HSA issues alert for illegal health products

HSA issues alert for illegal health products



The HSA has issued an alert regarding three illegal health products -- "Li Long Mei Guo Mo Bang", "Africa Black Ant" and "Ginseng Tu Chong Wan Lin Heong".

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has issued an alert regarding three illegal products containing potent western medicinal ingredients.

"Li Long Mei Guo Mo Bang" and "Africa Black Ant" are promoted for sexual enhancement. Both contain the undeclared medicinal ingredient sildenafil.

"Ginseng Tu Chong Wan Lin Heong", which is touted for the treatment of arthritis and joint pain, contains the undeclared medicinal ingredient dexamethasone.

HSA said three people have fallen victim to these harmful products.

One of them -- a man in his 40s -- suffered a heart attack and stroke. Another patient, in his 50s, suffered chest pain and shortness of breath.

A female patient, in her 30s, suffered Cushing's syndrome, which is caused by the intake of excessive steroids.

HSA has warned sellers to stop the sales and distribution of these illegal products.

Anyone found convicted of selling these illegal products can be fined up to S$100,000 and/or jailed up to three years.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Beware of sham "NTUC FairPrice" emails

Beware of sham "NTUC FairPrice" emails

Police have received several reports of emails being sent using the "NTUC FairPrice" name.

Recipients were informed they had been selected for a chance to win shopping vouchers from NTUC and they were to provide their particulars for verification.

NTUC FairPrice has clarified that such emails are not authentic and it is not running any email or phone contests currently.

It added winners of actual contests or lucky draws organised by NTUC FairPrice are notified by post or through advertisements.

Police say scammers have employed a similar ploy in other cases, by claiming they were staff of a well-established courier company, for phishing purposes.

Police remind members of the public to be wary of such emails or phone calls.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Fraudsters withdraw cash from DBS/POSB accounts

Fraudsters withdraw cash from DBS/POSB accounts

A large-scale fraud operation targeting DBS and POSB account holders is raising concern among Singaporeans, as numerous customers report unauthorised withdrawals from their bank accounts.

Since Wednesday, online forums and social-networking websites like Facebook and Twitter have been abuzz with netizens saying there had been fraudulent withdrawals amounting to hundreds of dollars.

Many also said that they warned their friends and family to check their accounts.

In a statement, DBS said that about 200 bank customers had reported unauthorised withdrawals from their ATM- or debit-card accounts.

The average amount withdrawn was about $1,000 per account, added DBS. The bank's standard ATM- and debit-card withdrawal limit is $2,000 per day.

The withdrawals appeared to have taken place in Kuala Lumpur, even though affected account-holders said that their cards had remained in their possession all along.

Many also added that they had not visited Malaysia recently, and could not understand how the criminals had been able to make the withdrawals.

DBS said that it was treating the matter with "utmost priority".

It added that cards reported as compromised were immediately deactivated, and that affected account-holders would be issued with new cards.

Mr Jeremy Soo, managing director and head of consumer banking group (Singapore) at DBS Bank, said: "We have started to proactively contact all customers whose account transaction history indicates that there has been an ATM transaction made in Malaysia, over the past few days, to double-check and confirm that indeed such an ATM transaction was made.

"If the transaction was not made by them that is, it is fraudulent we will compensate them in full for the unauthorised transaction within 24 hours."

Any customer who believes their ATM or debit cards may have been compromised should contact the bank immediately, on 1800-220 1111, or visit any of the bank's branches.

Police yesterday also confirmed that they had received several reports of the unauthorised withdrawals, and said that investigations were on-going.

Affected card-holders were advised to lodge a police report via the Electronic Police Centre at www.spf.gov.sg/epc or at any neighbourhood police centre.

The report should include the date, amount, location and transaction description for each unauthorised withdrawal, police said.

-News courtesy of Omy-

Legislation to protect consumer data

Mica plans legislation to protect consumer data

SINGAPOREANS concerned about their personal details being misused without their consent when they fill up a lucky-draw form can take comfort in a new law which will prevent that from happening.

The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) yesterday outlined the areas that a proposed consumer data-protection law, to be tabled in Parliament early next year, could cover.

One suggestion was a fine of up to $1 million for companies that flout the new rules, on top of any "orders for corrective action", Mica said. Less serious breaches could draw smaller fines.

A new regulatory body to oversee compliance with the new law and to raise awareness on data-protection issues to be called the Data Protection Commission (DPC) has been proposed.

The idea for a broad consumer data-protection law that does not overlap with existing laws for specific sectors, such as telecoms and banking, was mooted in Parliament in February.

Mica yesterday also issued a consultation paper to get public feedback to help it draft the new legislation, such as defining personal data.

It proposed that the term includes IC numbers, passport numbers, photographs and other information that could identify a person. This could cover mobile-phone numbers.

Mica also proposed the setting up of a national "do not call" registry, where consumers can register their phone numbers to opt out of unsolicited telemarketing calls, text messages and fax messages from all firms here. But consumers could still allow selected companies to contact them.

~News courtesy of Omy~