your personal information to

Review on Internet Security

Opinion

After read the post (http://ecommerze.blogspot.com/search/label/Internet%20Security) and visited those website stated above, I have gain some information on the how effective of the viruses being created by those cyber criminal groups. This viruses have given a lot of problem to the computer users and make these users face a lot of problems, such as data lost, important information being deleted, computer system breakdown, and more others. The recently critical problem is that the number of viruses is continuously increasing, and the anti-virus software is not sufficient to recover the problem. Besides, the viruses also can get through online; this may create even more inconvenience for the users. The users may just want to get some information from the Internet, but no people will know that from surfing Internet will get such ‘information’ that never thought to get. From the reports given by the computer profession, there stated that the most popular computer that viruses will always appear is the Microsoft Window’s based computer, this may because of the cyber criminal groups know that this Window’s software got many users and can easily create viruses to this software. There is online security threats in abundance transmitted in networking. For your knowledge, some of them include:
1.Spam
- spam is sent out without the permission of the recipients with attachments-images, PDFs, documents, spreadsheets or videos which may links to malicious sites or malware.
2.Phising
-A popular method of phishing is to steal consumers' personal identity data and financial account credentials through fake websites like eBay and PayPal.

3.Hacker
-A programmer specializing in the discovery of exploits in systems or in obtaining unauthorized access to systems through skills, tactics and detailed knowledge.

Finally is:
4.Viruses
-A dangerous computer program with the feature of being able to generate copies of itself, change computer settings and slow computer down.

Application Of Third Party Certification Programme In Malaysia

Security is the primary concern of entering into the new Internet economy. Many people deliberately limit the transactions they do online because they fear for the security of personal and financial information transmitted over the Web. With the increased phishing and spoofing attacks on the Internet, customers want to make sure that they are dealing with trusted parties when they conduct business online.

Third party certification is a procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process or service conforms to specified requirements . Certification authority (CA) issues digital certificates to guarantee customer’s information traveled over the Internet reaches the intended recipients and is safe from intruders. The two most popular CA are VeriSign and Trustgate.

VeriSign is the world’s leading Certificate Authority and global provider of SSL Certificates and the only leading provider who can guarantee that every Web site visitor will receive the strongest SSL encryption. The VeriSign Secured Seal ranked highest by a wide margin in perceived safety of visitors’ information, perceived trustworthiness, purchase likelihood, and overall preference and the most recognized tested marks.

VeriSign offers a few benefits.

1.It can help your company establish or improve customer trust by securing yourWeb site and information for business.

2.VeriSign Secure Site Services offers your company the power to secure its Web site for safe information transfer, especially for e-commerce and other financial transactions. It protects sensitive data transmitted between servers, consumers, and business partners.

3.Securing your Web site with VeriSign SSL also helps compliance with various governmental security regulations. Your businesscan use SSL for its powerful encryption capabilities and the increased consumer confidence that comes from VeriSign’s mark of security!

MSC Trustgate.com Sdn Bhd is a licensed Certification Authority (CA) incorporated in 1999 which operates out of the Multimedia Super Corridor to provide digital certification services, including digital certificates, cryptographic products, and software development to enable organizations to conduct their business securely over the Internet. Some of its products and services include SSL CERTIFICATE, Managed PKI, Digital ID, and MyTRUST as following:

1.SSL Certificate for Internet, Intranet and Server Security
One of the 3 types of SSL Certificate include Secure Server ID which protects the transfer of sensitive data on Web sites, intranets, and extranets. The second type is Secure Server ID which adopts the strongest encryption commercially available for secure communications via Server Gated Cryptography (SGC) technology.

2.Managed PKI for Enterprise Trust Services
A fully integrated enterprise platform designed to secure intranet, extranet, and Internet applications by combining flexibility,performance, and scalability with high availability and security. this solution helps to protect on-line transactions, digitally sign them and control the access to intranetsand extranets.

References:

http://www.tamingthebeast.net/tools/business-security-certifications.htm
http://www.msctrustgate.com/
http://www.verisign.com/
http://www.guardianecommerce.net/guardconsumer.htm

The threat of online security: How safe is our data?

As E-Commerce is growing, managing online security is becoming a big challenge on the Internet today. We need to worry about security for our personal computer as threats can come in from any direction.

Below is a list of most common online security threat.
1. Spam mail
By definition, spam is sent without the permission of the recipients.According to survey security-related threats and attack incident 2007 in Malaysia, total 38601 emails is spam. Nowadays, the quality of spam has improved, it can be sent out with attachments-images, PDFs, documents, spreadsheets or videos which may links to malicious sites or malware.

2. Viruses
A computer virus is a dangerous computer program with the characteristic feature of being able to generate copies of itself, and change our computer settings and slow our computer down. The most damaging viruses are the ones that are simply designed to cause as much destruction as possible, such as deleting important files and turning your computer into a worthless wreck.

3. Phishing attacks
A popular method of phishing is to steal consumers' personal identity data and financial account credentials through fake websites. Phishing messages pretend to be from eBay, PayPal, or the like. The scams sent out e-mails to them and ask them to log in the fake websites to disclose information about their financial accounts. If you enter the information, they steal your username and password and you are sunk.

4. Social engineering
Social engineering is a term that describes a non-technical kind of intrusion that relies heavily on human interaction and the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain otherwise secure data by conning an individual into revealing secure information. For example, a person using social engineering to break into a computer network would try to gain the trust of someone who is authorized to access the network in order to get them to disclose information that compromises the network's security.

5. Spyware attacks
Spyware is one of the online threats that is designed to steal information from your computer without your authorization. Spyware is dangerous in that it can steal your personal information, such as documents, passwords, credit card numbers, bank accounts, for the sole benefit of the people behind the spyware.

Reference:

1.Top 10 Online Security Threats To Your PC http://techcruser.blogspot.com/2007/05/online-security-threats-to-your-pc.html

Phishing: Examples and prevention methods

To the point, phishing refers to the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. Before mid-2003, most phishing scams arrived in text-heavy e-mails. They were widespread with spelling errors and poor grammar that tipped recipients off. In September 2003, an e-mail fraudster registers dozens of lookalike domain names, such as yahoo-billing.com and ebay-fulfillment.com. They also create Web sites that contain the names of well-known companies and brands like microsoft.checkinfo.com.

For example:
1. Amcore Bank

2. Pay Pal

3. Amazon.com


4. Citizen Bank
There are some methods to prevent Phishing:
1. Never open an email link, if it claims to be from a bank, or credit card company. Visit the website by logging on to it yourself or simply call to see if indeed the email was sent by the company.

2. Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you received, regardless of who sent them.

3. Don’t provide any answer if you get calls over the telephone claiming that its from your bank or some other agency and they are trying to get your information. Don't give it out even if you have caller id.

4. Protect your computer from spyware and viruses. Spyware programs can collect many different types of personal information about you like passwords and credit card numbers. Always use firewall, virus and spyware protection software and must update regularly.

5. Change your passwords monthly. It is advise to change your password at least once a month and try to select passwords that will not be obvious to potential hackers.

6. If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the message.

7. Don’t email personal or financial information. Email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information.

8. Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to determine whether there are any unauthorized charges. If your statement is late by more than a couple of days, call your credit card company or bank to confirm your billing address and account balances

References:

1. http://www.fairwinds.org/security/Types/fraud_phish.asp

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59350-2004Nov18.html

How e-commerce reduce Cycle Time, improve Employees' Empowerment and facilitate Customer Support

E-commerce may not revolutionize the petroleum industry. But it's already changing the way the industry does busines.....

Cycle Time

My fellow friends, just want to let u know that cycle time is the amount of time between customer placing an order and receiving the goods and for a business to complete a productivity activity from the beginning to end or in short, it reduce time-to-market.

A properly enabled eCommerce system will reduce labour time and cost in document preparation, error detection and correction, mail preparation, telephone calling, data entry, overtime, and supervision expenses. For examples, documents such as invoices are processed electronically and error-free, minimizing processing time and the number of staff required. Indirectly, e-commerce will decreae carrying costs and shrinkage costs, improve cash flow and increase competitive advantage.

E-commerce also cut down the normal sourcing cycle. I heard one of my friends said Alibaba.com has become the number one destination for sourcing professionals and entrepreneurs because it cut the sourcing cycle the by 75 percent, according to a new survey released at MAGIC 2006.

Customer support

Customer Support is one of the parameters of customer satisfaction. Having this type of feedback is essential to continuously improving operations as customer loyalty is a high priority for a firm.

One example of application of e-commerce that can increase customer support is supply chain management (SCM).SCM has been popular operations strategy focuses on the integration of suppliers and customers to achieve an integrated value chain with the help of information technologies and systems. It provides superb customer services by facilitating customization where customizes products/services are produced with virtual organizations and exchanged using e-commerce. The aim of the supply chain management is to reduce order cycle time, reduce cost and expedite the fulfilment process to the satisfaction of the customer.

Recently, I have visited a website which started with core products, Storebox, customized to meet the specific business requirements of the respective companies such as Telus mobility and Card Island. E-Commerce enables your firm to penetrate new markets or find new suppliers and favourably affect your payment terms and agreements with customers and suppliers. It eliminates the time taken to process between supplier, intermediaries and customers.

Employees’ empowerment

With the changing nature and increasing challenges of retailing in the millennium and onslaught of e-commerce, management takes on an entirely new facet, that is employees’ empowerment.

Employees’ empowerment means giving employees responsibility and authority to make decisions regarding all aspects of product development or customer service.It eliminates the need of supervision and top-down management ideas. With the speed of e commerce business, managers will delegate employees who can meet the creative, technological and strategic demands of customers which can creates a positive retail experience for the consumer especially in business-to-business sales. The use of employee empowerment shifts the focus away from technical skills toward general cognitive and interpersonal skills.

References:
1. http://www.alibaba.com/
2. http://www.storeboxecommerce.com/ecommerce_support.php
3. http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2001/08/15/xml-ecom.html
4. http://203.210.126.185/dsdweb/v4/apps/web/secure/docs/2285.pdf
5. http://www.telusmobility.com/

History and Evolution of E-Commerce

Before the term electronic commerce (or e-commerce) comes into picture, people including firms are engaged in buying and selling activities manually. For example, the seller of a product must identify customer demand for a product; promote their products and some other basic activities. These activities are known as traditional commerce.

Nonetheless, due to the advancement of technology nowadays, E-commerce becomes common and successfully replaces the activities found in traditional commerce. To many people, the term e-commerce means shopping on the part of the Internet or World Wide Web (www). However, the meaning of electronic commerce has changed over the last 30 years. Originally, electronic commerce means the facilitation of commercial transactions electronically, using technology such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). EDI is a set of standards developed in the 1960’s to exchange business information and to do electronic transactions. These were both introduced in the late 1970s, allowing businesses to send commercial documents like purchase orders or invoices electronically. Firms such as General Electric and Wal-Mart have been pioneers in using EDI to improve their purchasing processes and their relationships with suppliers. E-commerce development is an efficient way of promoting businesses, bringing in profits and delivering better services.

In additions, E-Commerce provides a rich online transaction experience. There are varieties type of electronic commerce conducted over web. But the largest electronic commerce today is Business-to-Business (B2B). Businesses involved in B2B sell their goods to other businesses. In 2001, this form of e-commerce had around $700 billion in transactions. The other type includes Business-to-consumer (B2C) and Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C). In year 2000, the term e-commerce was defined as a process of purchasing of available goods and services over the internet using secure connection and electronic payment services to overcome the security problem.

As a conclusion, e-commerce became so crucial neither to firms nor to public at large. Nevertheless, e-commerce still need to undergo certain improvement in order to enhance web users confidence and security of data.

References:
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-commerce
2.http://www.flysyk02.netfirms.com/Ecommerce/History.htm
3.http://www.mapsofworld.com/referrals/internet/internet-history/history-of-e-%20commerce.html
4.http://www.ecommerce-land.com/web_development.html

An E-Commerce success: eBay

The trend to offer goods and services over the Internet has made the greatest change to businesses throughout the world. Most businesses want to transform their Web site into a profit centre. This is because of the many success stories about the Internet and e-commerce. For an example, Amazon,eBay,and Dell. However, I will only narrow down my discussion about the success of eBay.

EBay Inc. was born over in September of 1995 by Pierre Omidyar. Nowadays, eBay has become the world's largest online marketplace that connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day. According to a Compete.com study, the domain ebay.com attracted at least 902 million visitors annually by 2008.With a presence of 39 markets, approximately 84 million active users worldwide eBay has changed the face of Internet commerce. In 2007, the total value of sold items on eBay's trading platforms was approaching $60 billion. This means that eBay users worldwide trade more than $1,900 worth of goods on the site every second!

Now, let us discover what the strategies behind this amazing success of eBay are. EBay provides sellers an internet platform for pursuing entrepreneurialism on a global scale, based on the idea “where practically anyone can sell practically anything at any time”. To enhance the values of the marketplace, eBay's policies aimed at offering a level of playing field, encouraging open, honest, and accountable transactions, and creating economic opportunities for everyone. Furthermore, anything can be sold as long as it is not illegal and does not violate the eBay Prohibited and Restricted Items policy.In addition, eBay allows people to pursue their interests and their passions in the areas of their hobbies and their collectibles. Besides, eBay has formed Trust and Safety team which is responsible for keeping the marketplace safe. All such policies are to increases the consumer confidence to eBay.

Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded its market to take in some of the strongest brands in the world, including PayPal, Skype, Rent.com, Shopping.com, Prostores, and others.

Reference:
1. eBay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EBay
2. eBay Inc.: A Short History
http://news.ebay.com/about.cfm

--an failure E-commerce company

With the changing trends of globalization and the advancement of modern technology, the development of e-commerce has boomed in the past few years. However, not all companies are succeeded in this business world handles by the advanced technology. Due to their unimpressive and non-persuaded marketing capacity as well as other weaknesses they either became bankrupt or met failure. For example, Webvan.com.

Louis H. Borders founded Webvan in 1996. It became a dot.com company on June 2, 1999. Webvan let you order groceries and fresh foods like meat, produce and milk over the Internet and have them delivered right to your home the same day. The failure of webvan.com was due to the inability to make high volume and low priced purchases. Webvan.com failed to meet customer requirements. Besides, it has also made bad management decisions like spending $850 million on ads and campaigns. The failure of Webvan raises troubling questions for e-commerce companies trying to establish brand identity and profits chiefly through customer service.
Although Webvan was popular with people who could afford its delivery fees or who did not have a means of shopping in a traditional store, but it was never able to attract enough customers to justify its spending spree.
The company was closed on July, 2001, putting 2000 out of work and leaving San Francisco’s new ballpark with a Webvan cup holder at every seat.

Globalization has changed the marketing and business trends. Now one can do a market survey and also do retail purchase via electronic media by just sitting on a seat with just a click away. Though the company failed to bring e-commerce into success, it is growing faster and gaining more and more recognition with the effective of team management strategies and strong organizational despite the fact that it still at its infant stage.

Story about me...

Fyodor Dostoyevsky lets his narrator in the Letters from the Underworld say: “By the way, what is it that all respectable men talk about most readily? Answer – about themselves. So I too will talk about myself here.

My name is Wong An Jee from Malacca, a historical unique state, studying in University Tunku Abdul Rahman.Many of my course mates call me An jee. Having mentioned university, the question immediately arising is of course that of what I study. I major in accounting and I had just finished the fifth semester of my studies, currently in year3 semester 1. The goal of my studies is just to hold a scroll of degree when I graduate or perhaps, I wish to become an accountant as my course mates did also. Most importantly, I wish to become a person of great depth.

Singing is my life. If I never got a chance to study accounting, I will definitely consider music as my career. Besides singing, I also fond of playing computer games, listening to music, dreaming and reading. In short, I prefer indoor than outdoor activities.

I love visiting websites. It is part and parcel of my daily living as the rate of technologies nowadays is accelerating. The top 5 websites I visited the most comprises of:
1. http://www.google.com.my/
2. http://www.friendster.com/
3. http://www.cari.com.my/
4. http://www.youtube.com/
5. http://www.baidu.com/

Why I like Google.com? Because it is the premier search tool on the Internet today.I prefer using google to search my assignment information because its small servers divide the task of searching so well that most searches take less than a second, Search speed is a great advantage for our assignment work dedicated to instant results.

How about youtube.com? Because I can watch movies, tv series, concerts and so other watchable goodies online as it was designed for online viewing.Also, youtube can even make me popular especially if I really have a catchy video. Besides, I can even post comments if the movies are impressive.

Friendster.com is a networking that assimilates real-life social groups into a large virtual network. One user can be connected as many as thousands of other users.I can learn more about others’ culture, religions and more. I also feel very exciting when i have a lot of new friends as i bulid close rapports between friends. I can exchange ideas with my fellow friends through messaging and comments sections in friendster.

For baidu.com, it enables me to download free songs, search interesting pictures and news because it dominates mp3 download searches. On top of that, I often visit cari.com because it contains various types of e-forum for discussion, for instances, hobbies and living, entertainment, love and interrelationship, teen and youth, politics and events. I frequently hunt for gossips under entertainment as I always aware of the gossips about artists and singers. Another of my favorite hunt is music.

My frequent internet activities comprises of:
1.messaging through MSN
2.uploading most recent photos in friendster
3.checking mail through yahoo
4.viewing video clip in youtube.com
5.playing online games.
Among the top 5 internet activities, my favorite is MSN. In msn, I have met some wonderful people online that I never would have met otherwise, as well as those friends I meet everyday. BUT be careful being deceived! I think it's well worth the effort making friends through MSN if you are careful about who you talk to.

In a nutshell, these are my introduction. Hopefully through this blog, I can share my knowledge, experience and latest attention-grabbing information with all of you! Most importantly, u can know deeper about me.

Introduction about myself..

Hi everybody!! My name is Tan Hui Ning (Winnie), undertaking accounting course in University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). Well, I believe there is a reason behind to everyone who chooses the field they interest in. For me, I am interest to find out necessary knowledge in order to become a qualified accountant in corporate world nowadays. Therefore, I truly hope that my dream to become an accountant is not just a dream and it definitely can become true in one day. Furthermore, my hobbies are listening to music, cycling and surfing internet. The top five websites I visited the most are www.yahoo.com, www.hotmail.com, www.airasia.com, www.google.com, and http://www.friendster.com/.

I normally use Google as my search engine to search useful information for my assignments. Google is really a very useful and convenient website to all of us as Google has wider coverage of information if compared to the other search engine such as Yahoo. Besides, I also use friendster websites to upload my recent picture and get in touch with my friends. To add to that, I typically will use airasia website to seek the cheapest airfare to back my hometown, Labuan during our semester break.

The top five internet activities usually I will do are contacting with friends through email in yahoo and hotmail, search for useful information for my assignments, chitchat with friends in MSN, search for the lowest airfare in airasia website and hunting for some recent news I interest in. Lastly, these are the introduction about me. With this blog, it definitely can become a more convenient way for me to share out my knowledge and experience with all of you.

introduction of myself.........

Hi..! I am Tan Sook Chin, nice to meet you. I am here to introduce myself. I am accounting student, currently in year 3 semester 1, two more semesters to finish my study. My hobbies are shopping, sleeping, swimming, playing bowling and reading, such as love story novel, comics, women magazines and others that I interest in. Nowadays, the pace of technologies are accelerating, people can obtain advance information through Internet. The websites that I visited the most are as follow:-

(i) http://www.google.com/
(ii) http://www.friendster.com/
(iii) http://www.520music.com/
(iv) http://www.youtube.com/
(v) http://www.cari.com.my/

I always visited Google website as it help me to get the information that is needed for my assignment. How about the the other four websites? That is definitely for my entertainment. I am able to meet a lot of friends through Friendster website. I can even exchange many ideas with my fellow friends through messaging and comments sections which are available in friendster. I can play a lot of games and listen to music from 520music website. Youtube website provides a lot of funny video clips that enables people to view. Furthermore, after you watch the video clip, perhaps you can post your comment. On the other hand, Cari website is a forum website which has various different types of forums for discussion, comprises of hobbies and living, entertainment, love and interrelationship, politics and events. But I always go to animal lover forum under title “hobbies and living” to chat, because I kept a pet, which is an adorable dog. On top of that, I frequently explore the forum to share some stories regarding my dog and to acquire some information on how to train dog. The Internet activities that I usually do are stated as above.

These are my introduction, I hope that I can share latest information, news with all of you through this blog.