Tuesday 16 January 2007

A compromised situation

It was that time of the month when Ah Seng would pedal his trusty old bike, his over sized khaki shorts flapping around his knees, and park it right outside our iron gates. Yes, it was the end of the month and he had come with his big A4 book that had half the population of the housing estate’s accounts in it, under one arm and his old abacus under the other. Our copy would be the A5 size 555 note book. The ‘buku tiga lima’.

Pak would sit in his favourite chair waiting to compare the transactions and pay him off before we ‘open’ a new book. Every once in a while, not often though, there’d be some mismatch in the accounting. Some mysterious transactions to the amount of perhaps RM5.00, or RM3.00 , nothing much, would appear in Ah Seng’s copy. And it was very rarely too that Pak would investigate, especially when he had misplaced his glasses. But once, he pointed out, in the manner of the Chief Clerk that he once was, that certain transactions could not have been possible.

Not only were they missing from our ‘buku 555’ but some transactions were made when we were perhaps holidaying in Kak’s house in Kuala Lumpur. So, how could that have been possible, said Pak pushing his glasses, that had been sitting precariously on his nose, with his pen.

“Aiyaaa, bukan lu punya ka?” said Ah Seng equally baffled. Well, admittedly, there were times, when we would just run along and buy the odd packet of salt or Pak’s cigarettes without the book as we couldn’t find it. And Ah Seng would be kind enough to just take our word for it. And it was then too, we would take advantage to try our luck with ‘tikam’, or buy jeruk and stuff. But we would always tell Pak. Usually, things would be worked out amicably between us. After all, Ah Seng would not want to lose a precious customer; someone with lots of children who would spend a lot of money during one outing to his corner shop. But someone somewhere must have been using our account.

I was reminded of Ah Seng’s book of accounts when I received my bank statements recently. I had a shock of my life when I saw several transactions made in several stores of a well known supermarket chain all over the UK; two as far as Edinburugh and Derbyshire. There were several transactions at an entertainment centre amounting to almost £300. All these using my debit card, when all the while it had been in my possession. All in all, the total amount I was said to have spent came up to £992.00.

Hands trembling, I made a desperate call to my bank to report the fraudulent transactions and have my card cancelled. I was standing in the cold, along Edgware road, talking to someone in a call centre in hot sunny India, who later told me that my card could have been ‘compromised’. I was passed on from one person to another taking down the same information until I became quite, quite hysterical at the thought that someone was still buying goods using MY card.

Apparently, this is quite common, I was told. But how could this happen when I had the card with me all the time? I walked into Mawar looking quite forlorn and told anyone who cared to listen, of my misfortune. Well, apparently, there were several other victims. Many said it took months before they got their money back. Yes, the banks would pay back, BUT only after a thorough investigation.

I went home and looked through my diary, and checked dates I was said to have made the transactions.

I am not one to keep receipts or proof of purchase, but I keep a diary. On 14th December, when I was supposed to have a bash at this store in Watford (five spending sprees here on five different days) I was surrounded by a hundred and sixty ex-officers and gentlemen of the British army, filming and interviewing them on their experience serving in Malaysia during the independence and the emergency. They could testify to that. And besides, the only time I went to Watford was straight to the Muslim burial grounds in North Watford for the burial of my friend that foggy day.

And, wait for this...The day I was supposed to have gone crazy shopping for food and stuff at a store in Edinburgh, I was in fact saying a tearful goodbye to my sayang mama at Terminal 3, Heathrow airport. Surely I couldn’t have made a dash, even on my broomstick in this cold weather, to shop for groceries in Edinburgh!

Apart from that, my pattern of shopping during that period of time, was so strange to say the least. I must have been having a feast everyday! And most of the time, I shop in Sommersfield or Iceland. My shopping list usually consists of catfood, catfood and more catfood.

Apparently what had happened was, and needless to say my card was cloned, those culprits had purchased only goods worth £10 and had asked for cash back to the amount of £50. This was repeated at other stores.

A banker friend of mine said, it is a sad reality in our modern day life, but it is common. The thieves are always one step ahead. They must have attached a gadget in our cash machines to read and copy our details. Always be very wary when you see something suspicious or unusual at your ATM machine and NEVER let your card out of your sight!

I must consider myself to be very lucky. Like Ah Seng, my bank doesn’t want to lose a precious customer. I have been with them for 27 years and so within five days, I got my £992.00 back.

90 comments:

Anonymous said...

My friend here had the same experience and was so shocked and felt numb at that moment of discovery. Someone withdrew small amts. several times at interval. She suspected it must be a staff. Now she seldom uses credit card when she could pay cash. She stopped using it at gas station too. You are so fortunate to have it back. Phew!

Anonymous said...

kakteh this is a wakeup call for me like you I never keep track on my receipts.
Glad u get ur money back.

Anonymous said...

Phew thank god you got your money back, but I can imagine your horror, I would have freaked out too, doesn't your bank call you when there are abnormal activities on your card? Mine does, one time I went home and bought a bracelet, our bank immediately called my hubby and inform him that there has been a transaction for such and such an amount can he verify that it's his?

Kak Teh said...

alice, this is not credit card, but debit card and I am now very wary about using it in small shops or restaurants. We now key in our own pin number at certain shops and most of the time shop assistants dont event touch our cards. But cloning can still happen.

kak elle, i hardly look at my statements too. Butwith this one, the numerous transactions at several branches of this supermarket and places where i have never been caught my eye.

firehorse, this happened over the christmas and new year period. Banks are usually generous and they allow you to shop. and because this is a debit card, it is your money anyway. if itis a credit card, they would have alerted.

Sunfloraa said...

Pheww luckily you got your money back quickly. So much for chip and pin!

And how is sayang mama since he got back?

My days here are numbered and will either mail the stuff to you or get my roomate to get them to you.

Mulan said...

yeah, glad u got yr $$ back. huhh... some said, they design & they are the ones who cheat... ya ke??

Typhoon Sue said...

Lucky you!

Credit card, debit card, online banking, nothing is safe anymore. Thieves are getting smarter and smarter everyday, they always manage to come up with some new gadgets or programs to siphon people's money away. And lucky for me, I've never been a victim of one of these 'smart thieves'. Come to think of it, the last time my money was stolen was in 1994 or 95, I was pickpocketed in Bus Stand Klang while on my way back to ITM. An real Artful Dodger incident I must say.

~ GAB ~ said...

Bad but smart people are everywhere. When they outsmart the system, the authority in their own device will come up with new things to tackle. And again, they'll outsmart after some time. It'll go on and on... I think this phenomena has been happening since our forefathers live in the caves.

Anonymous said...

Those guys are good.

Kak Teh said...

sunflora, u are right - chip and pin pun tak selamat!.thanks for a wonderful evening!

mulan, thatis something we cannot dismiss, perhaps and a very big perhaps.

typhoon sue, thereare certainly many artful dodgers, trying to get at our hard earned money.

Kak Teh said...

gab, there was a case here where a few malaysians were arrested for credit card scam - via the internet. I heard that on their relase, some were immediately snapped up by some big companies. So, crime does pay.

bergen, yes,...very good. tapi sepandai-pandai tupai melompat....

ROYAL JESTER said...

Kak Teh,
Nasib baik u kat UK. kalau kat M'sia entah berapa kurun diaorg investigate and itupun belum tentu dpt balik ur money. If i kena, sure rasa nak terkencing dlm seluar..ish..scary.
Memang tak selamat la banking system or transactions these days.
No wonder la byk org stash their money bawah tilam and celah drawers at home and this was all swept away during the JOHOR floods and yang untung are the street cleaners. THey claim that finders, keepers..Ada ke??

Mama Rock said...

5 days is a good record kak teh...i got tired of complaining and waiting for my bank and eventually malas nak follow up lagi :(

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh
I remember that credit card over internet scam involving our Malaysian students. I was at their hearing.
Unfortunately, some people here thought that they were brilliant for coming up with the scam idea. Malaysia Boleh kononnya!
Cash is stil the best way to go.

Anonymous said...

Hi KT, the story of Ah Seng ties in nicely with the scam. I also kena once, transactions in USD that I never made on my credit card but I managed to get it reversed.

ubisetela said...

Glad to her that u got your money back, cepat eh!

*i'm writing this with the view of jerai on my left*

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Sorry, I read this in a hurry before going to school and my mind flowed back to my friend's case. Yes, it's the same here. These thieves installed secret cameras to copy the details here too. But I don't think we can get back the money that is stolen/lost. What is gone is gone.

Kak Teh said...

pu1pu3, itulah, kalau bawa tilam pun belum tentu selamat. But it really made me so angry when people think they can simply use yr hard earned money. they know that bank will pay back.

mama rock - you shd have pursued. it is yr money.

x matters, this is getting warmer. I was at that trial at least twice, i think. i was there during the sentencing. All but one pleaded guilty.

Anonymous said...

These thieves should work in the banks' R&D department as Test Engineers. They should be doing all those negative tests, on ATM, credit cards, debit cards, bank operation, bank process flow control etc etc.. They should even test the bank Pak Guards as well.

Anonymous said...

Ah.. kisah buku tiga lima
Membawa balik kenangan lama
Masa kita hidup di desa
Segalanya kurang serba ta ada.

Buku 555 sangat berguna
Di Kedai Cina Guar selalu ada
Beli dulu lain hari kira
Tepung, garam, asam dan gula.

Buku 555 macam bond Bank Negara
Tak kira masa laku saja
Sebab Cina Guar makan padi kunca
Kita terhutang sepanjang masa.

Nak bayar school fees pun hutang juga
Bukan banyak sangat, 15 ringgit saja
Tu pun duit tak ada juga
Pasai adik beradik ramai tak terkira.

La ni bila Abang Malaya balik ke desa
Cina Guar bangga tidak terkira
Dia kata Abang Malaya dialah sara
Bagi hutang, masuk buku tiga lima.

La ni pun orang Melayu dok berutang juga
Tak cukup buku 555 depa hutang Along pula
Sebab dah pakai motor dan kereta
Hasil padi bukan banyak mana.

Sampai sini dulu kita berseloka
Abang Malaya ada sikit kerja
Di lain waktu kita berjumpa
Salam sejahtera untuk semua.

Kak Teh said...

lydia, so geram when this happens. my card was stolen and used at a petrol station. they are very fast - use it before we realise its lost and report it.

ubi, whatare you doing and where? How i envy you!

alice, they not only install acmera, butcan sometimes note down the tone when we key in the pin number.very gau one thesepeople.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
They use your 'compromised' debit card to buy catfood only?? You are lucky they don't shop at Harrods...

Kak Teh said...

dnas, i agree. I think when are caught they shd serve community service doing this and paying back to the society!


abang malaya,
buku tiga lima banyak jasanya,
tak di kedai ah seng di kedai nyonya,
belilah saja tak ada yang tanya,
masuk dalam buku yang kita punya.

hujung bulan ah seng pun datang,
bawa buku nak kira hutang,
tak lah tergadai tanah dan bendang,
bukan macam la ni, cek kena tendang.

kak teh pun dengar cerita along,
sekali dia datang tak siapa boleh tolong,
memekik menjerit serta melolong,
kalau tak bayar semuanya dilelong.

guar cempedak tempat berhenti,
dari alor setar ke yan mencari teksi,
sementara tunggu, perut di isi,
segala macam buah dan juga nasi.

cerita kak teh pula nak bayar yuran sekolah,
mak kata tak ada duit pak kata tak apalah,
mak ambik gelang satu dan dia pi kedai panjatlah,
baru boleh bayar, yuran sekolah.

setiap bulan begitulah cerita,
sampai habih gelang, rantai pun tak apa,
cina kedai gadai dah kenai semua,
nak tebus balik betapanya seksa.

mak dah pakar di kedai panjat,
dia tu kecik tapi besarnya hajat,
nak sekolahkan anak nak tinggikan darjat,
jadi macam orang dalam masyarakat.

cina kedai panjat yang sara sekolah kak teh,
lagipun mak buat kueh tak kenal letih,
dijual kepada mamak yang datang bertatih,
untuk hantar anak ke sekolah orang putih.

sini dulu kak teh seloka,
nak buat kerja berhenti seketika,
seronok abang malaya menjenguk kita,
tunggu edel dan kenanga untuk menjelma.

Kak Teh said...

mama irma, no - its my shopping list yang banyak cat food - kalau ada dog food mesti dah syak lama. and anyway, card kak teh tak laku kut kat harrods.

by the way, cerita sedih...and at this time i know what you went through. Our precious tabby has not been back for ten days. I have been crying myself to sleep.

Anonymous said...

Sigh ... we all love technology & innovation but it's not without all the 'risks'. Glad you're such a good customer that the bank gave you a refund quickly.

A few years ago, I kept a buku tiga lima with the "Cina Ikan" - actually, the unlimited credit is rather dangerous - at the end of the month, teruk nak bayar. Masa angkut semua ikan, ayam, sotong, udang, sayur, mee maggi,fruits, snacks etc (yes the Cina Ikan bawa semua benda in the van) macam tak ingat!

Arena said...

Kak Teh,

My Ed, dah beberapa kali kena. Credit card dia, dipakai orang utk isi minyak, sampai beratus-ratus, isi lori treller apa..

Anyway it took him almost a month to get it back.. alhamdulilah..

and syukur kak teh dapat balik duit tu in record time. 5 hari cepat tu!

Anonymous said...

Izin Abang malaya menyimpang daripada tajuk blogmu Puan
Untuk berkongsi sebuah puisi ar-Rumi
Yang Abang Malaya terjemah dan padankan
Buat Adikku, Kenanga, Edelweis dan kawan sekalian.

Kata ar-Rumi:

Dalam cahayamu aku mengenali cinta
Dalam keindahanmu aku menulis pantun seloka.

Engkau menari-nari dalam dadaku
Tiada siapa yang nampak jelita wajahmu.

Tetapi aku sekali-sekala tahu
Dan aku lakarkan puisi syahdu.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh, the trauma you must have gone through. Feeling sick in the stomach just reading it.
I like your Ah Seng story but not the card fraud one.
So, it was your switch card and not credit card?
Actually while typing this, I was going through my wallet for my debit card and I can't find it..BYE...better go check.
Glad you got the money back but the hassle you had to go through.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh, I just read your comments. You lost your cat? Young cat?
Don't worry, she will find her way home.....sometimes cats take about 12-14 days.
My girlfriend's cat took nearly 3 weeks to come home. The thing is you must make sure there is an entrance for her when all of you are out.

Kak Teh said...

QOTH, yes, the buku tiga lima has no credit limit .Hahaha, thus it was usually hidden under the matress, behind the closet! Different buku tiga lima for different vendors.Different colours! hahaha!

arena, a month tu pun bagus juga. at least cepat. ada yang sampai empat bulan.

Dr Ve Thru @ judy, hope you found yr card. yes, i was quite paranoid afterthat - didnt wantto use my card any where.

about my tabby - he is not thatyoung - he is so huge, so fat and so friendly and loving. he is featured in one of the enries in my husband's blog. we do have a cat flap and i wait for him to come in all the time.

Kak Teh said...

abang malaya, sungguh indah terjemahan dari puisi ar Rumi itu. terima kasih. kak teh harap kenanga dan edel akan baca apabila mereka jenguk blog ini. sungguh tak terkata.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,

Was reading the previous entry last nite...but our system too slow to comment..Very nice one! Those charlie's angel geng so vogue..the memories is so funny especially with Tok Moh ...I was imagining in my mind..tergelak sorang2..

Kak Fati from Kedah jugak ke? My guess from movie Cinta. She spoke northern slang very well...keep me wonder.

Will come back to read this one..

It is getting very cold here...

Hope to meet you one day.

Kak Teh said...

AM, believe me, the toyol tok moh sessions were very funny - but how we managed to keep a straight face entah laaa. Fati is from penang. very the penang!

the weather here is also a bit funny - so windy and wet!

nyonyapenang said...

wuaah, the bank very efficient hor. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Kak Teh
I've been following your blog (and a few of yr gang) since last week. Very entertaining!

Just to alert you that there's a new update on adik SYSZWAN at drbubbles's blog. I know that you are very concerned about him.
Regards.

Ainon, Kg Raja, Besut, TGG.

Kak Teh said...

nyonya, yes, the bank is quite good and i believe they are still doing their investigations.

ainon of kpg raja. (did you know that tok nenek husband kak teh dari situ?)
ya, i know about syazwan because i am always in touch with Dr Bubbles. We have a yahoo group concerning Syazwan. Thank you so much, anyway. and thank you for such kind words.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh

Oh ya? Besut? Small world! So, when was yr last Terengganu trip? Must be ages ago. Actually I pun baru nak kenal kampong sendiri. Only after my retirement (in 2005) I was able to spend more time with my parents in Kg Raja. My father passed away last April and my mum prefers to stay in the kampung with just short trips to KL. So, me and my eldest brother takes turn to be here. Its the least that we can do for her.

BTW, I was also from ITM Shah Alam, (1970-73). I think we had the 1st batch of MassCom students joining in 72/73, my final year there.

Alhamdulillah. We dont have serious floods in the East Cost (yet!) this time round, despite the forecasts!

Ok, wassalam.
kak ainon.

Anonymous said...

kak teh,

glad the bank took care of you
kalau tak, sure terkedu

pernah jugak terkena kat ibu
kononnya beli lampu harga beribu
haru!

p/s hehe.. baru nak belajar berseloka.

Anonymous said...

hi ah,

i am so sorry to know about yr ordeal. i know i would freak out if that happened to me! Touchwood!
maybe it is a good thing being "old-fashioned". but isnt it sad that we still have to rely on the old ways of doing things when technology is supposed to make life all the easier and more convenient for us.
i still have not developed complete faith and confidence in the implementation of modern technology, at least here in malaysia. our system is not foolproof enough and con artists are 10 steps ahead, always devising ways to beat the system. thats why i still pay certain bills the old fashion way -- at the counter such as electricity,water and phone or send cheques by mail. it is still a reliable way.
other things such as cellphone and credit card, i pay at the ATM. Of course, i use the ATM to withdraw or deposit money.
And, alamak, i hate to admit this, but i keep receipts.
But Ah, i thought these things happen in Malaysia-lah, not in merry ole England. (our conmen have gone to England, huh?)

Salam to abang sayang Ah and love and kisses to mama sayang, and the other mama sayang one, two and three. and my love to you.

Ena (and it is wet wet wet weather in Malaysia.)

HCI said...

Kak Teh and Kak Ainon;

Tok saya pun dari Kg Raja Besut. Dia dah meninggal, tapi kakak dia masih kat Kg. Raja. Yang lain yang I boleh recall, Tok su aji, wife tok su ada lagi. Yang lain tak berani nak sebut nama ;-)

Anonymous said...

Asmk HAS.. another Besut clan? Not bad! Had a quick peep at yr blog just now. Insyaallah will visit you again. Sorry and Thanks Kak Teh for using yr jalan!

Kak Teh said...

kak ainon, saya batch ke empat mass comm. tapi saya join dbs sebelum tu - january intake then switched to mass comm with the june intake.

you want to read things terengganu, go to www.kecek-kecek.blogspot.com
and by the way, no problem, i tak kenakan toll kalau u nak cakap dengan has! she has a wonderful blog too.

has, ramainya orang kpg raja - kak teh pergi situ selepas kawin. selepas tu may be one more time and now tak pernah pergi dah.mungkin dah tak ada orang di rumah besar tu.

Kak Teh said...

adik edel menjelma lagi,
walaupun sibuk nak tumpak sekaki,
bekerja sepetang dari pagi,
begitulah lazimnya mencari rezki.

Pak man ikan pun ada buku tiga lima,
mak pelanggan setia pelanggan utama,
bila kak teh balik, mak pesan ketam dan daging sama,
sebab kak teh cerewet tak makan ikan dah lama.

kak teh mohon diri dulu,
kena buat apa yang perlu,
cari makan begitulah selalu,
buat segala tak boleh segan silu.

Kak Teh said...

ibu,
if they dont pay back, i dont know what to do,
kak teh no money, sure cry booo, hoo, hooo!

ena, well, i do seem to remember, even if you carry cash around, sinister things cld happen too, right? what happened to you was terrible... Dont know how u ever got over it.

ManaL said...

Jahat kan orang tu, kak teh?

I heard la straight from the horse's mouth that those fraudulent scams are something of a side income for the petty thieves of the asian-origin (and some middle-east) kids. The bigger, state-of-the-art heist are of white-caucasian. I know i am digressing here, but alhamdulillah, u got ur reimbursement paid out and u still in 1 piece.

The feelings i have for these thieves (petty or pro) are beyond words. Then, there are also scams among thieves: of who gets to be more sinister (re: ocean's 11, 12, etc).

AuntyN said...

Alhamdulillah Kak Teh that you have got your money back. Banyak tu.

Kak Teh said...

manal, mereka ini tersangatlah jahat. senang sangat nak ambik duit yang kita dapat hasil titik peluh kita sendiri.

auntyN, memang banyaklah bagi kak teh yang tak seberapa banyak duit ni. bayangkan apa kita boleh buat dengan duit tu...banyak bil boleh dibayar, beberapa kali makan di mawar...hehe.
Tapi alhamdulillah dahdapat balik.

Jane Sunshine said...

Omigod. Omigod. This is terrible. And I am one person who uses debit card everywhere because I don't want to carry cash. But now it looks like cash is safer. Sending you a virtual hug until I can send you a proper one. How about meeting next week? Will email you.

Anonymous said...

Kesian KT, but ALhamdulillah, you got your money back. In Malaysia, this has been happening (well, for credit cards lah, debit cards never took off - everybody wants to spend the money they don't have, hehehe) for many years now. So much so, my credit card has been changed by the bank at least 3 times in the process. Once there was an unauthorised transaction & they credited my account back with the amount, but I heard that it doesn't always work out so well.

So they've increased & increased their security measures to a point that it can get so cumbersome, like for online banking! Now, the bank will send you a code number to the handphone which you registered with them, which you will need to key in online, before they will allow you to complete the transaction!

What to do, the crooks are getting slicker and slicker, and so we need to firewall ourselves as much as possible!

Anonymous said...

Assalamualaikum,

Salam ziarah from Nashville, TN.

Anonymous said...

Ah...the UK banks..big on service. Glad it ended well..yes I agree with other commenters- over here not sure how long it'll take..!

[As an aside: Must say that your blog brings back memories of life in the UK- mawar inclusive! we had our kids there but we came home as we wanted kids to be exposed to malaysianness - although your son sounds such an upright young man and you must be soo proud of him -proof that malaysianness is nothing to do with being in malaysia (but how DID I manage without maids?) I feel that life was simpler then although I only appreciate it now in the hustle bustle of KL Life!]

ps - my dad orang rombau too. ulu sopoyee.

Kak Teh said...

jane, so next time we meet - i need more than hugs - u belanja me!

blabs, you are so right..they aregetting slickier and much more sophisticated.

sang kancil, w'salam. selamat datang ke blog kak teh.

momof5, thanks for the visit. well, we can only try and hope for the best. I had a wonderful chilndminder - for the bestpart of 20 years and she looked afterall the children from day one, except for my eldest from the age of one. Sadly she died lastyear. i have written a lot about her and her family who is more like my adik beradik.

Anonymous said...

Alhamdulillah kakteh dpt balik duit kalau dak haru jugak. memang mengerikan bila tiba2 jadi macm ni. saya la ni teruih cancel semua credit cards n pakai cash walaupun membebankan. Tapi bila nak beli belah and 'rabun mata' selamat sikit kalu dak semua hayun masa ada credit cards.

La ni meniaga mcm Ah Seng rasanya cuma di kampong2 saja kot

aNIe said...

Kak Teh...takut jugak lady dengar...dulu pernahlah kad kredit lady kene curik...tapi orang yang curik tu tak pandai...dia nak belanja everything in one day...pastu bila dia buat pembelian yang banyak pada satu masa...bank dah call lady sebab kad tu memang lady jarang guna...orang kata guna 'once in a blue moon'...kalau guna pun tak lebih dari rm300...jadi bila orang tu sekali beli ribu2...terus bank call...alhamdulillah...

Macam ni len kali kene check betul2 bank statement kan...mau tak menggeletar tangan sampai beratus pound habis...

Alhamdulillah...duit tu dah dpt balik ye kak teh...

...senyum simpul baca pasal buku tiga 5...memang sinonim dengan org2 kampung dulu....

Kak Teh said...

ajie kapai, kat lorong shariff, yang muda2 tu...dia bukan tuan kedai.

tokasid, ya..cash memang senang tapi katsini orang tak bawa cash sangat- takut.

kak lady, kalau mycredit card company, dia akan call kalau ada transactions, sebab i jarang pakai.
but the bank was being generous because of the christmas period.

Anonymous said...

u must have been relieved! Alhamdulillah u got ur money back.. tapi kan memang horrifying bila these things happen to u..

i remember something like this happened to us..tapi using the telephone.. while we r online on the net..some people use our phone line.. bila bil datang aja..... that person made international calls everywhere.. so that is also a precaution akak.. kalau boleh make a code for international calls..

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Our system here is different. We don't use debit cards to make purchases. It is only to withdraw cash. So, that's why the friend I mentioned used credit card to make even small purchases. The thieves are over everywhere and over here, they also catch the tone of the keypad when we key in. It is not so dangerous to carry cash around here.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Dulu, buku lima, kita semua bangga
Sekarang, plastik kad, kita kena jaga
Apa lagi lah akan terjadi sekarang
Pencuri-pencuri dah pandai cari arang!

Kak Teh said...

alice, with debit cardit is supposed to be easy to make purchases as most shops now are equipped with this gadget, whereby the salesperson doesnt touch yr card at all. then u key in your pin..and that's that. Butonce in a while, like you said, these brilliant minds and itchy fingers copy the tone of yr number..yes, they are clever.

ilene,
ilene juga mula berseloka,
kak teh baca hatipun suka,
buku tiga lima jadi tajuk kita,
tujuh hari tujuh malam tak habis cerita.

Kak Teh said...

simah, funny thatyou should mention phone bills. recently i was with a friend who was baffled because her phone credit was used up although she didnt make any calls. So, I accompanied her to the phone shop and contacted customer service, who detailed all internet connections made from her phone!!!! And the funny thing is that, the calls were made when her phone was actually in her drawer in London, and she was holidaying in Paris!!!What a mystery! Must really salute them...they are clever but they will be caught. One day.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Aku tak boleh membalas in pantun oledi! Actually, I meant to put "karang" instead of "arang". But never mind lah got rythm boleh jalan lah! Kak Teh, tumpang lalu...nak terangkan siki kpd Alisan.

Alice,
You're right... arang means charcoal but I meant to say "karang". "Karang" in this context would mean "corals". Cikgu Kak Teh betul tak?

Kak Teh said...

ilene, you pandai karang laa. like many malay words - karang ada dua meaning ..karang as in compose, karang as in corals.

Anonymous said...

Ribuan terima kasih Cikgu Kak Teh. muuuuuuuwah!

Alisan, educational?

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Tumpang lalu sikit. Nak bergurau dengan char boh Ilene
Ilene,
What for the pencuri cari corals,huh? Why the pencuri find "compose"? Very educational! Go and buy Kak Teh's book and be a good girl like Judy, belajar lagi.

Anonymous said...

OK, so after these two cikgus tried to explain to Ilene, so what is the right word? Arang or karang?

Faze said...

Hi Kak Teh,
I took the liberty to link you. Hope you don't mind :)

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Tumpang lalu lagi. As you know, we joke and banter with each other. Saja nak usik that Ilene. Ok, ok, Ah Teh, we are behaving like chewren again. Maaf ya.
Judy & Ilene,
Ilene pandai karang seloka juga, only kena ganti the last word. Arang atau karang pun tak sesuai altho' it rhymed. How about lubang (to have the meaning like a loophole) atau peluang? Pencur-pencuri dah pandai cari lubang/peluang. Boleh tak Cikgu Teh?

Faze said...

Hi Kak Teh,
I just read your msg in my blog and yes you may link me at the station.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

that's why lah...it is convenient but risky. i also use a debit card (hate credit cards because of my lack of self restraint whn it comes to spending) and I only reload it to the amount that i wanna spend. never more. maybe you might wanna do that too.

High Power Rocketry said...

: )

Anonymous said...

rezeki Maal Hijrah tu kak teh :) Alhamdulillah

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Sorry eh...this Wonda(woman) pandai usik saya. *sob* Minta keizinan untuk bertutur sikit dengan dia.

Wonda,
You are most certainly correct - the word "peluang" is a much much better word to use. Clever you! What to do, at that time, my otak not 100% functioning!

Judy,
No "arang" or "karang" but use "peluang". It's much better!

Kak Teh, sorry buat kacau dekat rumah Kak Teh. Rumah Kak Teh seronok lah!

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,

Your warmth and affection for people come thru your prose.

Your blog has become my chocolate, an antidote to my otherwise mundane life.

You have quite a loyal following. Noticed you pay attention to every comment and you respond to them with old world charm and courtesy.

I can say you bring out the best in people. Their thoughts and comments are full of wit and humour.

Anonymous said...

wow, u r so lucky to get all the money back!!

Anonymous said...

Dear KT and AG,
I dont use CC coz I dont like bank and the bank dont trust me.It is a mutual dislike.
I got my money lost even in Tabung Haji when RM4000 just disappear .
To withdraw from Tabung Haji normally require thumbprinting,ic verification and other scrutiny but the chap/chaps in TH can overule this.I suspect they have modern artificial thumb that can mould to victims' thumbprint and automatic card that change faces.
Therefore the best crook probably residing in TH ...enough said.

Kak Teh said...

ilene, wonda and dr ve thru,
nanti cik panggil semua untuk kelas online. jangan lambat tau, nanti kena tok ketampi di depan kelas!

missie, thank you and yes, I will also link you at sentraal.

marsha, with debit card, you know thatyou are spending the money that you have, so you know you ghave to control the urge. Mycredit cardwas stolen before but theyonly managed to buy petrol. so not much harm laa.

Kak Teh said...

edel and x matters, how amazing, we were all there at the same time. I know x-matters and am sure we will meet up again, and as for u dear edel, insyaallah we will meet. mungkin dengan kenanga dan abang malaya? boleh kita ajak dia? hehe!

hi&lo, what a beautiful thing to say. and thank you. I do try to answer comments because i think it is poilite to do so. When people visit you, you show yr appreciation with yr reply. Not much but a little something. I feel disappointedwhen people reply to some comments and not others, as if they pick and choose who to reply too, and i dont want my readers to feel that way. Thank you again.

annckay, yes, I think I've been lucky. I was surprised by the speed of it all. kalau tidak kepalaran lah anak dan kucing saya.

clark gable of pulau duyung,
thank you sir for your visit - am honoured. Am appalled to hear about what happened to you and in that institution too! Do you know whatcredit cards are good for? Scraping off the ice on the windscreen! It is very effective.

Kak Teh said...

alinlai, salam awal muharam to you too dan semoga tahun baru membawa lebih banyak rahmat dan rezki.

rk2, aaah, you are back with your smile!

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,

Emm, thanks for the privilege of your attention. You are a powerful writer cos you write with your heart. Though we belum met but you macam kawan lama.

Came across your blog thru Lydia Teh. Also read your comments in other blogs. You are one helluva encouragement to anyone in need of a kind word.

You have taught me how to be human by your humility. Ni bukan bodek u but straight from my heart.

Even all the comments by your visitors are like a touch of heaven.

Oh yes, I won't feel left out if you have no time to say a word or two to me.

God bless you and your family.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kak Teh,

With regards to your comment on my blog, my word, you are so thoughtful. If you were to bring a suitcase of items for flood victims, yes, sure by all means. Kontena Nasional at PJ is collecting items for flood victims:

Kontena Nasional Berhad
9th Mile, Old Klang Road
P.O.Box 6503, Seri Setia
47307 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
Telephone No : + 603 - 7876 1933

Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh, pagi ni, saya mari kelas, saya satu orang saja. Tapi sekarang saya tahu bila mesti guna 'Selamat jalan' dan 'Selamat Tinggal'. Cikgu Alice bagi saya tahu lah. Oops, ni bahasa pasar ke?

Cikgu Kak Teh, mana you cakap ada muruky pos....saya datang sini, tak ada pos baru.

Anonymous said...

Bagi pihak Kak Teh kepada Judy,
Judy,
Saya murid No.1 (Ahem!)ingin jawab soalan Judy.Post tentang Murukukah? Mungkin Cikgu Teh bermaksud karangan lamanya iaitu "As I was munching". Sila baca entrinya - Nov. 29,2005.
Eh, mana Cikgu ni? Kelas dah bermula, bayangnya pun tak nampak. Kami seronok tengok kalau Cikgu Teh tunjuk bagaimana tok ketampi di depan kelas.

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh,
Love that 'As I was munchng muruku' post of yours. I think I don't need to eat my dinner. Feeding on that murukus is enough. I'll "tok ketampi" if you keep bloggin and ........ :)

Anonymous said...

Kak Teh, glad you've sorted that one out. My experience was when I was back home. Maybank kept track of my purchases, so one bright afternoon a lady from the bank called me, "Dear Mr Hafiz, we have reasons to believe that your card has been compromised. Have you been purchasing anything using the card in Penang?" I replied "No, the last time I used it was in Ikea (that time was in One-Utama) about 2 hours ago". The card was then cancelled, they sent me a statement, I identified those which were not mine and got the amount offset from my account. In all, about MYR6000 - petrol along the Plus highway, a few bars and night clubs, beauty products, karaoke, and a mobile telephone. That person must be having a good time. Take good care of your card this time, Kak Teh.

Kak Teh said...

hi & lo, thank you for coming by aagain. I have been rushed off my feet the last few days and only now, manage to answer the comments in this blog.

oh ruby, ruby, ruby, thank you...that i will certainly do! thanks.

edel, kak teh tak pakai CC- takuuuut!

Kak Teh said...

wonda & dr ve thru, sorry cik gu lambat! While i was munching muruku tu entri lama laaaa!

hafiz, thank god that you too got your money back. I am now so careful where I use my card. Thanks for sharing your story.

Anonymous said...

KAK TEH, This happens in Malaysia too. I've received an e-mail WARNING US regarding this, sekali dengan gambar gadget attached to the ATM machine.So watch out everybody, MALANG TAK BERBAU!

Kak Teh said...

anonymous, ada gambar gadgetnya sekali? macam mana rupanya? boleh hantar kpd kak teh tak? teringin juga nak tengok.

Anonymous said...

Alahai Kak Teh, dah lama juga saya dapat e-mail tu.Sorry, I've deleted it.I'll try and ask my friends, who knows, maybe ada yg masih menyimpannya.

Kak Teh said...

anon, tak apa! Bila-bila dan kalau jumpa saja boleh lah hantar. OK?