SHOUT Q1 2015 - English

SHOUT! www.cfm.my

quarterly newsletter

KDN PP 17752/11/2013 (033132)

published by the Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia

THE WORD WITH...

KEVIN ZAHRI

Malaysia’s Fitness Guru talks about family, fabulous fitness tips and more

DIGITAL LIFE...

THE DATA WHISPERERS

56 top top tips tips to to avoid avoid losing losing your your data and how to recover it

Free Copy

BUYERS BEWARE...

ONLINE SHOPPING PITFALLS

The possible perils and pitfalls that await when you go shopping online

consumer.forum.malaysia

CFM_Malaysia Q 4 2 014

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INTRO

Quarter 1 2015 EDITOR’S NOTE

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3 THINGS YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS ISSUE

6 OF THE MOST COMMON ONLINE SCAMS

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5 TOP TIPS TO AVOID LOSING YOUR DATA

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4 FABULOUS FITNESS APPS

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Find out about the six most common online scams and how to identify them Make sure your precious data is safe by following these five tips This quartet of fitness apps will get you fit in no time

Welcome dear readers to our first issue of SHOUT! Magazine for 2015. I will be undertaking the role of editor from this issue onward and it is with a glad heart that I undertake the proud mantle of helming one of Malaysia’s eminent magazines in the eternal battle to inform and protect consumer rights in this beautiful country.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE NUMBERS

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ON THE WIRE

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SOCIAL MEDIA LIFE - Buyers Beware

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TOP GEAR – The hottest tech ever

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Last but not least we delve into options on data recovery and preventative tips to undertake to avoid that unfortunate fate. We hope you have a good read and we hope to see you all again in our next issue!

THE WORD WITH – KEVIN ZAHRI

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Megat Ishak Editor

CONNECTED - HUMOUR FROM THE HEART

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ISSUE OF THE QUARTER – ALL THAT GLITTERS

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APPZONE – GET FABULOUSLY FIT FAST

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Hands On – The Help Desk

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DIGITAL LIFE – THE DATA WHISPERERS

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In this issue, we have a chat with Malaysia’s fitness guru Kevin Zahri and find out what makes him tick on p8. We also have a few moments with one of Malaysia’s finest online comedians, Faiz Dickie, who has a keen sense of humour that resonates with Malaysians everywhere.

Check out his best work and how he uses social media to reach out and entertain his fans on p10.

KDN PP 17752/11/2013 (033132) SHOUT! is published on a quarterly basis by: Communications and Multimedia Consumer Forum of Malaysia 6-02, 6th Floor, Wisma Straits Trading, No 2, Lebuh Pasar Besar, 50050 Kuala Lumpur T: 03-2692-3800 F: 03-2693-2288 W:www.cfm.org.my Printed in Malaysia by Ultimate Print Sdn. Bhd., Lot 2, Jln Sepana 15/3, Off Persiaran Selangor, Seksyen 15, 40200 Shah Alam, Selangor Distributed by Hotpaper Media 2

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Find out how global mobile subscriptions are growing and data traffic trends now and in the future Check out how the CFM team astound and delight students, families and friends alike as they make their presence known nationwide Find out the possible perils and pitfalls that await when you go shopping online Discover the world’s latest smartphones such as the HTC One M9 and how they will rock your world Malaysia’s eminent fitness guru isn’t just fabulously fit, he’s also an author, TV host and more. He shares a few words with the SHOUT! team Discover how and why online comedian Faiz Dickie can tug your heart strings and make you laugh at the same time Find out about the top six scams perpetuated by cybercriminals today and how to avoid them...

Need to get fit but don’t have time for the gym or cash for your own workout gear? Check out this quartet of apps that will get you fit in no time...

Readers get their most pressing questions answered Find out how MyCyberSecurity Clinic can save your lost or corrupted data

the numbers

6.9 BILLION mobile subscriptions globally in Q3 2014

2.5 BILLION

GLOBAL Mobile Subscriptions Q3 2014

mobile broadband subscriptions globally in Q3 2014

110 BILLION

new mobile subscriptions globally in Q3 2014

mobile subscriptions outlook BY 2020

3.5 BILLION LTE subscriptions by the end of 2020

6. 1 B I LLION smartphone subscriptions by the end of 2020

~90% of mobile subscriptions will be for mobile broadband by the end of 2020

mobile application traffic outlook BY 2020

~ 55% of mobile data traffic will come from video in 2020 Infographics and statistics courtesy of Ericsson Mobility Report November 2014 On the Pulse of the Networked Society 2014 www.ericsson.com

Top 5 countries by net additions India +18 million China +12 million Indonesia +5 million Russia +4 million USA +4 million

ON THE WIRE

CFM LIVENS UP UiTM JENGKA CAMPUS

The studious UiTM Jengka campus in Pahang experienced an exciting change in ambiance from the 27th to the 29th of January when the CFM team organised a grand “Hari Organisasi Mahasiswa” & Campus Youth Carnival. The carnival offered both knowledge and entertainment in equal measure as students were able to play interactive games and find out more about their rights as consumers through factpacked talks.

CFM VISITS IIUM CAMPUS

Reaching out to university students and sharing knowledge about their rights as well as more about the increasing importance of the communications and multimedia industry has always been of prime importance to CFM, which is exactly why the CFM team set up a booth at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) campus in Petaling Jaya from the 24th to the 26th of February.

Prominently placed on the campus grounds, the CFM booth enabled visitors to play educational games to win prizes, enjoy complimentary photo sessions and learn more about their rights at the same time.

CFM MASCOT GETS A NAME!

Seeing as many social media users are, by extension, telco subscribers as well, CFM reached out to telco customers nationwide from all walks of life with a competition - “Name the CFM Mascot and Win” through Facebook. The contest took place from the 2nd to the 31st of March, with the grand prize winner scoring an iPhone 6 and iPad Mini for their creativity. Weekly prizes were also awarded for creative entries with 40 winners getting fun prizes like movie, KFC and Baskin Robbins ice cream vouchers. The response was overwhelming, with countless entries. And the winning name for CFM’s latest mascot? Tune in to our next issue to find out!

KNOWLEDGE SHARED, NEW FRIENDS MADE AT NESCA TALKS

On the 4th of February, members of the CFM team made an official visit to the Negeri Sembilan Consumer Association (NESCA) where they shared their extensive insight about Malaysian consumer rights in a series of talks dubbed the Forum Pendidikan Pengguna Negeri Sembilan that lasted through the course of the day at Sekolah Menengah Tengku Muhammad in Kuala Pilah. Listening with rapt attention, NESCA members received in depth knowledge to further their cause in protecting consumers from unscrupulous business practices. The forum concluded with new friendships made and the promise of further talks in future by CFM. 4

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on the wire

CFM TEAM OFFERS FUN, GAMES AND KNOWLEDGE AT UTEM

Students at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTEM) had the opportunity to broaden their horizons and knowledge when CFM dropped by the UTEM campus to host a Campus Youth Carnival that took place from the 9th to the12th of March. Comprising an exhibition, an experiential booth and a series of talks, the Youth Carnival participated by CFM taught students how to resolve industry disputes such as dropped calls and poor service through the proper channels and to have fun with fun games and trivia contests..

CFM participates in 1Malaysia Internet Centre Opening

On the 15th of March, the Ministry of Communication & Multimedia and the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in a bid to empower the public, launched the 1Malaysia Internet Centre for residents so that they may take part in the future of the nation as well as explore and know more about the World Wide Web. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan along with many invited guests and media. As part of the festivities in line with the opening ceremony, CFM also took part in an exhibition that enlightened the Linggi community on their consumer rights with educational talks as well as fun games and activities too.

CFM VISITS THE LAND BELOW THE WIND

In March, CFM dropped by Sabah to reach out and educate non-government associations (NGOs) and other agencies about pressing issues about the telco industry as well as consumer rights and through them, the public. Taking place at the Grand Borneo Hotel in Kota Kinabalu on the 20th of March, the session was attended by NGO representatives, government agencies, media, students and other invited guests. The CFM delegation was represented by Mr Ahmad Izham Khairuddin, Director of CFM; Altel Representative, Mr Azizan Afandi and Tune Talk representative Mr Chong Vun Cheung who shared how to properly channel industry disputes for effective resolution. At the same time, CFM also set up a booth at PIKOM Fair in Kota Kinabalu where they educated the public on their rights as well as giving away great prizes through fun-packed activities. CFM’s booth enjoyed a phenomenal response with saw over 600 participants visiting the booth to find out more about CFM and its mission to educate and protect consumers.

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SOCIAL MEDIA LIFE

BuyerS Beware

The Risks of Buying Online

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hopping online has an allure of its own. If you’re opting for the traditional method, you’ll have to drive all the way to a mall, find parking, beat the crowds to find what you want and hope that whatever you wanted is still in stock, is the right size to fit you (if it’s wearable), hasn’t expired (if it’s edible) and isn’t a dud with some unforeseen defect to begin with. Once you have collected your prize, you have to reverse the process to get home.

With online shopping you skip all that hassle. All you have to do is hop over to your favourite shopping website be it Shopify or Amazon, search for what you want, pay for it with your credit card and voila! It appears on your doorstep in a few days. Hopefully.

For every happy buyer that got exactly what they wanted, there’s another who got something off the mark be it clothes in the wrong size, a damaged product or

worse. Those are the lucky ones. Some even ended up not even getting what they ordered if at all as the seller runs off into the sunset never to be seen again.

Shopping online isn’t a shyster’s game though as there are honest merchants and good deals to be had. The key, as with any transaction is doing your research and managing your risks. Follow this six-step checklist and you’ll be way ahead of the game.

The ultimate assurance of safety if you’re shopping or doing business on a Malaysian website is simply checking for the Malaysia Trustmark, a symbol that shows that the site has been validated to comply with the security requirements of CyberSecurity Malaysia, the accredited ICT security specialist provider of the Malaysian Government.

Remember: caveat emptor - buyers beware!

THE SHOUT! ONLINE BUYERS CHECKLIST

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#3 DOES IT HAVE THE TRUSTMARK?

#1 Check Their Reputation

#2 Check the Product

Check the feedback on a seller’s website and see how positive and how authentic it is. How long have they been in business? Has there been any negative feedback? If there is, how was it resolved?

Check before you commit.

There are plenty of stories of people thinking they’re buying one thing for a steal and getting something else instead, as the product sold doesn’t fit the description.

Read everything in detail and ask as many questions as you need.

#4 Check for Hidden Costs

#5 IS Their Website SecurE

#6 Limit Your LossES

Some offers look tempting but don’t factor in shipping or other costs like membership fees or buying other items with your order. Go over your order carefully for any hidden costs.

Check if the website is secure by seeing if it begins with https instead of just http and also look out for a closed padlock symbol in your browser. Besides that, if it’s a cash on delivery, bring a friend and do it in a public location.

When you’re shopping online ensure that you use a credit card with a low fixed limit. That way, if something happens due to fraud or misadventure you don’t lose everything.

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Check the Malaysia Trustmark logo on the website. Click on it and it will show a certificate of authenticity. An authentic website will also appear on the growing Trustmark register online at mytrustmark.cybersecurity.my/VWR. html

top gear

TOP GEAR

The hottest tech from MWC 2015

Straight from sunny Barcelona, Spain, the SHOUT! team have hit the showroom floor at Mobile World Congress 2015 to find out the hottest new devices on the planet. The de facto event for discerning technorati, the MWC gathers some of the world’s best consumer communications tech from smartphones to the latest wearables all under one roof. Here’s our pick of the cream of the crop to watch out for this coming year...

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Samsung GALAXY S6

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Samsung GALAXY S6 EDGE

RM 2599 www.samsung.com/my

RM 3099 www.samsung.com/my

Samsung’s successor to their S5 comes in two flavours with one dubbed the GALAXY S6 and the other the S6 Edge. The S6 is just 6.8mm thin, weighs 138g and eschews plastic for a glass backplate with aluminium trim, making it look bespoke indeed. It has a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED 577ppi display, a rear 16-MP f/1.9 snapper with OIS and 4K video capture, a front 5-MP f/1.9 snapper along with a potent Exynos octa-core processor and 3GB RAM. The S6 Edge has similar specs to the S6 save for dual edges. Both the S6 and S6 Edge will ship in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB sizes and in a variety of colours from the usual white or black to a shiny Green Emerald and Gold Platinum.

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HTC One M9

SGD$ 1008 www.htc.com/sea

The successor to the HTC One M8, the One M9 doesn’t reinvent the wheel but makes it even sexier. It retains the beautifully finished unibody casing hewn from a single block of aluminium though it has been refined to make it even more premium than before. A 5.5-inch Full HD display, the latest Snapdragon 810 processor, a generous 3GB RAM and 32GB of expandable onboard storage sweeten the bargain. The rear comes with a huge 20-MP camera while the front has HTC’s own UltraPixel camera for selfies. On top of the stock silver on gold hue, it comes in a shade of pure gold too as well as a quaint shade of metallic pink.

4 Xperia Z4 Tablet

RM 2699 www.sonymobile.com

The Xperia Z4 tablet is 6.1mm thin and weighs a mere 389 grams while running the latest Android Lollipop on a 2GHz Snapdragon 810 processor paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB of expandable storage as well as a crisp 10.1-inch 2,560 x 1660 pixel display. It is also waterproof and dustproof. A rear 8-MP camera makes for tasty snaps while a 6000mAH battery and LTE connectivity keeps you going in the field for quite a while.

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THE WORD

KEVIN ZAHRI

A veritable household name, Kevin Zahri is a paragon of fitness dubbed as Malaysia’s Fitness Guru. Fit as a fiddle, he’s also a man of many talents who is not only an acclaimed fitness coach but a published author, TV host and a model too.

He takes time off to talk to SHOUT! about the man behind the image...

How do you unwind and relax on the weekends?

I have the freedom to dictate my own schedule so every day can be either a “weekend” or a “working day”. Most of my work events fall on weekends. During my free time, I play sports, watch football, travel or play a few games on my console.

What is the fitness regime of a fitness guru like?

I don’t really have a fixed fitness regime nor do I work out everyday. I do enjoy variety though so I mix my weekly exercise regime of gym work – I usually hit the gym two or three times a week – and mix it up with golf and other sports. I am not much of a runner but it’s a personal preference. It isn’t about quantity rather quality when it comes to workouts.

With the amount of delicious food that Malaysia is known for, how do you actually avoid gaining weight here without starving yourself or exercising like mad?

It’s alright to enjoy yourself ‘to a degree’ on a daily basis.

That is the crux behind my ‘Jom Kurus’ fitness programme.

It is never about starving yourself or undergoing a strict diet. It’s all about balance and enjoying life is part of that balance.

How did you get started becoming a fitness guru?

I originally started getting fit out of self interest while I was pursuing my engineering degree at Northeastern University in Boston, USA. I enjoyed it so much that I pursued my official American Fitness Training of Athletics (AFTA) certification though I didn’t do it with a mind towards my current career. It all just happened to fall in place.

If you weren’t a fitness guru, what would you have been doing?

I am an engineer by training and a geek at heart. I do my own web development so I would likely start a web venture of some sort.

How do you as a fitness guru start your day?

I actually start my day in a rather relaxed fashion. I don’t work from an office so I start my days enjoying the view from my balcony with a relaxed routine.

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What was the proudest achievement in your life?

Becoming a father. I am blessed to have two young ones in my life that mean the world to me. It truly gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment, purpose and meaning.

THE WORD

How do you reach out to your fans?

I am on most major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. My website www.kevinzahri.com is the nexus of where I reach out to fans and let them know about any ongoing social media activities and campaigns that I have.

How has digital and social media impacted the course of your career and your life?

Digital and online media has made it possible for me to work from home. Even as I am doing this interview, I have my little one sitting next to me in a coffee shop. This in itself is priceless to me and my family.

What plans do you have in the future?

I would like to focus on growing my name and brand in and outside Malaysia.

Have you had any problems with your digital devices or with any subscribed services? If yes, did you address the complaints to your device and service provider and were they resolved satisfactorily?

It rarely happens but not all web and digital services are as reliable as they want you to believe.

Did you know that you can address your unresolved complaints about your service provider to CFM? Yes, but sometimes the issues I encounter are not big enough to raise a complaint.

KEVIN’S PICKS

Kevin Zahri’s favourite apps revolve around social media and finance apps to track his investments.

CNBC

Eurosport

Free, Available for iOS and Android

Free, Available for iOS and Android

This handy app gives you real time news from the CNBC network as well as market data and financial information at your beck and call.

If you’re a sports fan this app is considered an essential download. It gives you news as well as updates on everything from F1 racing to tennis.

Ticker: Stocks Portfolio Manager

MoneyWiz – Personal Finance

Free, Available for iOS and Android

This handy app lets you manage and monitor your favourite stocks and keep an eye on the performance of your portfolio with real time alerts.

Bloomberg Business

RM7.19 on Android, US$4.99 on iOS

Free, Available for iOS and Android

Compact yet efficient finance software that helps you get a handle on your finances. It also has handy reminders on paying your bills and how much you have to last until your next paycheck.

This app means business. Quite literally . It gives you breaking news across a broad range of categories and you’re also able to personalise your list of markets to watch be it Equity Indexes, Bonds and much more.

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CONNECTED

HUMOUR FROM THE HEART

An online comedian with a distinct brand of humour that resonates with Malaysia’s heartlanders, Faiz Dickie shares more about what makes him tick and where he’s heading to in the future.

I

’m Faiz Dickie, an online comedian with a following on Instagram. I’m currently studying at the University of Sussex, UK. I started doing comics and short skits two years ago for fun. I was fooling around and people loved watching it and it grew into what it is today.

I get inspiration from everything and everyone around me and I make fun of it in a lighthearted manner. Through that I’ve created quite an interesting family of characters over the years though I have my personal favourite character, ‘Kak Leha Bunting’, who is like an alter ego of sorts as she resembles my own personality. She’s sarcastic, a bit rude but very loving. While my content is very Malaysian centric for now, I am exploring options to cater to a more international audience. For now I’m just focusing on a Malaysian audience.

The process of creating a video or comic doesn’t take that long – the process of shooting, editing and post production is rather simple. The hardest part is the creative process in getting ideas to create content as I don’t simply make it on a whim. I ensure that each piece I make has a message and that takes time. Captioning is also a time consuming process as I have to ensure that whatever I write cannot be misinterpreted by viewers.

Currently, I am using a combination of a laptop, a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and an iPhone for my work. I record videos with my iPhone and edit it via an app called CuteCut. For comics, I use the Note 3 because of the larger screen. My laptop is used when I need to do a more complicated post production work. I plan to get an iPhone 6 Plus later on for its larger screen.

My platform of choice is Instagram as it was popular when I got started doing skits and cartooning. Social media is immensely powerful. Just by sharing one thing, it can be spread to millions of people. As such, it must be used with great care as it can be used for either good or ill intent. Fame is fleeting, so it is said, so I’m riding the wave as far as I can for now and later on, join academia and impart my experiences as a social media celebrity to a new generation of Malaysian youth.

“Social media is immensely powerful...it must be used with great care as it can be used for either good or ill intent.”

Faiz Dickie

FAIZ’S FAVOURITES: Three hand-picked gems that will have you rolling over with laughter

Sarabanon https://youtu.be/ludal5J8B_s

Four questions https://youtu.be/r24_mn_omhU

My first video that got me started where this This next skit is about the four big questions girl named Sarabanon who is bad at directions that we’ll get asked in life and the usual keeps getting lost even with a GPS. outcomes when answered.

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Missing Mother https://youtu.be/PV7-Xz00y6s A skit of my own experiences overseas versus the actual reality of living away from home.

ISSUE OF THE QUARTER

ALL THAT GLITTERS

The internet offers both knowledge and danger in equal measure. Find out the top 6 internet scams that lie in wait for the unwary online.

You’ve seen them before in the corners of the Internet. In between Facebook posts as sponsored ads, as pop-up ads in websites and blogs or as mass forwarded e-mails appearing in your email: all invariably run along a common thread that preys on human gullibility. Stay safe online by keeping an eye out for these insidiously popular scams. Remember: when in doubt, don’t!

Scam #1

Scam #5

Scam #3

Miracle Cures and Diets

Business Opportunities

Work at Home Woes

Scam #2

Scam #4

Scam #6

This form of fraud claims to offer all manner of products at absurdly cheap prices. This scam often has online pharmacies claiming to offer restricted drugs without the need for prescriptions. These products may never arrive, be substandard or even fake.

This scam offers you to take up foreign exchange trading and making thousands of dollars with the click of a button. Taking part requires ponying up cash first and if you do start trading you’ll likely lose your investment altogether.

This perennial scammer’s favourite appears often as pop up ads that claim that you’re the millionth visitor to a website or have been specially selected to win a prize of some sort be it a holiday or a new TV, though you have to pay an exorbitant sum before you earn your prize.

This scam offers drugs and treatments from medical ‘experts’ or ‘secret formulas’ that offer implausible benefits such as losing weight without exercise, a cure for cancer and more. If it did work, it would already been prescribed by your doctor.

Dodgy Deliveries

This scam offers you a seemingly legitimate business opportunity by joining a program that simply requires you to recruit others for a fee or to invest in several seemingly easy to sell products. They’re usually pyramid or Ponzi schemes that will leave you poorer.

Forex Fraudsters

This scam dangles the offer of a paid task from home like database entry, envelope stuffing or the like. The scam begins when you have to pay an entry fee to get ‘work’ and even if you complete it, it will likely be rejected as being of insufficient quality or they may never even reply.

Holiday Humdinger

The Internet Scam Checklist

All that glitters is not gold online. If a proposal, e-mail or website fails this checklist, it’s likely to be a scam.

Does the company have an office address that looks odd or is missing altogether, lacks contact details or a company registration number?

Are they using high pressure tactics for you to sign up or buy something from them?

Is the company elusive about their product returns policy or lacks a detailed money back written guarantee?

Peruse their website. Is it grammatically correct? Does it use a lot of upper caps and pop-up ads?

Check their e-mail address. Is it from a free online e-mail service like Gmail or Yahoo?

Is the offer a mass e-mail or addressed directly to you personally? Is it from someone you don’t know?

Did they contact you from out of the blue to claim that you’ve won a prize or a special offer?

Are they asking for money up front to claim a prize or obtain membership?

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APPZONE

Get Fabulously Fit Fast

The Top Five Fitness Apps for Android and iOS

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hile regularly going to a gym is the best way to burn those pounds, the investment required in both time and money may be prohibitive for some if you work late or odd hours or, more likely, live miles away from the nearest gym. That’s where this quartet of fitness apps come into play that employ novel methods from gamifying your exercise to making your workout a social experience to keep you on track and on target.

Zombies, Run!

RM13.29 for Android/ US$3.99 for iOS (w/in App purchases)

Half fitness app and half game, ‘Zombies, Run’ has you as a sprinter in a post apocalyptic world running about to complete a series of missions fed to you through your headphones that invariably involve running for dear life. You’re also able to share progress or lack thereof with mates online.

Pocket Yoga

US$2.99 for iOS, RM9.85 Android, US$2.99 for Windows 8

Get a yoga session at your own pace and fitness level in the comfort of your own home with this handy app that gives you detailed instructions in both audio format and images that guide you through each pose. While it’s not a substitute for a full-on yoga session with an experienced trainer, it helps you cover the essentials and get some practise in.

7 Minute Workout “Seven”

Free for iOS/Android (w/in App purchases)

This fitness app guides you through a series of daily 7-minute workouts which have been tweaked to offer the most benefit in the shortest time possible. It works offline, offers easy to follow visual and spoken queues, and doesn’t need you to buy a ton of equipment save a decent pair of gym shorts to get started.

Fitocracy

Free for iOS and Android

If you’ve been lacking the motivation to complete your workouts, Fitocracy helps to give you that extra push.

This app lets you choose a series of workouts – some require a gym though – and then perform them to get points to unlock more ‘quests’ and badges to show your success and share it with mates online.

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HANDS-ON

THE HELP DESK

LETTER OF THE QUARTER

Unexpected Data Usage

Q

I recently purchased a new smartphone. I never used or subscribed to any data package at all with my smartphone. At the end of the month, my line was suspended and I was told by my service provider that I racked up RM850 in data charges though I was asked to pay RM250. I am still disputing the bill as I believe I did not use any data at all. Please advise.

Omar

A

Smartphones have a number of settings and apps that indirectly use data. Depending on the settings, your smartphone will use data if you activate GPS or background data as some apps constantly update themselves in the background.

The RM250 data charge is deemed as valid usage even though you did not sign for a data package as your data usage is charged on a “pay as you use” basis. Please check your phone settings thoroughly before use and subscribe to a data plan package if you wish to use data in the future.

Data Roaming Problems

Q

I subscribed to a data roaming package when I was in Thailand for 5 days but received a shocking RM2,500 bill when I got back. I also used Wi-Fi during my trip there which doesn’t use my data quota. My service provider claimed that the phone automatically selected non-affiliated telco networks and that resulted in the higher bill. What gives?

This bill greatly exceeds my credit limit. Why didn’t the telco automatically bar my number when this happened?

Albert

A

Data roaming charges can be a costly affair. If you need tips on avoiding a costly data roaming bill, check out our Q4 2014 issue of SHOUT! Magazine as well as your service provider for assistance. When data roaming, you’ll only get preferred rates with your provider’s affiliated networks. It’s advised to switch networks manually rather than rely on your smartphone. To avoid possible data charges when using Wi-Fi when roaming, you will have to disable the auto network switch setting that defaults to data if the Wi-Fi connection is spotted. In regards to the bill, roaming charges are not instantly billed from your provider’s roaming partner Done In By Duplicitous Dealer to your service provider so the call barring/credit limit reached notification is not immediately triggered as the charges are not I feel I have been duped by a telco salesman who immediately updated into your account. was promoting free SIM cards. The salesman asked for my MyKad for registration purposes but did not tell me about the package he was signing me up for with the free Got a problem? Write to us!

SIM card and assured me not to worry if I didn’t use it. After a month , I received a bill in my name although I never even Do you have a query, concern or dispute regardused the SIM card, much less activate it. Was this promotion ing your fixed line, mobile, Internet, TV or radio valid to begin with? What should I do to avoid such a thing service? Write in to the Consumer Forum of Mafrom happening? laysia at aduan@cfm.org.my. The best letters Loga

Q

A

In the future, please do not give your MyKad to any salesman until you see the registration form and read through the terms and conditions (ie. The fine print) of the proposed package he intends to sell you. To ascertain if a promotion is valid, please consult the telco on their official website and give them a call before signing up for any package.

and our solutions will be shared here at the Help Desk so that readers can understand more about their rights as consumers.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MULTIMEDIA CONSUMER FORUM OF MALAYSIA

*Letter have been edited for grammar and clarity

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DIGITAL LIFE

The Data Whisperers

Lost your data in a crash or worse? All isn’t lost with CyberSecurity Malaysia’s MyCyberSecurity Clinic

Imagine this nightmarish scenario – one fine day your PC’s hard disk gives a plaintive whirr and a clicking noise before giving up the ghost completely to the tune of a blue screen of death along with all your files. All That Data Gone Forever!

Ultimately, all digital media - documents, spreadsheets, pictures, videos and whatnot is stored on storage media in various forms – a hard disk, an SD card or a flash drive. When things go awry, it is either a result of failure of the storage media or corruption of the data itself.

In the case of the former your storage media sustains physical damage to the point that the data on it is unreadable.

In the case of the latter, your data is corrupted through misadventure or a virus. In either case, your data is toast.

While not all data may be recoverable in the event of a mishap, MyCyberSecurity Clinic stands the best chance of saving it as they have access to the best technical knowhow in the country at affordable prices. That’s not all though.

If you ever have the need to dispose of your notebook or smartphone, they are one of the few accredited agencies in Malaysia with the knowhow to make sure that your data is thoroughly wiped from the device for true peace of mind to prevent anyone salvaging the data for identity theft, company or personal secrets or worse.

To find out more about MyCyberSecurity Clinic and how they can help you save lost data or securely wipe it, log on to www.cybersecurityclinic.my

FIVE TOP TIPS TO AVOID LOSING DATA

ABOUT MYCYBERSECURITY CLINIC

Tip 1: Always Backup Your Data

Backup your stuff regularly to a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive or to a personal cloud device like WD’s My Cloud.

Tip 2: Clean House Regularly

Schedule regular disk defragmentation for your PC and Mac and practise a schedule of regular backups.

Tip 3: Manually Eject It

Resist the urge to just yank out your portable hard disk or flash drive and manually eject it. You may lose or corrupt your data.

Tip 4: Nothing Is Forever

Storage media like flash drives and hard disks will eventually wear out and fail. Keep redundant backups when you can.

Tip 5: Use an Antivirus

A virus can hold your data to ransom or trash your hard disk. Install antivirus software on your devices and keep it updated.

14

Q1 2015

Established under the aegis of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), MyCyberSecurity Clinic aims to help the public as a touch point for data recovery and forensic services. To contact MyCyberSecurity Clinic for an appointment or assessment, logon, e-mail or call: Address: E-R2 Ground Floor, Block E, The Mines Waterfront Business Park, No 3 Jalan Tasik, The Mines Resort City, 43300 Seri Kembangan Selangor, Malaysia Website: cybersecurityclinic.my E-mail: enquiry@cybersecurityclinic.my Telephone: +603 8946 0811 Fax: +60389460831

SHOUT SHOUT

YOUR YOUR PRODUCT PRODUCT HERE!!!!

HERE CALL +603 2692 3800 consumer.forum.malaysia cfm_malaysia cfm_malaysia Q 4 2 014

15

-English version

-Bahasa Melayu

do you know? adakah anda tahu?

As a responsible consumer, get to know the right channels for addressing your complaints. Different agencies and authorities are appointed based on different type of services. Jurisdiction empowered to these agencies are also limited.

So, be savvy and save time by complaining correctly.

Sebagai pengguna yang bertanggungjawab, ketahui saluran yang betul untuk menangani aduan anda. Pelbagai agensi dan pihak berkuasa yang berlainan dilantik berdasarkan jenis perkhidmatan. Bidang kuasa untuk agensi-agensi ini juga terhad. Jadi, fahami dan jimatkan masa anda dengan melaporkan aduan kepada saluran yang betul.

Themerujuk COP stands for Complaint COP kepada Complaint which is aaduan OnlineOnline PortalPortal di mana portal self-managed complaint portal diuruskan sendiri direka untuk designed to allow you membenarkan pengguna the untuk consumer to monitor for yourself melaporkan status aduan anda, the status of your complaint, sama ada fail anda telah disemak atau dikenal pasti oleh pegawai looked at or responded to by aduan. Ia memberi anda laluan cers. It gives you telus kepada status aduan anda. a transparent access to the status of your complaint.

The COP stands for Complaint Online Portal which is a self-managed complaint portal designed to allow you the consumer to monitor for yourself the status of your complaint, looked at or responded to by cers. It gives you a transparent access to the status of your complaint.

Get help from customer service / DAPATKAN BANTUAN DARIPADA PERKHIDMATAN PELANGGAN FREE TO AIR TV /

PAY TV / TV BERBAYAR

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Tron

Symphonet

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al hurahmedia corporati0n

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