Prevention of E-Auction Fraud When a Consumer Participating in an E-Auction

By 3friendsblog

An auction is a market place where the buyers make bids and sellers place offers. Electronic auctions (e-auctions) is refer to the auctions conducted online and have been in existence for several years on local area networks.

Besides that, e-auctions are becoming important as a buying and selling channels for many companies and individuals. It also allows buyers to access goods and services anywhere auctions are conducted.

Fraud is the most serious in e-auctions among all e-commerce activities conducted over the internet. It may be conducted by buyers and sellers. There are some examples of fraud, including bid shielding (a buyer’s action), shilling (a seller’s action), improper grading techniques, selling reproductions (a seller’s action) and so on.

The following are some protecting against e-auctions fraud:

First is authentication service. Product authentication is a way of determining whether item is described properly. Authentication is very difficult to perform because it relies on the expertise of the authenticators. Moreover, experts can often notice counterfeits based on subtle details because of their training and experiences. However, the authenticity of the same item for two expert authenticators could have different opinions.


Second is an appraisal service. Appraisers use a variety of methods to appraise items. It is included condition and expert assessment of authenticity and reviewing what comparable items have sold for in the market place. Besides that, an appraisal value is usually precise at the time of appraisal. But it may change over time as an item becomes less or more popular in the marketplace.

Next, the grading services. Grading is a way of determining the physical condition of an item. The actual grading system depends on the type of item being graded and different items have different grading systems.

Finally, verification is the one way of confirming the identity and evaluating the condition of an item. Neutral third parties will evaluate and identify an item through a variety of means with verification.
 

CORPARATE BLOGGING: A New Marketing Communication Tool For Companies

By 3friendsblog

A corporate blogging is the weblog used to publish and used by an organization to reach its organizational goals such as promoting their products or services in order to achieve higher sales. This corporate blog allow the customers to post and comment about the company’s products or services which it is easily reach the company due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads. There are internal and external blogs which used by the company. Internal blog is generally accessed through the corporation's intranet which any employee can view and post any suggestions or comments on it. An external blog is a publicly available weblog where company’s members and customers can share their views. The corporate blogging normally used by the company to introduce new products and services, to react on public queries as well as explaining the company’s policies.

Besides that, we can benefit from promoting corporate blogging within your company is depending on the company or business model. Corporate blogging can help the company feel more human to the world and it is a way for company to become intertwined with the Internet community.

When blogging, be honest and forthright and let your personality shine through when you blog. That is the key to successful corporate blogging. A passionate blog will reach more people than any high-dollar ad campaign. Moreover, you need to set boundaries and have a corporate blogging policy for your employees and you do not want them revealing proprietary information.
There are some disadvantages of corporate blogging. First, it can be tricky to drag public comment out of a company without first routing through the sanitizing filter of a press office. Second, blogs can make many organizations look like disorganization with multiple tones and opinions. Next, the best non-corporate blogs are spontaneous. The poorly written corporate blogs perhaps worse, they reveal incompetence on his part of the writer. Finally, there is a risk that an ill-judged comment could be seized upon by disgruntled investors and media.
 

UK to get tough with illegal downloader

By 3friendsblog
The UK government is considering legislation to ban people from the net if they are found guilty of online copyright theft is a dramatic escalation in the battle against "piracy". Because there are about six million people a year that is estimated to download files illegally from internet. Music and film companies say that the illegal downloads cost them millions of pounds in lost revenues.

If the law were enacted it would turn ISPs, like BT, Tiscali and Virgin, into a pro-active police force who would have to monitor traffic on the internet in order to look out for copyright files being swapped online. So that, the internet service provider had force to take action over the users who access private material via their accounts.

This legislation would mean the UK would have the most stringent and prohibitive anti-piracy laws in the world.

It would be a technical challenge for ISPs to do this. Monitoring traffic that is shared using file-sharing tools like BitTorrent is perfectly feasible, as the programs use specific internet ports. In fact, ISPs already monitor file-sharing traffic across the net in order to shape the flow of information - prioritising certain bits of data over others.

Knowing where to look isn't the problem; knowing what to look for is. Every day many terabytes of data are being shared over the internet using file-sharing tools. Individual packets of information can be inspected. Would all digital content have to be watermarked? Would ISPs have responsibility for this? If not, who would?

And there is evidence that more people are encrypting files that they send over peer to peer networks, making it difficult to know exactly what they are sharing. That may give rise to further suspicion but will ISPs be given powers to force users to decrypt their files?

Internet service providers have long been loath to become the net police - for obvious legal and financial reasons. They see themselves as passive conduits, like a road network or the postal system.

The global record industry has been quick to back the government's proposal.
Digital rights activist will be outraged by this move. Monitoring our internet traffic will have huge privacy issues.

No-one can deny that the scale of copyright theft is mammoth. A cursory glance at a website like The Pirate Bay revels thousands of films, TV programmers, albums, software programs etc being shared across the net.

But there is legitimate debate about what this means to the global content industry and to consumers. Does it signal a seismic shift in the way people want to pay, use and share their content, and what we understand by copyright? Or is it wholesale theft that needs to be stamped out user by user by user?
 

E-Government in malaysia: its implementation so far and citizen's adoption strategies

By 3friendsblog

Electronic government (E-government) has the potential to change the way that a government interacts with citizens and businesses through the new ways of the government’s operation. At least, there are three reasons why government should fi rmly impose its commitment to implement E-government.



Firstly, expectations of the citizens for government services are rising for similar kinds of improved services accorded by the business sector. Nowadays, citizens at large are demanding better services from the government and wondering why the government cannot employ ICT and multimedia technologies the way the business sector can.



Secondly, having an E-government in place may reduce costs for the government in the long run, particularly during economic downturns.



Thirdly, E-government may spearhead the growth of the business sector through its many “network effects”. For instance, the business sector can leverage on an efficient E-government, thus, making it more competitive, efficient and productive.



This flagship seeks to improve the convenience, accessibility, and quality of interactions between citizens, the business and government sectors. It uses ICT and multimedia technologies to transform the way the government operates and improves the processes of policy development, coordination and enforcement. There are seven main projects under this flagship.




1.Project Monitoring System (SPP II)

Provides a new mechanism for monitoring the implementation of development projects, incorporating

operational and managerial functions, and knowledge repository.


2.Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS)


Provides a single interface for government employees to perform HRD functions effectively and efficiently in an integrated environment. Applications include automating both operational processes and information dissemination


3.Generic Office Environment (GOE)

Provides a new paradigm of working in a collaborative environment where government agencies communicate, interact and share information.


4.Electronic Procurement (EP)

Links the government and suppliers in an online environment. Government agencies as buyers procure goods/services by browsing catalogues advertised by suppliers. Aimed at best value for money, timely and accurate payment




5.Electronic Services (E-Services)

Enables direct, online transactions and interactions between the public, the government and large service providers via electronic means.




MY E.G. Services Bhd ("MYEG") was one of the private limited company that provide E-service on 17 February 2000. MYEG has provider link to Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan, Jalan Diraja Malaysia, Tenaga Malaysia, Telekon Malaysia Berhad, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, Jabatan Insolvensi Malaysia and Jabatan Perdaftaran Negara.









6.Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX)

A one-stop center for labor market information, accessible to government agencies, the business sector and the citizens.




7.E-Syariah

Introduces administrative reforms that upgrade the quality of services in Syariah courts. To enhance the Islamic Affairs Department effectiveness – better monitoring and coordination of its agencies and Syariah courts

 

Credit Cards debt: Causes and Prevention

By 3friendsblog
Causes

Many people are in credit card debt who unknowingly keeps on adopting measures which lead them to a terrible end. There are some reasons which cause them to be in credit cards debt.


First is poor money management. We must know how to develop the monthly spending plan essentially. It is also important to know where the money is going. We may be spending hundreds of dollars on unnecessary things each month and when there is a need of purchasing a required commodity, we do not have any cash left and we will used a credit card frequently ending up in debt. Besides that, a monthly plan is easier than writing down how we spend. Thus, we need to make thoughtful decisions about where and when to spend the money.


Second is credit card debt by income or expenses. People pile up credit card debt by increasing their spending without considering their income for a host of good reasons. Therefore, the salaries do not increase the same way and people with less income purchase more on their credit accounts and get hold of credit card debt.


Next, a basis cause of credit card debt is under employment. Creditors generously provide bad credit cards to consumers who already have credit card debt on easy terms and hidden costs to such customers and the debt keeps increasing day by day. In such a situation you must decrease the expenses and down the road increase the income by extra hours of work, second job or a better job. Then we have to limit the used of credit cards to emergencies only if we actually want to live a debt free life.

Prevention

Nowadays, many people have the problem of spending more money on their credit cards, then they bring each month. When you could not pay all of the original balances on your credit card bills, they will begin adding up in interest very quickly so that it will increase in debt. Therefore, you have to find the best ways to decrease the amount of money that you spend on your credit cards, so that you do not end up in this kind of debt situation again.

Firstly, you need to find out how much extra income is going out, as opposed to how much is coming in. It means that taking all of their bills, including money for food, and other things that buy on the side and subtracting that from your monthly income. Beside that, you need to be done something to get your situation under control before you get any further into credit card debt when the number you get is negative. Therefore, you should start find out what extra expenses that really do not need in your life.


Once you have revealed where your downfalls lie, it is time to start correcting them so that you can spend not as much of money on your credit cards each month. First, go through and determine which of these non-necessities are used least. For example, if your household has very cable channel available but no one in your family is ever home, it may be a good idea to relegate to a basic cable plan. Besides that, if your children have cell phone plans, it is best to get them the minimum amount of plans they have or a pre-paid phone, so that they can only spend so many minutes and then if they want more, they have to buy them. If you are in a situation where money is really tight that you are putting on your credit cards, it may be time to find ways to cut down on unnecessary living expenses.


Finally, hardly anyone knows how money works and grows and many parents do not bother to teach their kids about how to work with the income. So please keep in mind that you are responsible for your money and so learn how to save it and spend it to avoid a complicated life.

 

Mobile payment systems in Malaysia: its potentials and consumers’ adoption strategies.

By 3friendsblog

Mobile payment (m-payment) is the collection of money from a consumer via a mobile device such as their mobile phone, Smartphone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or other such device. Such device are playing an increasing and evolving in the wider development of electronic payment systems around the world. Mobile payment can be used to purchase any number of digital or hard goods, such as Music, videos, ringtones, games, wallpapers and other digital goods, Books, magazines, tickets and other hard goods.

Mobile network operators have played an important role in pushing the technology necessary for m-payment. In many cases, however, the early efforts to launch m-payment services were met by suspicion from financial institutions, including banks and card companies. Just a few year later, these stakeholders are now collaborating to trial a range of services including m-banking and m-wallet solution that store credit or debit card information on a SIM chip. Text messaging systems can also facilitate or enable payments.
Mobile network operators are approaching m-payments strategically, in their bid to retail customers and develop wider sources of revenue from lines of business which can be strongly complementary. Fixed-mobile convergence is one manifestation of this, as it gives telecom operators an opportunity to unify their payments platforms on an internet protocol basis and offer discount or loyalty points on m-payment as part of a bundled service.

In Malaysia, mobile payment systems are developing quite quickly but it market less organically. Emerging services have received government support, but uptake in the market has been limited. Existing services are focused predominantly on bill payment and m-banking, growing slowly into m-wallet services, remittance and top-up or transfer offerings.

Maxis and Maybank in Malaysia both provide a simple m-banking service for subscribers such
as bill payment, balance enquiries, and fund transfers. This can also be used to top-up Maxis accounts, download Maxis content, and pay for products such as pizza and movie tickets. Another Maxis competitor, Digi, is providing many of the same services to customers.

Consumer’s adoption of mobile payment is important for widely using of it.

Simplicity and Usability
Simplicity and usability largely determine whether users will use a service. This includes not only a user-friendly interface, but also the whole range of goods and services one can purchase, the geographical availability of the service, and the level of risk the user is taking while using it. The learning curve should be close to zero and ease of use/convenience to the consumer should be enhanced. The customer should also have the ability to highly personalize the service in order to easily integrate it to his everyday payment activities.

Universality
M-commerce favors the logic of online universal payment services, integrating, in a user-transparent fashion, person-to-person (P2P), business-to-consumer (B2C), and business-to-business (B2B), domestic, regional, and global coverage, low-value and high-value payments.

Interoperability
In financial services, interoperability has always been a highly contentious topic, and its progress has been uneven and in many cases rather slow. Standardization around the payment service should make interconnection of networks and systems technically easy and cost-effective. Mobile payment component development should be based on standards and open technologies that will allow any system to interact with another system on a global scale at all levels (e.g. any mobile with any POS, any payment software should run on a wide range of mobiles etc.). The number of acceptance points is critical; therefore, standardized solutions that can be composed of plug-and-play components are a must.

Security, Trust, and Privacy
Upon subscribing to an m-payment system, users are expected to place inherent trust in the system. Giving access to a checking or savings account to a software company is not the same thing, in most users’ minds, as giving that same access to an already trusted entity, such as a bank. Unless the basis for electronic payment systems is based on tried and true secure banking practices, it is unlikely that users will adopt it. Needless to say, all steps should be secured and trusted from a technological as well as social perspective. Furthermore, m-payment should minimize fraud losses and provide user-controlled transaction-specific privacy support. The last implies that anonymous payments should be possible (as with cash today). Furthermore, technologies such as biometrics, and mobile digital signatures will have to be further advanced in order to be easily integrated into MP architectures.

Cross-Border Payments
For an m-payment service to be widely acceptable, it should be possible to make cross-border payments almost as easily as local payments. Furthermore, this should be done regardless of the location of the user (i.e. whether he is roaming abroad or not). The European Union requires a cross-border electronic payment system to be available in all of its members, and to be as efficient as any domestic system. Any global MP system should be able to handle cross-border payments in any currency and at any place.

Cost
The new systems should be, in the end, more cost effective than the legacy approaches, e.g. the technology used may cost more but fraud is minimized, so ultimately it is a cost-saving solution. They should also create new revenue flows or better handle existing processes in order to justify their existence.

Local Market Understanding
Most customers are used to existing payment methods and need an incentive to use anything new. The ability to use the mobile device as a payment tool in itself might not be enough. Users and merchants need to see additional benefits. Approaches that wish to be sustainable must either improve their functionality and usability, or be creative in making users and merchants perceive it as beneficial. Furthermore, the same success criteria may not apply to every country due to local social conditions. The last factor leads to the requirement for an understanding of the local market, as well as an understanding of unique conditions on a per region or even per country basis.

Integration of Legacy Approaches
It should be possible to reuse existing infrastructure and legacy billing systems, especially those that are difficult to change (e.g. bank systems). Existing channels, such as pre-/post-accounts, credit card infrastructures, etc., should be supported, and the user should be free to choose the processing partner (e.g. bank, MNO, credit card) on a per transaction basis (corresponding to the requirements of each processing partner).
 

The application of prepaid cash for consumer

By 3friendsblog

What is prepaid cash? Prepaid cash are like debit card and credit card which is using it to purchase product or service. But the way of payment is different, debit card is allowing the consumer to withdraw money to pay for the product from their account and credit card is allow consumer to pay the product without cash and pay it later date. Prepaid card need to reload it before the consumer can use it to purchase the product or serviced.


In second thought, prepaid cash is very useful then the debit and credit card for the consumer. Because debit and credit card can encourage the consumer to overspend the money without the consumer notice. Debit card is using the consumer bank account to pay for the product that means the consumer may spend all his account money without knowing it. And credit card do not require the consumer to pay off the balance each month and this causing the consumer illusion that their has free money but consumer need to pay it off in longer time with interest. But unlike prepaid cash, it can help the consumer to control their budget by putting certain amount into the prepaid cash.


Touch ‘n Go is one of the most common prepaid cash in Malaysia. Mostly the consumers in Malaysia use the Touch ‘n Go in highway to enhance the speed of paying for low value but high frequency transactions. Apart from the speed, it is also very convenient because user no longer need to prepare for small change or wait in queue at the cash lane to complete the transaction. Besides using Touch ‘n Go in the high way it also can use it in other public transportation and parking. To find out more location which can Touch ‘n Go click here