Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/08/22 in all areas

  1. I feel no mood around.... most shop in my neighbourhood like doing slow business. Maybe the high cost of shipping is making businesses earning less profit.
    4 points
  2. I went on online spree so far 1 x Hitachi fridge 1 x samsung a52s 1 x omron high blood press monitor 1 x 6V power 2 x phone cover I guess soon will be the CNT makan stuff
    3 points
  3. welcome back this was posted to see if we can attract you back we miss you here
    3 points
  4. SINGAPORE - It took a man and his wife five years to save about $120,000, but in just 30 minutes, scammers using a fake text message stole the money they had kept in their OCBC Bank joint savings account. The couple in their 20s were among at least 469 people who reportedly fell victim to phishing scams involving OCBC in the last two weeks of December last year. The victims lost around $8.5 million in total. Speaking to The Sunday Times, the couple, who declined to be identified, said they had been saving up to start a family. They have not been able to get their money back. The husband works in the e-commerce sector, while his wife is in the hospitality industry. The man said he received the phishing message with a link at around noon on Dec 21 last year. It claimed that an unknown payee had been added to their account, and instructed him to click on the link if it was not approved by him. "The SMS looked like it came from OCBC and entered the usual SMS chat history from OCBC used for authentic banking services," he said. "The link took me to a site that looked exactly like the OCBC login page." He then entered his account details, unwittingly handing over control of the whole account to scammers. The couple realised they had been scammed only when the man received SMSes from the bank informing him of changes and transactions involving the account that had taken place earlier that afternoon. He showed ST his text message history. According to the time stamp, the bank sent him the alert at about 2pm, only for him to receive it past 6pm. "Had we received the notifications on time, we would have been able to react faster, and perhaps been able to reach the relevant teams during the same business day to stop the transactions," said the man. ST understands that it is possible the scammers had re-routed or delayed the SMSes. The couple had also received messages earlier that access to their account was being set up on another phone, but this was followed with fake messages from the scammer telling them to ignore the messages, claiming they were just part of a system upgrade. After news broke that others had also been scammed, the couple decided to start a group for victims in an attempt to collectively seek answers. Theirs was not the largest sum stolen. OCBC cautions about SMS scams after customers lose $140k in 10 days A 38-year-old software engineer who fell prey to the same scam on Dec 28 told ST that he lost about $250,000 he had been saving since 2010. The father of a young child with special needs said the loss has been devastating, and he has been hiding it from his family. "It's a horrible situation that impacts my whole life," he said. "I didn't know there was a scam going around... how would I have known?" Eight victims have contacted ST to share their frustration. Responding to queries from ST, Mr Francisco Celio, head of group corporate security at OCBC, said it has been assisting those affected. "The recent SMS phishing scam impersonated OCBC and preyed on the fears of consumers about their personal bank accounts," he said. "It is particularly aggressive and highly sophisticated in duping consumers into disclosing their personal banking details despite repeated bank warnings to be alert and not to do so." The bank said it has since halted its plans to phase out physical hardware tokens by the end of March this year, and has also stopped sending SMSes with links in them in the light of the spate of phishing incidents. OCBC's scam detection helped customers save $10m this year OCBC launched its fraud surveillance system in 2016, and uses machine learning to assist in detecting and immediately flagging fraudulent transactions, which are then reviewed by a fraud analyst. It also implemented its anti-financial malware system in 2019. It is able to identify what device its banking services are accessed from. Mr Celio added that OCBC's banking systems remain safe and secure and have not been hacked. A group of victims issued a statement to ST, alleging that the bank had not responded fast enough, failed to ensure the security of its SMS channel, and that remediation for customers was lacking. "While the attack may have been particularly aggressive, it is OCBC's duty to their customers to be ready for this," they said. Cyber security expert Anthony Lim, who is also a fellow at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said scammers have advanced software enabling them to spoof telecommunications services and send SMSes that appear in the same threads used by real organisations. He added that even if victims did not provide their one-time passwords (OTPs), they would have sealed their fate when they entered other bank details on the fraudulent sites. "Once the victim unwittingly responds by entering the bank account credentials, the hackers' technologies can divert and capture a copy of the SMS OTP issued by the bank," he said. He also said there is a limit to how much a consumer can be protected, and that consumers need to be aware and protect themselves. "Quite unfortunately, with regard to such message scams, there is only so much technology can do (to protect consumers)," he said. "The best way to avoid falling prey to these is still awareness, and the accompanying scepticism." Tips to avoid being scammed With scammers using more advanced technologies and software, the simplest advice may work best - be suspicious of messages sent via SMS or WhatsApp asking for personal details. Cyber security expert Anthony Lim said consumers should take the following precautions when dealing with online transactions and banking details: • Do not act in a hurry or under duress • Do not respond to messages asking for personal credentials, passwords or PINs • Be suspicious of messages sent via SMS or WhatsApp asking for personal details • Never click on links in such messages • Never download any attached file in such messages, however interesting or attractive it may be made out to be Separately, OCBC Bank advises consumers not to access their bank accounts through SMS links. Mobile access to bank accounts should always be done using the official banking or payment app, or by keying in the bank's URL directly into the browser.
    2 points
  5. Hoping to find the man of her dreams and settle down, a woman paid more than $2,000 to a matchmaking agency for five dates with potential suitors that fit her criteria. But her anticipation soon turned to disappointment, after the few matches that were set up by the agency fell short of her expectations. More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite. Unhappy with the "unprofessionalism" of the dating agents as well as the speed of dates set up, the woman then requested for a refund of the remainder of her package but was rejected. Shin Min Daily News reported that the woman, identified as Chen, 39, had contacted the paper to air her grievances. Chen, who works as a manager in a bank, told the Chinese evening daily that she decided to splurge on the matchmaking package as she hoped to get married by the age of 40. She was also won over by the half-price promotion that the agency was having at the time for its $4,000 package. Chen stated that the agency is quite well known and she was assured after making an inquiry as they claimed to have a wide customer base and were confident of finding her a match. But after signing the package, she was put off by the consultant's lackadaisical attitude. Chen described how she had to chase the consultant to set up a date for her, and the interval between the dates would drag for two months and even up to half a year. She stated that one particular consultant became uncontactable after successfully matching her with a date. The consultant only got back to her days later, claiming to have been involved in an accident. The consultant also failed to reply to Chen's texts after that. Chen only realised that the consultant had resigned after she approached the agency for an explanation. Criteria for a partner: Taller than 1.63m, $8,000 monthly salary Chen said that she went on four dates organised by the agency but was dissatisfied with the quality of matches as well as the service provided. Coupled with the fact that each date came with an additional cost of up to $400, Chen requested for a refund for the remainder of the package after one-and-a-half years but her request was rejected. "When their manager called me to find out the reason, I could hear the sound of someone washing their hands in the background," shared Chen. "It gave me the impression that they were unprofessional and insincere". "Later on, an email came stating that they could upgrade my package to include a dating coach as well as two complimentary coaching sessions, but I insisted on getting a refund." Chen shared that her first and only relationship was during her undergraduate days at university, but they broke up after two years due to incompatibility issues. Being busy with work as well as taking care of her parents left her little time to find a partner said Chen, who added that she has a small social circle. She had tried online dating but found it unreliable, and so, decided to go with an agency in hopes of greater success. Chen, who stands at 1.63m, stated that her expectations of a potential partner are "not high". Her requirements are that he should be taller than her, have the same level of education, earns $8,000 a month, is Chinese and be either a Buddhist or a free thinker. Chen said that although the agency had promised to find someone who fit her criteria, her first date was with someone who earned less than her, "with an annual increment of tens of dollars". After complaining to the agency, they agreed to give her an additional complimentary date. But although her subsequent dates were with guys who fulfilled her criteria, she didn't manage to find a connection with them. "I felt one of them was a little too old while another shared an ice cream with me on the first date, which I found slightly odd. We exchanged numbers after that but didn't contact each other." In its response to Shin Min Daily News, the matchmaking agency said that whenever a match is found, the agency would first have to obtain the go-ahead from both parties before setting up a date. If they find during the date that the other party did not fulfil their criteria, then that particular date will be considered complimentary. As for the consultant who resigned without informing Chen, the spokesperson for the matchmaking agency said that an email had been sent out at the time to inform clients of the consultant's departure. As for the rejection of the refund, the spokesperson added: "As the client's initial request did not meet the requirements for a refund to be processed, our manager offered to upgrade her package instead. But knowing that she would like to discontinue our service, we have reached out to her to see how we can resolve the issue."
    2 points
  6. jin kumgong woman. she come here, i intro her to our kgk xdd @HarrisY who is the heir and deputy CEO of Stark Enterprise. dont need even to spend 1k.
    2 points
  7. if i got 8k why will i choose a a old woman. Got 8k i can choose Grade AAA vietbu already
    2 points
  8. Wassup,my avid kgk followers Tomy treat Amdk gu bah
    2 points
  9. They so lazy, must ownself break the egg
    2 points
  10. Come sarpork kgk xdd thread Finally got time to try this gyudon
    2 points
  11. SINGAPORE - Singapore's second-largest health insurer NTUC Income plans to convert its legal structure from a co-operative to a company governed by the Companies Act, to give it a firmer footing amid increased competition in the industry. Income said the planned corporatisation will give it more flexibility to raise funds for its expansion here and in the region, and enable it to offer more competitive products to customers. Current policyholders will continue to have the same coverage, benefits and terms after the proposed exercise, and no action is required from them in the process, the co-op said on Thursday (Jan 6). National University of Singapore business professor Lawrence Loh said the move will allow Income to enter the fray of the largest players. He noted that the big three in the insurance scene here are Great Eastern, Prudential Singapore and AIA Singapore. “The bigger size and scope will allow Income to cut its costs even more, thus lowering the premiums – to begin with, there are already pressures on the price levels of each offeror,” he said. Income chief executive Andrew Yeo said Income will continue to cater to underserved customer segments such as the elderly, people with special needs, and migrant and gig workers. "Income was initially set up to plug a social need to provide insurance for workers.... We continue to be steadfast on this purpose even as we embark on the corporatisation exercise," he added. "More significantly, we will be even more responsive to changing customer needs via insurance solutions that speak to today's digital-first lifestyles and customers," he added. Co-ops are membership-based enterprises that operate on the principles of self-help and mutual assistance. The members are also owners of the co-ops. Currently, only trade unions and other co-ops can invest in Income as institutional members. The insurer was established in 1970 and is the only insurance co-op in Singapore. Income has close to 700,000 IncomeShield policyholders, and ranks fourth in new business premiums from its health insurance business. The insurer serves more than two million policyholders in total. Income will transfer its existing insurance business and assets to the new company, Income Insurance Limited, and the co-op will then be liquidated. The proposed process will not change Income's organisational structure. Mr Yeo told a media briefing that NTUC Enterprise will remain the majority shareholder of the new company, which will continue to be part of its network of organisations. Income will organise an extraordinary general meeting to seek members’ approval for the proposed transfer and liquidation of the co-op. Existing institutional and ordinary members of Income who hold co-op shares will receive an equivalent number of shares in Income Insurance Limited, on a one-for-one basis, and their co-op shares will be cancelled. More On This Topic Wider range of offerings for customers if NTUC Income goes corporate: Experts NTUC Income's corporatisation may raise questions over its social mission Shareholders of the new company will have one vote per share. Under the new company, there will also no longer be a statutory cap on dividends and the new shares will not be capped at par value of $10 per share. Income’s over 500,000 ordinary members will also receive a personal accident policy with a sum assured of $52,000 for three years. Income added that employee roles, benefits and contracts will remain the same. Unionised employees will continue to be represented by the Singapore Insurance Employees' Union. The exercise is expected to be completed in the second half of this year, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Income's plan to become a company comes amid significant shifts in its operating environment. These include a mature domestic market, evolving regulatory expectations, and stiffer competition from insurers and tech players catering to digitally savvy consumers' demand for more diverse and targeted products. Income chairman Ronald Ong said corporatisation will allow Income to scale its business quicker locally and regionally and invest in growth channels and markets, as well as digital capabilities to better compete with other insurers. Income chief executive Andrew Yeo (left) and Income chairman Ronald Ong. PHOTO: NTUC INCOME The home-grown insurer also recently ventured into Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam through partnerships with other insurers, brokers and insurtech players. The partnerships are built on the insurance-as-a-service model, in which insurers deliver personalised insurance products to the customer in a simplified way while taking into account when and how they require them. Mr Yeo added that the process will create more options for Income through the likes of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and initial public offerings. Income on Thursday also pledged $100 million over 10 years to support causes that champion the low-income, including education for youth and children in need, the elderly and the environment.
    2 points
  12. so all these setup to help its people are now instead of FOR THE PEOPLE now squeeze the people Hey we know this since you know who run the country
    2 points
  13. https://sg.style.yahoo.com/stock-cny-pantry-abalone-auspicious-seafood-delicacy-052809076.html Ring in Lunar New Year 2022 with these auspicious seafood for a smoother ride ahead. Our editorial team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the products and deals we love. If you love them too and decide to purchase through the links below, we may receive a commission. Prices were correct at the time of publication. Subscribe to Yahoo Singapore Telegram and visit Yahoo Shopping for first dibs on shopping deals Abalone Abalone is associated as a food item usually reserved for Lunar New Year because of its price and significance. (Photo: Gettyimages) Abalone is associated as a food item usually reserved for Lunar New Year because of its price and significance. Abalone is pronounced as bao yu (鲍鱼) in Cantonese and Mandarin, which sounds like "assurance" and “surplus" respectively. Combine the words, and you get a rough pronunciation of “assurance of surplus”. New Moon Luxury New Zealand Abalone, 6 cans x 425g (Photo: Amazon) New Moon Luxury New Zealand Abalone, 6 cans x 425g, S$274.80 New Moon New Moon Golden 3s Bundle [Australia Abalone 425g + Golden Ingot Topshell 425g + Fish Maw Soup 400g], S$63.10 Fortune Braised Baby Abalone, 180g, S$6.95 New Moon Premium Abalone Yu Sheng 780g, S$39.90 Dried Scallops and Mushrooms Dried fish maw, dried shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops often used in delicacy soups and stews. (Photo: Getty Images) Dried scallops (干贝), pronounced ganbei, suggest and looks like little nuggets of gold. Mushrooms, known as dong gu in Mandarin, are associated with the Chinese idiom "dongcheng xijiu, meaning “wishes fulfilled from the east to west”. It's no wonder that these dried goods are prominently featured in auspicious (and delicious) dishes such as pencai (treasure pot filled with delicacies) and more! Shitake Mushrooms, from S$4.90 Dried Scallop Hokkaido Japan - M 200g, S$45.90 Fish Steamed fish with soy sauce for Chinese New Year reunion dinner. (Photo: Gett Iimages) The word yu (魚), meaning "fish", has the same pronunciation as the word 餘, which means "surplus", or surplus of money. While already a popular food item to have on the reunion dining table, the type of fish you get takes on different significance based on their name. That's the reason why fish species like Red Snapper, Rabbit Fish and Chinese Silver Pomfret are prone to low stocks and gasp-inducing price increase as CNY nears. Shop Red Snapper here Oyster and sea moss Dehydrated oysters might not look like much but imparts a deep flavour into stews. (Photo: Getty Images) Hao, “oyster” in Mandarin, sounds like the word "good" or "luxury", while fa cai (referring to “sea moss” in Mandarin) sounds similar to “prosper”. In Cantonese, the oyster and sea moss come together in a dish called ho si fatt choy, which equates to a Chinese New Year greeting that means “happy events and may you strike a fortune”. Shop dried oysters here, from S$6.55 Shop Auspicious Dried Zheng Fa Cai 15g here, S$17.80 Sea Cucumber Sea cucumbers (Photo: Getty Images) Pronounced shen (海参), the “shen” sounds like "sheng" which mean to “give birth,” is great for parents wanting to elevate their status to grandparents. Imperial Premium Australia Origins (Ready to eat) Bald Head Sea Cucumber 1KG + FOC 1 can of abalone, S$55 Frozen Black Jade Sea Cucumber, S$65 Sea Cucumber 120g (7pcs) in Gift Box, S$69
    2 points
  14. If no additional fuel tax from white panties= lesser price increase= no jjww... Went Bangkok and realized their petrol only $1. Whereas sinkieland increase liao wun go down
    2 points
  15. kgk xdd go 6th avenue to pretend pinoy cleaner????? got see any nice pina pgd bo?????
    2 points
  16. SINGAPORE — Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck about two years ago, housewife Suria Saini would spend about S$400 a month on groceries and other basic necessities. But as of December last year, her monthly spending has gone up to over S$500 on the same list of items. “I always go to the same shops, the same stalls in the market. There seems to be a 50- to 80-cent increase on most things like shampoo and detergent. Fish, mutton, chicken… Prices have gone up so much,” said Mdm Suria, 47. Her husband earns S$1,200 a month working in pest control and the couple has 14 children, four of whom are working but still living in the family's four-room flat and contribute "not much" to household expenses. Her children are aged between eight and 25 years old. From December 2019 to February 2020, Mdm Suria had received Comcare cash assistance of S$350 a month, as well as subsidies for utilities and services and conservancy charges. Since then, the family does not get any Comcare assistance but her school-going children continue to receive government support for their school expenses. Mdm Suria said she noticed that a carton of 30 eggs, which used to cost S$3, has gone up to S$5. The price of a packet of instant noodles has also increased from S$1.80 to S$2.20. “Our budget is really tight... Now that we know that everything is going to increase even more in 2022, can you imagine how I'm going to manage?” said Mdm Suria. For Madam Sandy Goh, 54, the rising cost of expenses — on top of a drastic loss in income — is taking a toll on her family of five. She and her husband have three school-going children aged between 11 and 18. Besides an increase in her monthly utility bills from S$180 to over S$280 at her three-room public housing flat, she observed that food prices have also risen. Canned pork is now S$4.50, instead of S$3.50, and a meal at a coffee shop now averages around S$4, compared with around S$2.50 to S$3 about two years ago. Raj Nadarajan/TODAY Mdm Sandy Goh, 54, runs a tentage services firm with her husband, Mr Cheah Kok Hwa, 58, but their business has taken a huge blow due to the pandemic. The rising cost of expenses — on top of a drastic loss in income — is taking a toll on her family of five. The increase in costs of living comes amid financial hardship brought about by the pandemic, now into its third year. Mdm Goh, who runs a tentage services firm with her husband, said that her business has taken a huge blow as the crisis has curtailed the events industry and the couple’s savings are dwindling. “It is very stressful for us. Now because of Covid-19, we don’t have any events to cover our rising expenses and at this age, we cannot even find part-time jobs,” she said. “ I always go to the same shops, the same stalls in the market. There seems to be a 50- to 80-cent increase on most things like shampoo and detergent. Fish, mutton, chicken… Prices have gone up so much. Housewife Suria Saini, 47 ” Around the world, inflation is set to be a key challenge this year, as prices rise on multiple fronts. Border restrictions and supply chain disruptions — a result of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 — have also led to higher manpower costs and freight fees for businesses. In Singapore, families are facing higher prices in an array of goods and services, including for food, public transport and electricity. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has highlighted the higher inflationary pressures and moved to tighten its monetary policy in response. The situation here is exacerbated by the recent spate of floods in Malaysia, driving up the imported costs of goods that Singapore gets from across the Causeway. And prices are expected to go up further this year, with the impending increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST). In his New Year message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the Government has to “start moving” on the planned increase in GST from 7 per cent to 9 per cent. The MAS had said in its October macroeconomic review that public transport fares could be raised again and healthcare subsidies may be phased out this year as well. MAS expects overall inflation for 2022 to come in between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent, up from around the projected 2 per cent in 2021. Core inflation, which strips out private transport and accommodation costs, is projected to rise between 1 and 2 per cent next year — higher than the upper end of the 0 to 1 per cent forecast range that MAS expects inflation to hit in 2021. With multiple factors converging to push prices upwards, Ms Selena Ling, head of research and strategy at OCBC Bank, said the current situation is akin to an “inflation storm”. "You not only have externally-driven imported inflation because of global supply chain disruptions... The question is whether some industries and firms are in a position to pass on the higher costs, not just from the GST hike, but also from the build up of higher operating costs," said Ms Ling. Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY In Singapore, families are facing higher prices in an array of goods and services, including for food, public transport and electricity. MIDDLE-INCOME ALSO FEELING THE PINCH Mr Kelvin Seet, 43, who works in the aviation industry, said that his expenses have increased by at least 20 per cent since the start of 2020. Despite coming from a middle-income household, he is feeling the pinch. He lives in an executive apartment flat with his wife, who is also working full-time, and three children aged between eight and 12 years old. He estimated that food prices at hawker centres have increased by about 20 per cent since pre-Covid, noting that the Western food stall in his area has raised its price of a spring chicken meal from S$9.90 to S$11.80. His utility bill has also gone up by 20 per cent, and tuition fees for his children are increasing on a yearly basis. But Mr Seet said his income has not increased over the past two years. “I have not spent on any luxuries and just try to keep my family comfortable during this period," he said. For 36-year-old Vincent Li, he has observed price increases on a wide range of expense items, such as property tax, refuse collection fees, wages of foreign domestic workers, childcare school fees, online purchases and electricity bills. “Prices are going up while wages are only increasing by 2 to 3 per cent per year, which is unable to catch up with inflation,” said the business development professional in a tech firm. His combined monthly household income is around S$9,000. 'ICE-THIN' PROFIT MARGINS FOR FIRMS It’s not just families feeling the pinch. Several business owners told TODAY that they have been feeling rising cost pressures in several aspects — manpower, logistics, raw materials and electricity. With many retailers forced to go online as a result of Covid-19, digital marketing costs have also gone up. Ms Ling noted that these rising costs are taking place against a backdrop of fading financial support from the Government, such as the Jobs Support scheme, which provides companies wage subsidies, and rental waivers. Mr Terence Yow, who is the managing director of shoe retailer Enviably Me, said that each of these cost components has gone up by two or three times on average, and costs have gone up by between 12 and 15 per cent across the board. While the economy is recovering from its worst during the height of the pandemic, revenue is still down between 30 and 40 per cent, he said. “Those (businesses) which have managed to survive till now… I think we are just trying to cope with every wave that comes on… What can we possibly do about freight fees, labour costs and GST? The alternative is to exit,” said Mr Yow, who is also the chairman of Singapore Tenants United For Fairness, which represents more than 770 business owners. Mr Bernard Tay, the managing director of Jinjja Chicken, said that the operating costs for his Korean fried chicken business have increased by between 20 and 30 per cent last year, compared to 2020. Describing food costs as “crazy”, Mr Tay said the price of one tin of cooking oil has gone up by 40 per cent. Traditionally reliant on workers from Malaysia, border restrictions have also made it very hard for him to employ workers, and hence manpower costs have been going up to attract them. “For the first time in my business, I have got the quota (to employ foreign workers) but I don’t have workers… You walk in a mall, which food and beverage (F&B) establishment is not putting up a hiring notice? And the salary offered is higher and higher. People can literally quit here today, and tomorrow work in the same mall in another outlet just next to mine,” he said. While the return of dining-in for a maximum of five people has helped improve business, Mr Tay said the safe distancing requirement means that revenue is still below pre-pandemic levels. “The margin is so thin like ice,” he added. Another retailer Mr Keson Lim, the director of toys distribution firm Being Kids, also said that his business costs have jumped by a similar amount of 20 to 30 per cent. In addition to a bump in freight costs, he has to contend with manpower shortage. Besides difficulties in hiring foreign workers to replace those who have quit to return home, Mr Lim said his traditional reliance on part-timers has been affected, as many of them are now working as swabbers or safe distancing ambassadors. Raj Nadarajan/TODAY Mr Keson Lim, the director of toys distribution firm Being Kids, said that his business costs have jumped by 20 to 30 per cent. “The jump in costs was quite drastic, while recovery of revenue wasn’t that fantastic,” said Mr Lim. “Many businesses that were profitable in 2019, were unprofitable in 2021 due to cost increases.” Mr Yow said that businesses are stuck between a rock and a hard place, as they can’t keep absorbing cost increases. “When sales are already down, it’s a very difficult choice to risk customers not being happy by increasing prices during such a difficult time. Most of us will try not to. But inevitably, I think there is no choice, prices will have to rise,” he said, adding that this is not even taking into account cost pressures from the GST increase. Mr Tay said he has not raised prices of his Korean fried chicken in the last two years, but may look to increase it by 50 cents or S$1 to cushion the impact of the rising costs. He reiterated that he cannot adjust prices too much, as consumers are now more price sensitive than they were pre-pandemic, as some may have lost their jobs or suffered a drop in income. And he may have to increase prices again, if the Government decides to implement a 2 percentage point GST hike at one go. While it is industry practice among fast-food chains to absorb GST, Mr Tay said he would not be able to do so this time due to other cost increases. However, if the increase is done in a staggered manner, whereby GST is raised by 1 percentage point first, Mr Tay said he may consider absorbing the GST, but it will have to depend what others in the industry do. “ When sales are already down, it’s a very difficult choice to risk customers not being happy by increasing prices... Most of us will try not to. But inevitably, I think there is no choice. Mr Terence Yow, managing director of shoe retailer Enviably Me ” As for Mr Lim, he has already sent a notice to his corporate clients that they would have to increase prices by 10 per cent from this year, without even factoring in the impending GST increase. “We did a marginal 10 per cent (price increase) to reduce the negative impact on ourselves. It’s not even to be profitable,” he said. Like Mr Yow, Mr Lim said that if the current cost pressures persist, he would not be able to absorb the GST increase. However, he noted that the decision on whether to pass on the tax to consumers would largely depend on what will be announced during the Feb 18 Budget statement, and whether the authorities would further ease border restrictions in the next few months. “Pre-Covid, absorbing the 2 percentage point increase would not have been an issue at all,” said Mr Lim. TIMING OF GST INCREASE Economists had previously told TODAY that 2022 provides a window of opportunity for the Government to implement a GST increase, even though there is never a good time to raise taxes. For one, the Singapore economy is on firmer footing compared to last year, when it was just coming out of its trough in 2020 after being hammered by the pandemic. Plans to raise the GST from 7 to 9 per cent between 2021 and 2025 were first announced in 2018 by then Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, who is now Deputy Prime Minister. The purpose is to raise the Government’s revenue due to an expected increase in recurrent spending, especially in healthcare, as Singapore grapples with an ageing population. But Covid-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works. With Singapore then in the early stages of the pandemic, Mr Heng announced during Budget 2020 that the increase would not take place in 2021. He said that the decision to not raise the GST last year came about after the Government reviewed its revenue and expenditure projections and considered the current state of the economy. However, it cannot be postponed indefinitely, he stressed. The unprecedented crisis has also led the Government — on top of its usual spending — to commit nearly S$100 billion through five Budgets to help Singaporeans and businesses. The Government had to dip into the country's past reserves to fund the various assistance schemes, making the need to replenish the official coffers more urgent than ever, some economists have noted. DBS senior economist Irvin Seah believes that the GST increase will be implemented in July and the Government will raise the tax by 2 percentage points in one go. A one-step jump will limit the long-term impact of the increase, and the effect on overall inflation should fade away in 12 months, said Mr Seah. While Ms Ling also thinks that the higher GST could kick in as early as July, she believes that a more gradual approach, in the form of a staggered increase, would not result in knee-jerk reactions from consumers. Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY Economists had previously told TODAY that 2022 provides a window of opportunity for the Government to implement a GST increase, even though there is never a good time to raise taxes. Ms Ling estimates overall inflation this year to be around 2 to 3 per cent. Wage growth would have to be above that to offset the effects of the GST increase, she noted. Mr Seah said that the labour market is showing signs of improvement, particularly for the finance, info-communication and technology industries. Wages in these sectors would likely rise, though such growth would not likely occur across the economy. “For the labour market to improve and wage growth to rise, we need the economy to be on a firmer footing. That will really depend on how soon we are able to reopen the economy,” said Mr Seah. SUPPORT FOR HOUSEHOLDS The Government has earlier announced that it will set aside a S$6 billion package to help lower-income households cope with the planned increase in GST. Every adult Singaporean will receive a cash payout of between S$700 and S$1,600 over five years, depending on factors such as the type of public housing flat they live in. The Government also recently launched the Community Development Council vouchers, where every Singaporean household will each receive S$100 worth of the vouchers which may be used at participating hawker centres and businesses in the heartlands. Speaking to TODAY, Members of Parliament (MP) said that some residents have been seeking assistance amid the rising cost of living. Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) MP Mariam Jaafar said that quite a number of her residents have sought help to secure new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, apply for rental flats, or asked for rental rates to be reduced. She said they were priced out of the resale HDB market as they could not get a high enough home loan or could not continue with their mortgage payments. The MPs also said they are running several grassroots initiatives to help needy residents. Ms Mariam said there are schemes for low-income residents in Sembawang GRC to get free cooked meals at hawker centres or coffee shops, free food and other household essentials at a community minimart, as well as financial assistance for utilities, diapers and emergency repairs. A grant was also introduced to help those who do not meet the qualifying requirements for government financial assistance, she added. To ensure his residents get the help they need, Yio Chu Kang MP Yip Hon Weng said he is trying to build stronger links between the Government and social service agencies, so that needy families can get help promptly. Some residents have also formed a support group to get neighbours to encourage more people to volunteer at food banks, donate computers, or provide free tuition, he said. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, MP for the Keat Hong ward of Chua Chu Kang GRC, said that his team of volunteers has organised job fairs, distributed care packs and vouchers to the elderly or low-income households, as well as those affected by the pandemic. They have also worked with private and community donors to help families reduce their household expenses. Over at the Cheng San-Seletar ward at Ang Mo Kio GRC, MP Nadia Ahmad Samdin said that her team has reached out to residents who face other challenges such as caregiver burden, instead of just focusing on their level of income. Repairing initiatives have also popped up in her ward, she said. These help to lengthen the lifespan of laptops and other electronic learning devices for families who may be facing financial hardship and are not able to replace these items. Raj Nadarajan/TODAY The Government also recently launched the Community Development Council vouchers, where every Singaporean household will each receive S$100 worth of the vouchers which may be used at participating hawker centres and businesses in the heartlands. POLICY LEVERS TO MITIGATE IMPACT Amid the slew of grassroots activities to mitigate rising living costs, monetary policy moves by the MAS would also help to cushion the impact of inflationary pressures in the medium term, said the economists. They viewed the tightening of the monetary policy in October as an anticipatory move by the central bank, and there may be another round of tightening again in April. This is because a strong Singapore dollar would mean that the costs of imported goods would go down, though there is a limit to how much the MAS can tighten since having a currency that is too strong would affect Singapore’s export competitiveness. While these grassroots initiatives and medium-term policy levers are important to help Singaporeans cope with rising costs, economists said that the longer-term solution would be to keep the economy vibrant, have foreign investment continue flowing in and creating jobs. They noted that special transfers by the Government and GST vouchers are temporary and are meant to help Singaporeans through the transition period. If these assistance schemes are permanent, they would defeat the original intent of hiking GST to raise revenue in the first place, noted OCBC’s Ms Ling. “If the Government expenditure is going up through fiscal transfers, it ends up as a circular argument. Where are we going to find the tax revenue to pay for all this?” she said. Another more long-term solution is for the Government to index its various financial assistance payments to rising costs of living from year to year, said labour economist Walter Theseira from the Singapore University of Social Sciences. Many of these payouts under the Workfare Income Supplement or Silver Support schemes are fixed monetary amounts that are adjusted periodically. But Associate Professor Theseira said this means that these payments lose purchasing power during the unadjusted years. While it is not normally an issue when inflation is low and stable, it can be problematic when prices go up faster than expected. “The policy intent is not to give a sum of money, but to address cost of living issues. If the cost of living changes over time, the payments ought to change,” he said. Incorporating an indexation process into these various payout schemes is not that different from what the Public Transport Council does, when it increases fares to keep pace with the costs of operating the system. “If you index prices, why can’t you index payouts? These payouts would allow Singaporeans to afford the same standard of living before price changes take effect,” said Assoc Prof Theseira. He added that it’s also important that any GST increase is matched with other tax increases that capture more revenue from capital and higher-income taxpayers, to ensure the tax system remains progressive. Mr Seah said that even though raising the GST would affect the lower-income more, moves to increase the property tax rate of those living in bigger HDB flats, as well as the recent cooling measures, are tax measures that affect the middle and higher-income earners in Singapore. And these measures, in totality, ensure that Singapore’s tax system remains progressive. INDIVIDUALS TIGHTEN THEIR BELTS In response to TODAY’s queries, supermarket chains said that they have also faced rising operating costs due to rising energy prices, supply chain disruptions and seasonal weather changes. A Sheng Siong spokesperson said that it has been diversifying its sourcing and procurement strategy to “keep supplies of its products stable and affordable throughout the year and in times of crisis”. A FairPrice spokesperson said that it tries to keep prices of daily essentials affordable and stable by stockpiling daily essentials, as well as forward buying and diversifying its import sources to over 100 countries. Its housebrand products are also at least 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than comparable brands. As for Giant, which is owned by DFI Retail Group, a spokesperson said that the supermarket chain has lowered the prices of essential goods by an average of 20 per cent. Products under its own in-house brand, Meadows, which was launched in August 2020, are on average 20 per cent cheaper, it added. While supermarket chains are employing various strategies to keep prices affordable, individuals themselves are already tightening their own belts. Mr Asokh Singh, 49, now prefers to make trips to Little India to buy his groceries instead of buying them from supermarkets near his home, where the prices of vegetables are at least 50 to 80 cents higher, he said. Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY Mr Asokh Singh (right), 49, with his wife and two children in their home at Pasir Ris on Jan 6, 2022. Mr Singh now prefers to make trips to Little India to buy his groceries instead of buying them from supermarkets near his home, where the prices of vegetables are at least 50 to 80 cents higher, he said. He used to earn around S$8,000 a month as a general manager of a travel agency, but it has since been cut to around S$2,000 due to the Covid-19 impact on the travel industry. “Last time I had a different lifestyle but now every cent matters… I will try to find cheaper alternatives to make my purchases. If I find a wholesale place, even better so I can save more money,” said the father of two school-going children. Mr Singh also sold his car in November last year and began renting out two rooms in his five-room HDB flat about six months ago. He is looking to sell his house and move to a smaller one. As for Mr Li, the business development professional, he is also renting out a room in his four-room HDB flat. On top of that, he has stopped hiring a domestic helper and reduced the number of enrichment classes for his three-year-old child. He and his family also dine out less and “think twice” before buying new electronics. For stay-at-home dad Lim Guan Seng, 42, he has resorted to skipping lunch at home and cutting back his spending on subscription-based services, such as Netflix. This was after he noticed that his monthly expenses on groceries and utilities going up from S$1,200 to S$1,500. A cup of bubble tea or a McDonald's meal are now luxuries that he would hesitate to indulge in. “The money saved can be better used for enrichment for the kids and perhaps even more nutritious food,” said Mr Lim, who has a wife working in a logistics firm and three children aged between four and eight years old. While the Government has pledged to help Singaporeans cope with the GST increase, some families are bracing themselves for leaner times amid the rising living costs on other fronts. Mdm Suria said that she would have to discuss budgeting with her family sometime soon, recalculate their expenses and make the necessary adjustments. “What can I do? We all have to go through (this period of rising costs) whether you like it or not… We just go on,” said Mdm Suria.
    1 point
  17. i dont blame ocbc cause in inside at the min balance . all store in this. time tested. no OTP no virus no account.
    1 point
  18. must eat healthy anyway this is the model i buy
    1 point
  19. good i been using omron. the model i have is already 5 yr old
    1 point
  20. to me it a useless passport. got $$$$$ + health then is best. no need a stupid red book
    1 point
  21. SINGAPORE - Job seekers should watch out for a new scam on social media platforms that has swindled at least 11 victims of no less than $53,000 since December. The police warned on Friday (Jan 7) that it is a new variant of the job scam. It invites victims to participate in jobs that promise commissions through the sale of products on a fake mobile app called Shopee Pay. The app is unrelated to the e-commerce platform Shopee. The victims were usually introduced to the job by friends or after being approached on social media platforms. The victims would be instructed to download the fake Shopee Pay mobile app through a website address provided to them. To fulfil the job requirements and to transact within the fake mobile app, the victims were told to deposit funds into their Shopee Pay accounts by buying cryptocurrency and transferring them to cryptocurrency wallet addresses indicated within the app. In some instances, the cryptocurrency would be bought through peer-to-peer transactions via bank transfer or PayNow, before being transferred to the scammers' cryptocurrency wallets. After the transactions were completed, the fake mobile app would reflect that funds were available for the jobs. Victims would then have to place items into their carts and pay with the funds in their accounts. They would then earn commissions for completing the orders, which would be reflected in the app. In some instances, victims would be told that the Singapore Monetary Authority had frozen their Shopee Pay accounts and further fund top-ups were needed to release funds from their accounts. Victims eventually discovered that they had been scammed when they could not withdraw the commissions reflected in their Shopee Pay accounts. Shopee has confirmed that its e-commerce shopping platform is not affiliated to the Shopee Pay mobile app, and that its e-wallet feature, ShopeePay, is accessible only on its official app, said the police. The police advise members of the public to not accept "dubious job offers that offer lucrative returns for minimal efforts", to not download apps from unverified sources and to not send money to or transact in cryptocurrencies with anyone they do not know personally or have not met in person. Those with information on such crimes can call the police hotline on 1800-255-0000 or submit it online. They can also dial 999 for urgent police assistance. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit this website or call the anti-scam hotline on 1800-722-6688.
    1 point
  22. 1 point
  23. Only looking for new underwear
    1 point
  24. Atchisson AA-12, FN Five-seven, the rest on ammo
    1 point
  25. wah you guys already in the mood eh?
    1 point
  26. One guy missing Singapore during the holidays ventured out to quiz randos in Los Angeles about their knowledge of the city. Singapore YouTuber Wilson Lim Setiawan rewarded those he encountered who could point out Singapore on a world map with US$20 (S$27). The majority were clueless, but some got their geography right. “A little homesick during winter break so went around Los Angeles and gave $100 to anyone that could point out where Singapore is on a map,” the caption of the video posted yesterday read. Some said they knew Singapore from the annual Formula 1 racing event, the film Crazy Rich Asians and landmarks such as Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay, but only four out of 14 groups managed to stick the post-it correctly onto the printed map. One man even thought the city was in Europe. Lim said he was “quite surprised” that people knew where Singapore was on the map and would not have guessed other countries right if the tables were turned. According to his website, Lim is a sophomore studying computer science at the University of Southern California.
    1 point
  27. can feel it very slow. me waiting for spirits. need some vodka and martell gordon blue
    1 point
  28. 1 liter tax 41-43 cents excluding gst. nb, taxation is addictive to support a bloated zheng hu.
    1 point
  29. giant also having discount on bailey's and carlsberg. i waiting for heineken to have bigger discount, then buy 2 cartons to lim for the whole yr. limpeh me still have 1 more can of the cheap coca cola i bot last yr. nb, alrdy 2 weeks past best by date liao. wahahahahaha
    1 point
  30. SINGAPORE - Lurking cockroaches and used face masks were among foul-smelling trash spilling out of rubbish chutes that greeted some residents in Canberra Crescent at their common corridors earlier this week. A Sembawang Town Council spokesman said its newly appointed waste collection company had faced a refuse collection problem. Residents living on the lower floors of blocks 131B and 131C told The Straits Times on Friday (Jan 7) that the common rubbish chutes had been choked up to the third floor for several days from Monday. "I saw a few cockroaches at the chute area yesterday and there was a rotting smell, though I think someone cleaned it up this morning," said a resident living on the second floor of Block 131C who wanted to be known only as Ms Oh. "It was quite worrying because I have a newborn baby boy and our unit is near the chute," said Ms Oh, who is 34 and unemployed. Her neighbour on the same floor, who gave his name as Mr Cheong, 49, said the chutes were "jammed" and could not be opened for around three days. "Rubbish bins were left there as a temporary solution so that residents didn't have to leave bags of trash on the ground," he said. Ms Neo, a resident in Block 131B, said: "I suspect no cleaners came to clear it because I didn't see the rubbish truck for the past few days." Added the second-floor resident who declined to give her full name: "My biggest concern was seeing used face masks sticking out of the chute because that's a common area where the virus might spread." The town council spokesman said the refuse was collected on Thursday and that it is closely monitoring the situation with the National Environment Agency. "The overflowing rubbish at Block 131C Canberra Crescent was due to the refuse collection problem faced by the newly appointed public waste collector, which took over the refuse waste collection in Sembawang GRC effective from Jan 1," the spokesman said. The town council did not respond to queries on what the refuse collection problem was. When ST visited the two blocks between 4pm and 5.30pm on Friday, the rubbish chute areas were clean and there was no stench.
    1 point
  31. SINGAPORE - OCBC Bank will now allow customers to continue using hardware tokens for security verifications after an earlier announcement said they would be axed. The bank had planned to phase out the physical tokens on its online banking platform by March 31 and transition to a fully digital authentication process. But it has reversed that position, as its head of global consumer financial services noted on Friday (Jan 7). Mr Sunny Quek said: "We are not phasing out hardware tokens and will continue to enable customers to use hardware tokens for two-factor authentication (2FA) of digital banking." The Straits Times understands the decision factored in customer feedback. Customers can use the bank's digital OneToken for authenticating digital banking transactions or stick with the physical one. OCBC rolled out the digital token in 2019, a move that was expected to save it around $25 million over five years by eliminating the need to issue physical tokens and reducing one-time passwords that are sent by SMS. Customers can activate the digital token on their mobile devices. Several other banks have done away with physical tokens, citing their digital alternative's convenience and security. DBS Bank, Singapore's largest bank, stopped issuing physical tokens last February and fully phased out their use last April. A spokesman said the vast majority of its customers are using digital tokens but they can ask for a physical one. "The DBS digital token is just as secure as a physical token. It has in-built security features such as end-to-end encryption that provides multi-layered protection to our customers," he added. UOB stopped automatically issuing physical tokens in 2018 although customers can still opt for them. The lender said that average monthly requests for physical security tokens fell about 60 per cent from 2020 to last year. A Standard Chartered Bank spokesman said the bank stopped issuing physical tokens in 2019. Security has become increasingly important to local banks given a sharp rise in phishing scams. More On This Topic Nearly 470 people lose $8.5m in phishing scams involving OCBC Bank OCBC cautions about SMS scams after customers lose $140k in 10 days There were 469 cases of people falling prey to such scams in December involving OCBC, with reported losses totalling at least $8.5 million. Victims received unsolicited SMSes purporting to be from the bank, claiming there were issues with an account. They were told to click on a link given in the message to resolve the problem. The link led to fake bank websites. Victims were then asked to key in their Internet banking account login details only to discover later that they had been scammed when they received notifications about unauthorised transactions. ST understands that the scams are still occurring. Mr Francisco Celio, OCBC's head of group corporate security, called the fraud "particularly aggressive and highly sophisticated in duping consumers into disclosing their personal banking details". He added that the bank is helping affected customers and that OCBC's banking systems have not been hacked and remain secure. "We want to remind our customers not to disclose their personal banking details to unverified sites... OCBC will never ask customers to access their bank accounts through SMS links," said Mr Celio.
    1 point
  32. As of recent, Xiaomi announced an anti-fraud feature in its MIUI 13. However, one Xiaomi Exec has come to the Xiaomi China Community Forum to deny that MIUI has added any Chinese National Online Anti-Fraud Agency feature/app in its latest MIUI 13. Despite this, the South China Morning Post has reported that many Chinese Xiaomi users are unable to install certain apps after upgrading to Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 13 and users were attributing the problem to the “system-level full-link anti-telecoms fraud”, which was announced earlier, by Xiaomi’s head of MIUI, Jin Fan, during the company’s product event on December 28. Then, one Xiaomi spokesman clarified that the company’s anti-fraud feature is designed to flag spam calls, which was not supposed to flag apps as well. Ever since the existence of wireless communication, there always has been a person behind the screen or phone trying to scam you of your info or of your money. With the prevalence of online scams these days, it is getting quite annoying to try to avoid them from getting into your life at every corner. Well, fear not! Xiaomi has recently a new feature in its latest MIUI 13 to help solve these issues for its users. In MIUI 13, Xiaomi, in collaboration with the Chinese online anti-fraud government agency, has developed an in-country fully linked automated network with the database of info scammers and fraudsters across the country. A screenshot of a QnA with the MIUI software team Xiaomi mentions this feature implementation will be system-wide on MIUI 13 supported devices. This feature will be using a blacklist from the national fraud database, and in turn, show up as a warning to MIUI 13 users, if the SMS message or phone number used is listed in the database, or seems identical (i.e. word for word) to a message listed in the blacklist. MIUI 13 anti-fraud in action An example of how this feature works is when you are receiving a call from a blacklisted number in the database, the number will be shown as “caller fraudster” on screen for the user to immediately discern the difference. The warning will also appear next to the contact name as a warning, to let those who were recently upgraded to MIUI 13 be aware that which one of their contacts may be a potential info scammer. As for SMSes, the network will also help identify the fraudulent messages, which may include fake OTPs from “banks”, or “banks” warning to pay up the credit card you have(when you don’t even have one). In MIUI 13, two warnings will be given. First, if the SMS service number is a known blacklisted number in the database and second, the message content resembles the vocabulary of a fraudulent SMS. As mentioned by the MIUI software team, this is the Chinese government’s first initiative to implement this feature in the country’s smartphones, and as the country’s leading tech giant, they want to take action for the sake of their users as well. As of now, only MIUI 13 supported devices are the Xiaomi 12 series, however, expect Xiaomi to roll out MIUI 13 to more of its devices in the coming months. https://www.gizmochina.com/2022/01/03/miui-13-anti-fraud-scam/
    1 point
  33. 1 point
  34. Ya lor, tia gong dis slum ish the worst in SG, even worse den my Meyer slum...
    1 point
  35. Today go @meng.huat west side turf jiak nasi lomah by the roadside rike a dua slum kia
    1 point
  36. He booked a date on the wrong site, on the right site, he pay them to satisfy all his fetishes.
    1 point
This leaderboard is set to Singapore/GMT+08:00
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Mugentech.net uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using this site you agree to Privacy Policy