Yu Kin Len | Jan 22, 10 4:11pm

Recently, I have received a number of e-mails from different banks that asked me to update my personal details to reactivate my online banking account which had been frozen due to certain reasons.

Some e-mails asked me to do a certain survey for which they would reward me with RM200 and some even requested to use my bank account for money transactions for which I would be paid some substantial amount of money. All those e-mails needed me to key in my personal details such as my online banking account user name and password. I realized that these are those phishing e-mails which try to ‘phish away’ my money.

Saturday January 16, 2010
By CECILIA KOK

SINCE the idea of implementing the goods and services tax (GST) in Malaysia was revived by the Government two months ago, many questions have been raised by various industry and consumer groups as to how the new regime will affect their interests.

Apart from the information in the GST Bill, few details of the new tax have been announced, but the Government has made a commitment to make the GST system a win-win solution. The tax will likely be enforced about 18 months after the second reading of the bill scheduled for March in parliament.

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 18 — Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob believes that Malaysians are generally not ready for a total scrapping of fuel subsidies, and that the government would only do so if there was a consensus from the public.

His response came despite internal government discussion that removing all subsidies in the country could save Malaysia some RM50 billion a year. The government currently subsidises fuel, gas, flour and sugar.

Published: Monday January 18, 2010 MYT 1:30:00 PM

CHICAGO: An influential advisory panel says school-aged youngsters and teens should be screened for obesity and sent to intensive behaviour treatment if they need to lose weight - a move that could transform how doctors deal with overweight children.

Treating obese kids can help them lose weight, the panel of doctors said in issuing new guidelines Monday. But that’s only if it involves rigorous diet, activity and behaviour counselling.

Households in £82 million debt to illegal lenders after taking out doorstep loans to fund Christmas

More than 100,000 of the UK’s poorest families will be crippled with £82 million of debt this year, after borrowing from loan sharks to fund Christmas, research has found.

Families took out an estimated £29 million in illegal doorstep loans over the festive period, at an average of nearly £300 per household. With interest rates on illegal loans averaging 825 per cent, households can expect to pay back over £800 during 2010. This suggests many families will still be paying off their debt next Christmas.