Protecting yourself when banking online

HSBC has shared some best practices on using their security device with Internet banking:  

• The bank encourages clients to use a different PIN for their ATM card, phone banking and Internet banking, and not to reuse them for other purposes. "Do not disclose your Internet banking password or security code to anyone (including parties claiming to be bank staff or the police)," HSBC said in a statement.

• Unusual screens requesting additional personal information or an unusually slow response is cause for concern, HSBC said, suggesting that clients should scan their systems for malware.

• As a rule, clients should always access Internet banking by keying in the HSBC website address at the address bar of the browser, or bookmark the website and use that function to access to their HSBC Internet Banking accounts. This eliminates the risk of visiting faked websites through hyperlinks embedded in emails, pop-up windows and search results from search engines, for example.

• Keep computers updated with the latest security software, which can help to prevent problems from clicking on attachments or embedded URLs in suspicious emails. "HSBC will not display your personal information in emails or ask you to provide any personal information including username, password and security code by replying emails," the bank said.

• Avoid sharing personal details such as full name, passport details or credit card numbers. "HSBC Internet Banking will not ask you to provide CVV/CVC code and expiry date of your credit card. You should exercise caution in communicating your personal information," the bank noted.

• Irregularities can be caught through regularly reviewing online transaction records regularly and reporting anything unusual to the bank. Clients are also asked to review transfer limits regularly as this can limit any losses.

Interested?

Clients which have disclosed personal details to suspicious parties should immediately report the incidents to the bank or to the police, HSBC advises.

Suspicious websites encountered in Hong Kong can be reported to HSBC's customer service hotlines at +852 2233 3322 for HSBC Premier customers, +852 2748 8333 for HSBC Advance customers and +852 2233 3000 for other customers.

Review online security tips published by HSBC Singapore

CrowdsUnite provides handy crowdsourcing news in one place

CrowdsUnite aims to be the 'Yelp' of crowdfunding with over 800 crowdfunding platforms in its database. The site offers crowdfunding advice and directs startups to platforms that best suit their needs. 

CrowdsUnite CEO Alex Feldman notes that different sites differ in their functionality, customer service, and transparency. The main issue with crowdfunding, he said, is that it is possible to run a fraudulent campaign and run away with the donors’ money.

Source: CrowdsUnite blog. Feldman introduces
crowdfunding at a July 2014 talk in New York, US.

The CrowdsUnite blog featured an infographic for the top 10 crowdfunding sites in April 2014. Kickstarter, while popular, ranked no. 5 out of 10 and no. 2 only for funding. It was not in the top three for either customer support or ease of use.

CrowdsUnite recently added international crowdfunding platforms to its scope, including Singapore-based Crowdtivate. The company includes a growing number of crowdfunding platforms in Asia in its database.

Free registration is required to browse the CrowdsUnite site.

India institutes Ebola preparedness measures

The Indian government is performing "intensive surveillance" to prevent the spread of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the country. There are three local helpline numbers: 2306 3205, 2306 1469 and 2306 1302 operational as of 9 August at the Health Ministry to field calls.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister for Health, has clarified that India does not have any confirmed or suspected Ebola victims. However, WHO had informed the government that one Indian passenger had travelled on the same flight on which an Ebola virus patient had travelled on, from Monrovia in Liberia to Lagos in Nigeria. Both countries are dealing with EVD outbreaks.

Thirty calls have been fielded so far. “Most of the callers to the helpline reflected a mature understanding of the collective responsibility in times like this. They wanted to know details about the symptoms and preventive measures,” Dr Vardhan said.

According to the government, the Indian passenger is back in India and being monitored. The Health Minister said: “We are happy to share that the said person is healthy, fit and fine.”

The government has already implemented the following steps:

1. Tracking of passengers arriving from the affected countries by the Airport Health Organizations based on the information provided by Ministry of External Affairs

2. Tracking and monitoring health of passengers, who travelled from the affected countries, in their respective States, by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme.

3. Designation of Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi for management of cases in Delhi. The hospital has earmarked treatment facilities and a Nodal Officer.

4. The Government has advised Indians against non-essential travel to the four West African countries – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria – which form the epicentre of EVD.

Read about the WHO announcement and the response from airlines here.

LinkedIn offers advice on minimising talent mismatch

A global study by PwC commissioned by LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network on the Internet, has included recommendations for professionals, employers, educators and government on poor talent adaptability – the inability for people to retrain for new skills or switch industries.

The study, Adapt to Survive, analyses interactions from LinkedIn’s network of 277 million professionals and information on 2,600 employers from PwC’s Saratoga database, a resource for people and performance metrics, to establish how 11 markets align talent with opportunity.

According to LinkedIn, professionals, employers, educators and governments can position themselves to minimise the possibility of talent mismatches. 
 
Professionals

The rise of social media and an increasingly connected global workforce means it’s never been easier for people to identify new opportunities, plan to develop the skills, and create a network that will allow them to transition into new roles. This could be as simple as staying up-to-speed with companies that might be hiring in your area, or identifying emerging sectors around the world that could present an opportunity for a dramatic career change.

Employers

Talent is the number one factor in competitive success for business, and businesses need to move faster to adapt to new market forces. An existing mismatch of talent in the wrong roles creates a window of opportunity for employers able to identify and attract the right talent to their organisation. 

Social media has made it possible to identify all the relevant candidates – both active and passive – many of whom may not be doing the jobs they want. Employers should use talent analytics to identify the hard and soft skills that are central to the business strategy today and in the future, allowing them to hire strategically.

Educators

Education never stops, and educators should be looking at what skills are in growing demand and which jobs are emerging in the global workforce. They should then adapt curricula so students are equipped with relevant skills when they leave formal education.

Governments

Governments should play an active role in shaping a national mindset that values, nurtures and rewards adaptability. They need to use the levers at their disposal such as employment and immigration laws, as well as proactively shaping education and training systems.

The coolest productivity tips for Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office 2013 provides a number of advances over the older versions, but users who have used Office for years may not realise what these cool new features are. At the launch of Office 365 Personal in Singapore, where pricing was announced (S$89 a year), Elsie Chong, Marketing Manager, PC Category, Consumer and Channels Group, Microsoft Singapore, introduced her favourites:

PDF Reflow: Word 2013 will open PDF documents as if they are Word documents, preserving the formatting as far as possible while making the text editable. The edited document can be saved as a PDF, or as a Word file.

Excel 2013 has a function called 'Flash Fill' that instantly understands what is being abstracted from existing data, and automatically fills up the rest of the row or column with the appropriate data. In this example, Chong typed in 'Andrew' and the software filled in the rest immediately.

Powerpoint 2013 has a mini dashboard feature which is officially called the Presenter View. This is an all-in-one screen that allows presenters to manage everything they need while giving a presentation, including skipping slides without the audience realising it, reading speakers' notes in extra large print, and switching displays.

As with Word and PDFs, the new Office for iPad also preserves the formatting seen in documents created on other devices, Chong said. "It was built from scratch, and optimised for touch," she said. In particular, the transitions between Powerpoint slides work as they should, she added.

The cloud-based Office 365 will always enable the latest versions of Office for subscribers' use, allowing them to enjoy the features as Chong has described.