Friday, 5 August 2011

British loan sharks up 40% !

Number using loan sharks in Wales up 40% in four years

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Loan sharks often target vulnerable people such as single parents on low incomes, according to the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit
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The number of people in Wales turning to loan sharks has risen by 40% in the last four years.

The Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit (IMLU) said the figure has jumped from 15,000 to 25,000 since 2007.

The most vulnerable areas include Swansea, Newport, Cardiff, south Wales valleys and the north Wales coast.

Steven Hay, head of the unit, said victims were usually debt-ridden individuals trying to provide for their families.

He said loan sharks targeted vulnerable people like those on low incomes.

Funded by the UK government, but acting on behalf of Wales' 22 councils, the Cardiff-based IMLU has a mix of trading standards officers and former police detectives for its investigations.

Gambling debts

Mr Hay told BBC Wales: "In other parts of the UK, it can exist around drugs, gambling debts or alcohol but we found that more than anything the people in Wales want to provide for their families and sometimes that drives them to go to a loan shark for money."

Case Study

"Katie" is a single mother with two small children who got into trouble after borrowing £3,000 from a loan shark.

She had to pay back £5,500 - an interest rate of more than 100%.

"He was a very big man and I had heard what he had done to other people and what he was capable of," she said.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was suicidal and I was always worried that my kids would be better off with somebody else and that I should end it all for them to have a better life.

"It really was horrendous."

The loan shark lending money to Katie was eventually arrested and jailed.

He said that since its inception in 2007, the unit had identified loan books held by illegal money lenders totalling around £2.5m, and had managed to eradicate around £1m of illegal debt in Wales.

The team has also worked with 1,700 victims and brought 32 people to trial, but the figures are "just the tip of the iceberg", according to Mr Hay and his team.

Claire Smith of Swansea's LASA Credit Union, one of the areas identified as vulnerable by the team, advised people to use their services instead of turning to loan sharks.

She told BBC Wales: "If an illegal money lender is taken out of an area, the issue you have is if somebody has been using that as a source of credit and that credit is taken away, no matter how bad it is, and they think that there is nowhere else to go, another illegal money lender will just come in and take over the patch."

Steven Hay of the Wales Illegal Money Lending Unit

Steven Hay said the figures were just the "tip of the iceberg" and more victims are out there

Mr Hay added that loan sharks targeted communities with vulnerable people, such as families or single people on a low income, often reliant on welfare benefits.

Unlawful imprisonment

Anyone who makes money from lending must have a consumer credit licence from the Office of Fair Trading.

The unit has uncovered many cases of people charged extortionate rates of interest, often with no paperwork.

As well as the threat and use of violence, loan shark criminality can extend to blackmail, money laundering, fraud and unlawful imprisonment or kidnap.

Mr Hay urged those experiencing problems with loan sharks to contact the team's 24- hour hotline on 0300 123 3311.

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Thursday, 4 August 2011

How many Malaysians is enough?

WHY NOT? By WONG SAI WAN

Planners need to study our population trends and make sure policies are in place to meet future needs – from jobs to food.

IN the 1980s, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad shocked everyone by stating a 70 million population policy so that Malaysia will be a self-sustaining market, and announced various tax incentives to encourage us to have more children.

Many snide remarks were made about the target the then prime minister set. The population then was just under 20 million.

More than 20 years on, the population has indeed grown, but not to the extent that Dr Mahathir had envisioned.

According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census final report, Malaysia’s population stood at 28.3 million at the end of 2010.

This means we have grown by five million since the last census in 2000 when there were just 23.3 million of us.

This may seem to be a lot of people, but when one looks at the statistics more deeply, it becomes obvious that while our population has increased, the growth rate has slowed.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, in releasing the final report, pointed out that the average annual population growth rate between the two censuses was just 2% .

“The rate from 1991 to 2000 was 2.6% ,” he said, adding that the country’s fertility rate dropped to 2.3% from 3% in 2000.

To achieve Dr Mahathir’s 70 million target by 2050 would mean we have to double our rate of “making children” – but I doubt if any of us would be keen to go for that no matter how pleasurable it is supposed to be.

The truth is, more and more Malaysians, regardless of ethnic group, are settling for smaller families. This is happening all over the world, especially in countries where urbanisation is the trend.

The latest census report states that the proportion of urban population increased to 71% in 2010 from 62% in 2000.

“Apart from the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, which are 100% urban, other states with a high urban population are Selangor and Penang, at 91.4% and 90.8%, respectively.”

On the opposite end of the scale are Kelantan (42.4%), Pahang (50.5%) and Perlis (51.4%).

The census also found Selangor to be the most populated state, with 5.4 million residents or 19.3% of the country’s population, followed by Johor with 3.3 million and Sabah with 3.2 million.

Under the Greater Kuala Lumpur or Klang Valley plan, it is estimated that there will be eight million people by 2020.

Housing and public transport have been identified as the most urgent issues to be resolved before that date.

This is why the affordable housing scheme and MRT project have gotten top priority from the Federal Government. But obviously that will not be enough as more and more people come to the Klang Valley to seek their fortune.

It’s not just infrastructure that needs to be improved but other soft policies – like working hours and minimum wage – also need to be in place to ensure the growing population would be able to cope with the pressures of living in a metropolis.

Of course, the most important policy that needs to be tackled is the cost of living.

Any country or city that wants to be known as friendly and liveable must be affordable, too.

It is pointless having 100-storey buildings and six-star restaurants if the majority of the citizens do not get to enjoy such plush facilities because they cannot afford to.

It is great that the New Economic Model as proposed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak calls for “breaking out of the middle-income trap and turning Malaysia into a high-income nation”.

Parliament has already passed the first law required to make a minimum wage law but more needs to be done before we are a high-income nation.

The Government needs to push this agenda and spend time explaining it to the people.

The people do not seem to understand the concept because, not seeing any real increase in their pay packet, the perception they get is that only lip service is being paid to the policy.

What is made worse is that while global factors are driving up prices of daily items like food and fuel, the Government is talking about cutting back on subsidies.

The authorities need to come out with a comprehensive explanation programme so that there will be no misunderstanding of its policies, and these clarifications must be simple enough so that every person, regardless of educational background, can understand.

Another worrying point that the 2010 census has thrown up is that there are 14,562,638 males and 13,771,497 females in the country.

Many parents are worried over future partners for their children, especially since many of them place low priority on marriage to concentrate on career.

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall president Tan Yew Sing pointed to career-minded women being among the major factors contributing to the shrinking Chinese population, which now only accounts for 24.6%, a drop of 2% from a decade ago (bumiputras account for 67.4%, Indians 7.3% and others 0.7% in the latest report).

When the census was carried out in 1991, the Chinese community made up 28.1% of the country’s 18.38 million population then.

Tan also noted that more Chinese were moving to the urban areas, where they preferred to raise smaller families, and also that “a significant portion of the Chinese community was also known to have migrated”.
I am sure that such changes are also affecting the Malay, Indian, Iban, Kadazan and other communities in Malaysia.

The shrinking population growth rates, downsized families and deferring marriages are issues that will change the characteristics of the country.

We will never make the 70 million population target even in 40 years’ time and the Government must take into account such societal changes and draft new policies to ensure our country remains affordable, liveable and friendly to all.

Executive Editor Wong Sai Wan has settled for a son and a daughter but wonders what are their targets.

Wednesday, 3 August 2011

Cyber crooks target gamers; E-gambling dens menace, raid in Penang, etc

Cyber crooks target gamers

By P. ARUNA aruna@thestar.com.my

SERI KEMBANGAN: Cyber crooks have now set up fake gaming sites to steal information from Internet surfers.

They are also stealing personal information from online gamers and selling virtual gaming items like weapons to other players.

Cybersecurity Malaysia, which is an agency under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, said cyber criminals were targeting gaming websites and had spread their wings to Malaysia, with five cases reported so far.

“Gaming websites have already become a lucrative business for cyber criminals in South Korea and China,” said Cybersecurity Malaysia vice-president (cyber security responsive services) Adli Abd Wahid.

“Gamers are spending more money on online gaming, purchasing battle tanks', avatars' and other virtual gadgets and tools needed to advance to higher levels of a certain online game.

“Cyber crooks can steal the usernames and passwords of users who have advanced to a certain level in a game, and sell the account to buyers who want to continue playing the game from that level.”

Adli said that since many gamers preferred not to waste time starting from the lowest levels, they were willing to buy from cyber crooks.

The crooks could also steal the virtual weapons and gadgets from compromised accounts and sell them to other players.

Adli estimated that 99% of phishing websites targeting Malaysians were created and operated overseas, with foreign syndicates often hiring locals as “money mules” to transfer stolen money to foreign bank accounts.

The number of phishing sites detected in Malaysia rose from 634 cases in 2009 to 1,426 reports that were lodged last year.

IDC Market Research (M) Sdn Bhd associate analyst Devtar Singh said there were currently an estimated 7.3 million online gamers in Malaysia.

International anti-phishing service provider Internet Identity (IID) reported that the attacks were expected to rise with the global online gaming industry generating over US$15bil (RM44bil) annually, making it a strong target for criminals.
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Residents: End the game for e-gambling dens

By ELAN PERUMAL and STUART MICHAEL newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Action must be taken against operators of e-gambling dens because addiction to gambling is making families suffer, said Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Heng Seai Kie.

Her ministry had received numerous complaints from women, especially mothers and wives, on the negative impact caused by such gambling dens.

They complained how family members had became addicted to gambling due to the existence of these premises near their homes.

Heng said the mothers complained that their children’s studies were badly affected by the addiction to gambling.

“The wives also told us that their husbands frequent such premises and lose their earnings at the cyber casinos,” she said.

Heng said she had received feedback that the number of illegal casinos were mushrooming in the Klang Valley, especially Selangor.

She urged the state government to act against this illegal activity.

Meanwhile, resident associations (RA) called for sterner action against the cyber casinos.

Aman Suria RA pro-tem chairman Wendy Chan said the lack of consistency among the local authorities had led to the mushrooming of the illegal cyber casinos.

While acknowledging the authorities did take action against the illegal e-gambling dens, Chan said their actions were not effective.

“The best way is for the local authorities to closely monitor and carry out regular checks.’’

Damansara Jaya RA president Datuk Hew Cheng Hoe said it was impossible for the residents associations to act on the complaints against the illegal activity.

“I believe the authorities will do the necessary to stop the illegal operators,’’ he said.

Bandar Country Homes RA president Soong Beng Khoon said the authorities should also go after those who supplied equipment to these illegal gambling centres.

He added that these casinos were popular as they were strategically located in residential areas.

Taman Rawang Perdana 2 RA chairman Ong Siew Hong said there were many cybercafes in his area and some youngsters, who initially played for fun, eventually become addicted.

“This has become a social problem and the authorities must view it seriously.”

E-gambling menace

Stories by M.KUMAR and AUSTIN CAMOENS

Under control: A police officer securing the area during a raid on gambling dens in Gombak, Selangor.

KUALA LUMPUR: Many people, including schoolchildren, are losing millions of ringgit monthly at e-gambling dens.

The cyber casinos attract customers by offering a variety of gambling games from mahjong and roulette to virtual slot machines.

The premises are sparsely furnished. Rows of computers line the space and customers are seen glued to the screens.

Bets start from as low as 25sen to as high as the participant wants. There have been cases where players bet thousands of ringgit for one hand of Blackjack.

EO for cyber crooks

PETALING JAYA: The Emergency Ordinance (EO) will be used against operators of illegal cyber casinos who have been raking in millions of ringgit monthly.

The police, however, face a setback because the gaming servers are located overseas, making it difficult to nab the culprits.

Other developments:

> The Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Cybercafe Owners Association has come up with an integrated approach to rebrand the industry and educate members;

> Selangor Government slammed over inaction against such operators; and

> Habitual gamblers say they are attracted by the low bets offered.

13 held in Penang after cyber raid

By TAN SIN CHOW sctan@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Police have detained 13 caretakers and workers of cybercafes which are believed to be fronts for illegal online gambling.

During an operation code-named Ops Dadu, the police also seized 128 computer sets from 13 cybercafes throughout the state.

State CID chief Senior Asst Comm (SAC) Zahruddin Abdullah said the 13, mostly caretakers in their 20s and 30s, were nabbed during a five-hour operation which ended at 1am.

Gambling gadgets: George Town CID chief Deputy Supt Shahurinain Jais showing some of the seized items at Datuk Keramat police station in Penang Thursday. Aug 4, 2011

Most such premises were found in central Seberang Prai and George Town districts.

SAC Zahruddin said police had intensified their raids on online gambling dens with 4,440 computers and gambling machines seized in the first six months of this year.

He added that 1,150 raids were also carried out with 440 arrests made.

“The statistics show the number of raids, arrests and seizures have increased tremendously compared with last year and 2009.

“Constant raids have been carried out but the problems still persist. We will continue with our efforts,” he said during a press conference at the state police headquarters here yesterday.

Police made 759 and 434 arrests in 2009 and last year respectively.

They had carried out 1,045 raids in 2009 and 1,339 last year.

SAC Zahruddin said there were hundreds of cyber cafes in Penang with a large number being run without licences from local authorities.

He added that many operators were also caught abusing licences obtained from local authorities by running online gambling in their premises.

“We have problems tracking down the masterminds as most of the time those who look after the premises are foreigners.

“The operators have hi-tech tools. With only the press of a button, computers in the premises will be switched off.

“This makes it even harder for us to establish a case against them.”

When contacted, Penang municipal councillor Iszuree Ibrahim said cybercafe operators who run online gambling activities had never applied for licences from the Penang Municipal Council.

He said only 17 out of hundreds of cybercafe operators on the island were given licences.

“We are only able to issue summonses to the perpetrators but this will not deter them from carrying out such activities at their premises as they are raking in millions of ringgit annually.”

Related Stories:
Stakes up for casino bosses
A sure bet there's a game for every gambler
MCA: Raid cyber casinos regularly

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