SMS system to reduce queues

The Health Ministry is introducing an SMS-based system to notify patients of their appointments to reduce queues at hospitals.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the pilot project had been implemented at the Mamodiah Outpatient Clinic here.

The queue management and appointment reminder would also send out an SMS when there are five patients before their turn.

Full story

Malaysia still not free from SMS scams

Although all of our main mobile operators(Maxis, DiGi & Celcom) has some sort of anti-spamming and anti-spoofing solution, Malaysians are still not free from scams involving SMS. There are still a number of reports that mobile users are being charged for the content or service that they did not request.

Who is supposed to take the responsibility this?

• The Telcos?(Who has a large share on the amount of money that is billed to the mobile users)
• The Regulator? (With current regulation that does not seem to be effective)
• The Content Providers? (Who has access via the Telco to bill any Malaysian with a mobile number)
• The Mobile Users? (Who place their trust on the Telco and the Regulator)

Some RM35 million was reported loss due to SMS scams in 2007 and that amount could be more today. Till this industry think of ways to properly resolve this, you can be spammed or billed for a mobile content or services that is not requested by you.

Related:

• Fleeced with unwanted messages
  

HAPPY gets "happy" by making money from "HAPPY" users

HAPPY, the no-frill prepaid service, launched by DiGi, but not by DiGi(according to the Happy team) is a move by DiGi, I mean HAPPY to dominate the Voice and SMS market in Malaysia.

With 60 days validity on any reload, 1sen/sec and up to 99sen for a 45 minute call and 10sen per SMS.

WHAT IS THE CATCH?

Ok, lets see. A 1 minute call on HAPPY will cost RM0.60, and that's the most expensive rate in the country for making a call to a local number. Now lets go to the most painful part:

• MMS- RM1(the most expensive rate in country)
  
• International MMS- RM2(Again, the most expensive)
  
• International SMS- RM1(this must be a "diamond" SMS, the most expensive again!!)
  
• IDD- RM5/min to any country (including Singapore which will cost less than RM1 on "normal rates")
• GPRS Activation- RM2 (no telco is charging for this now. Are we still in the GPRS era?)
• GPRS- RM0.50/10Kb (wow, this must be for secured, important use..:)............)
• Call Center (014-3333800)- RM2 per call (High class customer service)

Source

HAPPY is for:

• Anyone who makes a call longer than 99sec(1 min 39 sec) and lesser than 45 minute. (so make sure that your call last that long to make BIG savings.-RM0.99
• For people who sends tons of SMS everyday/everymonth, and of course to any LOCAL numbers.-RM0.10
  

So, is HAPPY really for you? Plus with limited places to purchase a reload(until their e-pay service is available).

Any "HAPPY" users around? Leave a comment.

Will Malaysians be free from SMS spamming?

Since last year, there are hundreds of complaints out there from users who received SMSes or charged for SMS that they never requested, probably there are some thousand of users out there that choose to ignore these SMSes and was not aware that they were charged for it.

How long will these carry on? Is MCMC just watching or benefiting from these issues? or they are not capable of handling it? Whatever the reasons are, hundreds of Malaysians out there still get spammed today.

Maxis in a recent press release claims that they have successfully installed Anti-spam and Anti spoofing solution operational since July 2007.Read here.

According to a recent article from Jeff Ooi, Mr Lim CH, a Malaysian and a Maxis Postpaid user, has been charged for receiving spam, 24 times, from a company called Matrix Internet & Wireless Sdn Bhd.The itemised bill dated September 07, 2007.

If Maxis claims its Anti-Spam and Anti Spoofing has been installed since July 2007, and managed to stop over 1.2 million intrusive SMS from reaching customers, then I think the "solution" is not good enough!!!

List of cases compounded by MCMC this year until 15 September 2007(click image)

So compound is effective? Which is aimed to stop content providers from doing their illegal activities. It is believed that some of these companies are repeated offenders, up to 4 times. If its true, then it proofs that fines or compound has failed to meet its goal.

Why MCMC is holding itself from taking serious action against content providers with repeated offense and Telcos in the country? What or who does it fear? Why does these repeated offenders still doing business in Malaysia?

By the end of this month, Maxis and Celcom will soon implement online billing for its prepaid customers. Will these help reduce spamming and spoofing? Postpaid customers with bills are still being scammed.

MCMC has got a good track record in the country. Last heard, the interference between the 3.5Ghz frequency and Measat 3 is still not solved. The question here is, why was the license issued at first place?? Internet users has raised a lot of issues regarding quality of internet service in the country for years, yet it is still not solved. Since there are still no proper and strict guideline on internet service, we still don't get to achieve the internet speed that was promised.Thanks to best effort, and MCMC.

In Malaysia, license are worth up to millions.

I believe, if we have a good Commission and a good Ministry, we are guaranteed to enjoy world class telecommunication service. In the US, license are worth billions, and they can handle it. We can't even solve SMS spamming and spoofing.-Telco Talk Malaysia

KTAK: Block spamming NOW!!!!

Energy, Water and Communication Minister has ruled that all Celcos in the country must implement anti-spamming and anti-spoofing solution by the end of this month.

Earlier MCMC has ruled that all prepaid user should have access to their bills by this month. DiGi has done it, but the remaining two telcos seems to be quite.

Read the article reported by the TheStar.

Malaysian lose RM35million to sms scams

Here are some points:

• 163 cases were reported since January
• syndicate members raked in about RM5mil a month just by sending out SMSes to the Malaysian public
• VICTIM receives a call that he or she has won a lucky draw by an electrical company based in Hong Kong and that he/she needs to pay a 5% tax to retrieve the goods worth an estimated RM100,000
• VICTIM receives a call from a Mandarin-speaking person saying that he/she has won a lucky draw contest and to contact the phone numbers given to collect the winnings. But he/she must pay a transfer fee to be deposited into an account. After depositing the money, the victim will be asked to contact another party to collect the prize. When the victim contacts the other party, he/she is asked to pay other charges
• VICTIM receives a call from a person claiming to be a court official. He says the victim has failed to attend a court hearing. This will be followed by another call from a man claiming to be from Bukit Aman. The second caller informs the victim that he/she is involved in a criminal case and has to deposit a certain sum of money or his/her bank account will be frozen

Read the full article here.

Have you been scammed before? Comments are most welcomed.

Fomca calls for drastic action against SMS spoofing on POSTPAID CUSTOMER

Did you read the title of this article?

Read carefully..

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) wants the Government to take stronger steps in dealing with SMS-spoofing, reported by Steven Patrick,The Star.

SMS Spoofing means generating fake requests for Short Message Services. In simple worlds, a mobile phone user is charged for a service he/she did not request such as ringtone downloads and more.

The MCMC plans to solve these scam by doing this.

In the Star article:

"It is not a question of one or two consumers being billed an extra few ringgit per month," said Fomca director Darshan Singh at a press conference today.(So, its NOT A QUESTION in cheating few dollars from the one or two consumers?When it will be a question?)

"There are 20 million cellphone users, 80% of which are postpaid service subscribers," he said. "If every one of those 16 million consumers is billed just RM3 a month, that comes up to RM48mil." (Based on the MCMC figures as picture below, more than 80% mobile phone subscribers are PREPAID users. As a Directors at FOMCA and knowing things about SMS Spoofing, facts like these should not go wrong. I do hope Steven Patrick as the writer of the article could get things right or please remove the statement.)

HEAR THIS MCMC!!!

Issuing bills does not solve SMS Spoofing!!!! Maxis was badly affected by SMS Spoofing and has taken action by implementing antispam and antispoofing solution that cost them close to 3.5 million.

Other telcos are yet to follow.

MCMC should take strict action on Content Provider that practice SMS spoofing and impose very high fine on Telcos for the failure to protect consumers due to their non-perfect system.

Repeating offense by a Content Provider should be banned from the business or must be taken to court.

Read The Star article here by Steven Patrick.

SMS Scam

Please beware of this particular SMS:

"TAHNIAH. Simcard Anda Meme-nangi hadiah Cek Tunai RM.20.000 dari peraduan CELCOM Sila hubungi Call Centre : 00628194177799 Terimakasih"

Thanks to Reader, Shafie for the pointer.

Announcement: DiGi

1.Service Upgrade for Prepaid & Postpaid system

Good isn't good enough for us. To enhance our services further, we're upgrading our prepaid and postpaid system today so you can enjoy the best of DiGi tomorrow.

The upgrading work is set to take place from 26th - 27th June 2007, between the hours of 11 pm and 9 am.
During this period, prepaid users will not be able to:
• Activate new lines and services
• Re-activate barred lines

Postpaid users will experience a delay in unbarring their lines.

Rest assured, you can still perform voice call and SMS functions. To ensure you stay connected during the night, kindly reload your prepaid account with enough credit or pay your postpaid bills before 11 pm daily.

Full service will resume on 27th June 2007 after 9 am.

We're excited that the new improved facilities will help us serve you better.
You have our heartfelt thanks for your continuous support.

2.SMS Scam

Please ignore this text message: "Tahniah, simcard anda memenangi hadiah cek tunai RM15,000 plus reload kredit RM250 dari peraduan DiGi. Sila hubungi 006281343842239, terima kasih"


Its a scam.

Macrokiosk offers Automated Mobile XChange (AMX)

Mobile messaging technology enabler Macrokiosk Bhd believes its Automated Mobile XChange (AMX) solution is the answer to service problems faced by telecommunications companies and their subscribers.

The product is to help telcos in the region fight unsolicited SMSes, launch their own external content provider programme, provide a content delivery mechanism, and handle number portability.

It was launched during CommunicAsia 2007 in Singapore recently.

"We believe telcos will find this a timely solution for resolving issues of overcharging, spamming, inability to opt-out, illicit downloads, unsolicited text messages, and billing errors," said Macrokiosk chief executive officer Kenny Goh.

"It will save time, manpower and effort for the telcos.

But more importantly, it will create a high confidence level for their mobile users." Goh said the homegrown solution, which took eight months to build, is a telco-grade product that has four modules — filtration, charging, content delivery and portability.

Read more.

Macrokiosk denies spoofing

Local mobile messaging gateway provider Macrokiosk Bhd has defended itself against accusations that it is involved in the recently publicised cases of SMS spoofing.

Macrokiosk is also listed three times on the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) list of non-compliant content providers, which can be viewed at http://www.mcmc.gov.my/consumer/non_compliance.asp.

As a result, the company has drawn disapproval from some mobile content industry players when it was recently listed in the Maxis Elite ECP (external content provider) Programme.

Read more.

Maxis will soon implement SMS antispam system

Maxis will soon implement antispamming and antispoofing solutions which it claims will lower the amount of SMS scams received by its 8.5 million customers by up to 80%.

To be up and running in July, the telco has invested close to RM3.5mil in the technology that would verify the authenticity of the sender before the message reaches the receiver.

The solution features keyword blocking and anti-flooding detection, among others.

According to its general manager and heads of products and infotainment businesses T. Kugan, the solution will automatically scan the message headers in all incoming messages at its gateway, including those from overseas.

Customers will not incur any extra charges nor will they experience any lag in the SMS network, he said.

Read more.

Maxis to maintain mobile data revenue growth

THE country's largest mobile operator, Maxis Communications Bhd, aims to maintain its mobile data revenue growth this year with more content downloads and higher third-generation (3G) customer base.

The company is on track to double its 3G customer base this year to more than 446,000 users. It had 380,000 active 3G users as at April this year.

Maxis' mobile data revenue, meanwhile, grew 21 per cent to RM393 million in the first quarter of this year.

For the full-year 2006, mobile data revenue increased by 29 per cent to RM1.34 billion. Non-voice revenue represented more than 20 per cent of the group's revenue.

"We hope to maintain the growth rate this year, with the possibility of exceeding it" Maxis head of product and new business Dr Nikolai Dobberstein said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Music download, games downloads, and Internet surfing are expected to be the main drivers for non-voice sales growth.

As the market becomes saturated and voice call rates get cheaper, mobile operators do not want to be too dependent on voice services.

Dobberstein was speaking to reporters after a signing ceremony between Maxis and 18 external content providers. Among others, the telco hopes to work with them to protect consumers from unsolicited content, SMS scams and spam activities.

"We hope to reduce spam activities by 80 to 90 per cent once the solution is installed" said general manager and head of products and infotainment business T. Kugan.

The anti-spam solution, which cost some RM3.5 million, is expected to be installed in July.

Dobberstein added that Maxis plans to introduce itemised billing for its 6.94 million prepaid customers. It is also investing more than RM1.5 million over the next 12 months to promote and strengthen the quality of its content providers.

The 18 external content providers, known as Elite Partners, include Ahead Mobile, Arthatek Resources, Dapat Vista, Didadee, Dubaitech marketing, Ecentury, FunMobile, Gen-X Technology, Isentric, KotaEmas Edaran, Macro Kiosk, matrix Internet and Wireless, MNC Wireless, Mobile Touchtek, Nexnation Network, N-Visio, Yo Mobile and Zed Mobile Malaysia.-Btimes

Ignore SMS related to Tax status

If you happen to receive any sms that claims to be from Customs Department enquiring about your tax status, IGNORE IT!!!

Quotes from TheStar:

"Although we had announced that the system would be launched on April 1, its implementation was deferred on technical grounds," said Customs Sirim Integrated Electronic Common System (SPEKS)Senior Assistant Director II, Iskandar Jaafar.

"The consumers were charged when they responded to the queries via SMS but did not get a reply," he said.

He added that the victims should lodge police reports.

source

Think before even creating that SMS!!

Mobile phone users caught sending threats or obscene messages with pictures can be fined RM50,000 or jailed not more than one year, or both.

Tamil Nesan highlighted the caution from Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

The deputy minister, who was replying to a supplementary question from Senator Wan Ubaidah Omar in the Dewan Negara on Thursday, said it would be easy to identify senders with the compulsory registration of handphone users.

Shaziman said some irresponsible people were using SMS to cheat handphone users.

"The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission is seriously looking into the matter," he was quoted as saying.-TheStar

Take serious action on identity theft

SMS content providers are abusing this wonderful mode of communication. SMS spams are deluging mobile phone subscribers.

There are too many offers of ringtones, music and other services which are often not required and which consumers have to tolerate. To stop receiving these unwanted SMSes one has to call and inform the service provider, whereby the subscriber would be charged. Why must a subscriber be charged for declining a service he doesn’t require?

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has been receiving many complaints of SMS scams. One complainant received an SMS saying that he had been selected as the recipient of a RM20,000 prize. He had to dial a certain Indonesian phone number.

To claim his prize money he was asked to deposit RM2,000 in a certain bank account, as bank processing fee.

When this was reported to the telco, the telco claimed that they had acted on this and had already informed the police.

The question is, how did all these content providers get the handphone number of subscribers? This basically is identity theft. Is it not the responsibility of the telcos to protect the identity of subscribers?

CAP calls on the Malaysian Communication & Multimedia Commission to investigate these abuses by content providers and take serious action on identity theft of various kinds.

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS,
President,
Consumers Association of Penang

Police bust Akademi Fantasia SMS scam syndicate

Police have busted a syndicate involved in an Akademi Fantasia SMS scam in Sabah.

The three key members of the syndicate were arrested in a series of operations by state police here that led to the detention of at least 11 other suspects in connection with the scam that used random SMS to dupe people into parting with their money.

Sabah acting Deputy Police Commissioner Sr Asst CommII Sidin Abdul Karim said the arrested included two "most wanted" men (both Indonesians) who were picked up from the Marina Court here by the end March.

Police also recovered 58 bank cards and RM36,661 cash from the suspects who had used locals to open up bank accounts, Sidin told reporters after attending the monthly police gathering at the Kepayan police headquarters here.

The suspects used the accounts so that their victims deposit money as part of a deal to collect a cheque that they purportedly won from an Akademi Fantasia show.

"Our investigations showed that the locals were paid about RM150 to RM200 for their accounts and bankcards to be used," he said, adding that about RM130,000 had been transferred by the syndicate to accounts in Indonesia.

He said the three suspects, aged between 30 and 40, were in the process of being charged in court under Section 420 of the Penal Code that carries a maximum jail term of one-year, whipping and a fine. The others were released on police bail.

Sidin said that there were a total of about 40 such cases reported in Sabah over a period of time reported in Sabah. -TheStar

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Around RM130,000 and RM36,661 transactions is mentioned on the articles above, I believe there are more transactions and more peoples involved out there as I believed most Malaysians that were cheated has not made a police report. This amount is raised from just 2-3 suspects(operating from Sabah only), imagine how much amount might be gained from other syndicate which is still free on the road now. I hope that the police could do better job in busting this syndicate like forming a monitoring unit that relates to Internet and Mobile Communication issues in this country.

Free SMS

A friend of mine called me 4 days ago, he is currently working for a company in Australia. The company he works for provides free SMS service around the world to countries like US, Singapore, Australia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the list goes on(very long list).....WAIT!!! Did I say Malaysia?

Yup Its true!!!Its free....so what's the catch? This service is a AD SUPPORTED service...It means the sender(via the Internet browser with flash support) views a very-very short advertisement before the SMS is sent while the receiver receives the SMS with an AD on it.

I have tried the service my self. First, its free...I can send to any telco(012,019,016,not sure for 014), and I get to type some 120 characters where the remaining its reserve for the ad.

I was told that the service will begin to charge when it reaches a certain amount of users(this information is not disclosed on its website), so I am not going to disclose about the service here, on this article.

If you want to use the service(with the terms below), send me an email(malaysianwireless@gmail.com)with your full name, occupation,mobile phone number and the username you plan to regsiter with the service. This is needed as I will be forwarding this to my friend(your details will NOT be use for any marketing purpose and I assure you that!!)

Send the email if you agree to the terms of use below:

• This service cannot be used for spamming or any marketing purpose(personal use only!!)
• Do not disclosed this service to anyone(let the service market itself)

I will reply you an email with the website details which you need to register this service on their website.

Note: This is a sponsored post