Phone call - Scam (Be careful)
I have just shared this yesterday with all my colleagues, I would like to share with others too. While I was in Bangkok vacation I received many missed calls with no numbers. I was trying to figure out if any of my colleagues staying other Hotels been calling me so I called them but only found out none has called me. So I just leave it. Yesterday I receive call while I was in office and found a China lady's voice. Firstly she asked if I can speak mandarin. Not knowing her intention I said "Yes". Once she heard this she said she is calling from Hong Kong a big organization called XXXXX I cannot really hear exact name. Then she started asking me if I can spare her 2 minutes. I told her I cannot as I am busy working. Then she started to try convince me and kept asking me "Why? Just 2 minutes only" then I hung up.I shared this with my colleagues who went Bangkok with me previously and later my Customer Service director replied my email and said he had same kind of call from a China lady. Later last night he sms me to tell me he just finish talking to her and he pretended he was a policeman. I am not sure how this turn out to be but we believed they are from a syndicate in China who tried to scam people. I did a few searching last night and came to following blogs, do visit and read up. It seems this happen last year alot in Malaysia and now they are coming to Singapore.http://puppyprint.blogspot.com/2008/06/hk-disneyland-lucky-draw.htmlFrom this blog I found this:Which reminds me... how did they get my number in the first place?? I only got my number like 3 months ago, and i didn't give away my new number to many strangers in these 3 months... I came up with a few possibilities...1) They found my number in the YahooAuctions, Jobstreet, JobsDB..2) They got my number through lucky draw forms (which i remember only the KBox luckydraw)3) The companies which I applied jobs to sold my number to these scammer companies... Or the 'job companies' are the scammers in the first place. Besides govt jobs (which i have no doubts at all that they won't leak any confidential info to outsiders), i applied to 2-3 jobs under jobstreet.com which now i think it looks kinda dubious.4) I seldom give away my number to any surveys, esp what looks like insurance or MLM surveys. The only one i can remember is the bank survey during careerfair asking us to be insurance agents.5) The travel agency (when i went to Genting) sold my number to them.My case is similar to this, the lady only said she is from Hong Kong company. This post includes disclaimer email from HK Disneyland:http://www.after36.com/blog/index.php/phone-scam-conversation-recording-part-1/http://www.after36.com/blog/index.php/phone-scam-conversation-recording-part-2/Found this disclaimer from HK Tourism Board !
http://www.hktb.com/seasia/images/misrep.pdfHKTB STATEMENT ON MISREPRESENTATION CASES IN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA
In recent months, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) received several enquiries from Singapore and Malaysian customers who reported that they had received calls from representatives of some Hong Kong companies (Jiae Bao Science & Technology Co Ltd- 嘉宝科技股份有限公司, Hong Kong N.G Group-香港南光集團and names in Chinese only: 澳門新葡京旅遊公司,環球旅遊有限公司,富康旅遊集團, 香港半島度假休閒中心) claiming that they had organised a lucky draw in collaboration with the HKTB and customers who won prizes from the draw were being asked to provide personal data including identity card or bank account numbers. Some Singaporean customers were told to make a trip personally to Hong Kong to collect the prize money. In another case, the consumer was told that the call was for a survey commissioned by the HKTB. The HKTB wishes to alert all consumers to be wary as the Board is neither involved nor has appointed any representative or collaborated with any company in such promotions.
Moreover, the 2007 Hong Kong Shopping Festival, which has ended on 31 August, does not have any lucky draw element.These companies also infringed upon HKTB’s intellectual property rights by quoting HKTB’s Chinese / English name and using HKTB’s logo on their websites (www.yailite.com, www.jiuzou.com, www.jiaebao.com or www.hkng3c.com) without authorisation. The HKTB hereby reiterates that it does not have any affiliation or involvement with the websites.
The HKTB wishes to caution the public to exercise vigilance. If the public encounters suspicious cases or in doubt, they can contact HKTB Singapore Office at tel: 65-6336 5800 or email sinwwo@hktb.com to clarify.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
10 October 2007
香港旅游发展局有关新加坡与马来西亚之误道事件的声明启事:
近月，香港旅游发展局(旅发局)接获多宗新加坡与马来西亚民众的查询，表示有人分别以「富康旅游集团」、「环球旅游有限公司」、「澳门新葡京旅游公司」、「香港半岛度假休闲中心」、「嘉宝科技股份有限公司」或 「香港南光集团」之名义致电民众，指该公司正与旅发局合办抽奖活动，然后藉词向得奖之民众索取个人资料，包括身份证号码或银行户口资料。有关公司还向一些新加坡民众提出必须亲自去香港领取奖金的条件。另外，亦有公司假借旅发局名义进行市场调查。旅发局谨此严正声明：上述公司与本局毫无关系，本局亦没有委讬，或舆上述公司合办任何活动， 而旅发局较早前举办的「2007香港购物节」，也并无任何抽奖活动。
部分公司又在未得旅发局允许或同意下，侵犯旅发局的知识产权而擅自在其网站(www.yailite.com， www.jiuzou.com ， www.jiaebao.com或
www.hkng3c.com)，使用旅发局的中、英文名称或标志。旅发局重申，该等网站与本局无关。 旅发局特此提醒公众提高警觉。如遇到任何疑问，请即向本局驻新加坡办事处查询(电话 +65 6336 5800 ；电子邮箱:
sinwwo@hktb.com)。
香港旅游发展局
2007年10月16日
Everyone be careful ! You might be the next target. As I share around, my colleagues said best to just tell them "I don't understand mandarin or don't speak mandarin" and hang up.
spoke at : 2:37 PM
If music be the food of love, play on. This is a blog where I share with people about myself and my favourite Singaporean Singer Kelvin Tan Wei Lian. All who are my friends, colleagues and family are welcome to come to my blog and get update here. I am part of Kelvin Tan's FC who is named the Blue Angels since he won PSS1 in 2005 
