Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Online beauty product fraud

The Star reported that at least 66 people were cheated almost RM73,445 when they performed online purchases of skincare products such as facial and eye masks with "BigPussyCat" website.

These people were tempted by the cheaper prices of the products offered as compared to the market rate or over the shelves.

Read the full news below - Source: The Star, 9 June 2009.

Tuesday June 9, 2009



Online beauty products deal turns ugly for 66


KUALA LUMPUR: At least 66 people paid the price for their ignorance when they were cheated of their money after making Internet purchases of skincare products from someone named “Big Pussycat.”

The victims made online transfers amounting to RM73,445.10 for the products which came under names such as “My Beauty” and “My Sherman Beauty” that had been advertised on “Big Pussycat’s.” website

These products included facial and eye masks.

Salesman Chong Wei Lun, 29, made purchases totalling RM2,910 for his girlfriend on May 4 but the products never arrived.

“The price of the items was cheaper than those off the shelf,” he said as he explained why he was lured by the advertisement.

Chong was one of the 11 dissatisfied customers who turned to MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong to voice their grievance.

At a press conference yesterday, another victim Winnie Tan, 20, said she discovered that she had been ripped off only after her friends told her to do a more thorough check on the advertisement.

She saw website postings warning people that the sale of the skincare line was not genuine.

Michael Chong advised the public, especially young people, to be more cautious when buying goods featured on the Internet, adding that he would submit all the complaints to the police.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Free iPhone for University students...to catch truants

A prestigious Japanese university, Aoyama Gakuin University is giving out free iPhone 3G to its 550 students from the School of Social Informatics.

The main purpose of this idea is to use the iPhone, equipped with the GPS systems, to trace the whereabout of the students as a mean to check their attendance. Of course, the iPhone will also be used as a tool for their studies such as searching for course materials uploaded, lectures videos and tests. It is also hope that new iPhone applications can be developed by the students.

Universities used to give out free laptop, free webcam (especially for e-learning programmes) and now iPhone. I believe this is a very good move as it helps to bring out more creative applications designed by the fresh mind of the young users, which in turn will benefit others as well. I do hope that more educational institutions will take up such initiatives in the very near future, not just merely using it to nab the truants but more on creating the space and avenue for more new applications.

For more reading, click here - University use iPhone to nab truants (The Star, 1st June 2009)