Identity theft victims dragged into serious trouble with the authorities

October 20,2011, KUALA LUMPUR : A 25-year-old gave his MyKad to his boss on his first day of work. Now, he is facing 85 police reports for cheating involving RM180,000 worth of IT goods.

Woon Kian Fatt's ex-boss had used his personal information to cheat customers through an online shopping website.

Woon said he was shocked when a man appeared on his doorstep on Oct 9, demanding the return of goods that he (Woon) supposedly ordered from him.

“The man came with a copy of a MyKad that had my personal details but a different picture and told me that he got my address from the website,” Woon said during a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong at Wisma MCA yesterday.

He recognised the man in the picture right away as his former employer who sacked him after he had worked as a despatch staff for barely three weeks.

The company was involved in selling IT goods on a local website.

Woon said he sensed something amiss after receiving a call from his ex-boss who asked him to lodge a police report that his MyKad was missing to ensure he would not be entangled in the company's problems.

Woon decided not to do so.

Instead, he lodged a police report on Oct 6.

“I am unable to secure a job now as employers would be afraid they will be dragged into this,” he said, adding that he wanted to clear his name.

Another victim of identity theft, Thiang Choon Hui, 32, said he did not think much when he received a call from a man alleging he was involved in a pirated DVD and CD business.

The man said he could help him settle the case but Thiang decided to ignore him.

The insurance agent's world came crashing down when he received a letter from the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Kuala Kubu Baru office about his involvement in the illegal business.

“When I checked with the Companies Commission of Malaysia, I found out that my name had been used to register a VCD, CD and DVD business which has four branches in Seri Kembangan and Puchong,” he said.

He said the commission should not have approved the registration without any supporting documents and a valid signature.

Chong said he had received 59 reports involving identity theft since last year, with victims facing bills amounting to more than RM4mil.

“In most cases, the culprits will use the MyKad details to apply for credit cards, loans and to register businesses and mobile lines,” he said.

(RESOURCES: Thestar.com.my)

Festive Greetings!

MyShred Mobile would like to wish all 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri' and 'Happy Merdeka Day'!

PROMOTION FOR 'HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI'!!

In conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, MyShred Mobile would like to offer a super special discount to our existing and new clients from now until September 2011. CALL OR EMAIL US NOW TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT!

Ramadhan Greetings

Myshred Mobile would like to wish all Muslims in Malaysia and around the world a  'Happy Ramadhan'.

Personal Data Protection Bill (PDPB) on BFM

http://bfm.my/resourcecentre_20110707_joanne_liew.html

Brief History On Shredding

Shredding documents is nothing new and has been around for some time. With the invention of papyrus in 4000 B.C., the need to destroy documents began. Before that time, cave drawings and stone tablets made it impossible to shred much of anything. The Egyptians used papyrus as paper for writing documents. When a mistake was made, or information needed to be destroyed, the papyrus was torn up manually.

Since then, shredding has come a long way. The first machine-run shredder began in Germany in 1935. Using kitchen tools as his inspiration, Adolf Ehinger created a device that would make disposed paper unreadable. Adolf printed anti-Nazi material. When he was confronted about some literature in his garbage can, he decided he needed to do something to eliminate sensitive material.

His biggest inspiration came from a hand-cranked pasta maker, commonly used during that time period. With that in mind, he created a hand-cranked shredder that sat in a wooden frame. It had an opening big enough to handle normal paper. He later created one with an electric motor. People laughed at his device and thought it was pointless. During the 1940s, he sold the shredders to different governments and embassies.

Thanks to the Cold War, his device grew in popularity during the 1950s. In 1959, his company (EBA Maschinenfabrik) created the first cross cut shredder. Cross cut shredders take paper and not only cut it into strips, but cuts it in multiple directions to create confetti. Krug & Priester purchased the company in 1998. Paper shredders were typically only used by government entities from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Years before Adlof Ehinger created the shredder; A.A. Low patented the idea of a paper shredder. A.A. Low was from New York City. In 1908, Low patented the “Waste Paper Receptacle.” Lowe’s Waste Paper Receptacle included a feeder and blades. It could use either a hand crank or a motor to operate. It also compacted the shredded paper. He designed it for use in banks, counting houses, offices and more. After his death in 1912, his inventions where auctioned off and were forgotten. Low was second only to Thomas Edison with his patents.

Shredders have played an important role in history. Shredders are sometimes associated with the term “Cover-Up.” The Nixon re-election committee used a Fellowes paper shredder during Watergate. Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North used an Intimus 007-S shredder to shred documents during the Iran-Contra scandal. Cross cut shredders grew in popularity in 1979 after the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun by Iranian militants. Documents at the embassy where only strip-cut, allowing the pieces to be pieced back together by Persian carpet weavers. Due to the Iran incident, the US government now requires strict shredding conditions.

(Resources: http://www.paper-shredder-info.com/history-of-shredding.htm)

Know Your Rights On Personal Data

http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/1/business/9006473&sec=business