Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Scam Emails

Email is an excellent communication tool and help companies to inform about their latest products and services. Unfortunately email is frequently used to deliver unwanted material which is at best, annoying and at worst, malicious – causing considerable harm to your computer and yourself.

Scam emails could be:
·         Spam (or Junk) email
The vast majority of email sent every day is unsolicited junk mail. Examples include:

·         Email Scams
Scams are generally delivered in the form of a spam email (but remember, not all spam emails contain scams). Scams are designed to trick you into disclosing information that will lead to defrauding you or stealing your identity.

·         Phising emails
Phishing is a scam where criminals typically send emails to thousands of people. These emails pretend to come from banks, credit card companies, online shops and auction sites as well as other trusted organisations. They usually try to trick you into going to the site, for example to update your password to avoid your account being suspended. The embedded link in the email itself goes to a website that looks exactly like the real thing but is actually a fake designed to trick victims into entering personal information.

Help disrupt fraudsters by reporting scam emails that you receive. People receiving scam emails are urged to report them!
The reports received by Action Fraud will be forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau run by the City of London Police for collation and analysis. This will enable crucial intelligence to be gathered and preventative action to be taken. The activity will seek to disrupt the fraudsters and close down the links between them and the victim.

What should you do if you’ve received a scam email?

·         Do not click on any links in the scam email.
·         Do not reply to the email or contact the senders in any way.
·         If you have clicked on a link in the email, do not supply any information on the website that may open.
·         Do not open any attachments that arrive with the email.

If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details and/or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your cards, you should immediately contact your bank.
If you've been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Rip off

Rip off


Overview

In a related meaning, a rip off is a blatant or unscrupulous copy or imitation. This is also known as a knockoff. An example is the 1988 movie Mac and Me, widely seen as a ripoff of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extraterrestrial. In both senses there is an associated verb "to rip off", but the location of the preposition differs between the two meanings:
In one of his standup comedy routines, Dennis Miller jokes about seeing an ad in the National Inquirer: "Learn how to avoid ripoffs - send $5."
In South Africa 'ripping off' can be making a joke of something that a person does on a regular basis; see running gag. Another related term is "ripping on" or to "rip on" something; used to describe humorous verbal abuse directed towards a person, thing or concept. Ripping on something is typically light-hearted, but can also be cruel in nature just like any type of putdown.
In musical terminology Ripping Off is a light form of plagiarism, as in 'borrowing' an established riff, phrase or idea from a musician or song. When musicians use the term among themselves they are referring to the context of 'quoting' their influences and incorporating the licks into their personal style.

Rip-off Britain

Rip-off Britain is an expression used by some to refer to the phenomenon in which some products and services cost significantly more in the United Kingdom than in other countries, especially other member states of the European Union and the United States, than a basic currency conversion would permit. The term was coined by the tabloid press in the late 1990s and sees particular usage in mass media when the pound sterling is strong, as this drives down other states' prices in pounds.Origin[edit]
In 1999, the Consumers' Association hired a stand at the British International Motor Show, only revealing on press day its true purpose in doing so—to highlight high British car prices. The organizers of the show, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, decided not to fan the media flames by ejecting the Consumers' Association.[1]
By this point, the phrase had already taken hold in the mass media, and it became a term in frequent use to describe anything that was wrong with Britain.[citation needed] It also proved to be one of the elements leading to a tipping point in the harmonisation of car prices within the EU.[citation needed] The campaign was devised by UK advertising agency Claydon Heeley, who are known for such "guerrilla marketing" work.

Possible causes

Taxation

The level of indirect taxation applied to some products such as alcoholic drinkstobacco, and petroleum may serve to disguise high profit margins by the retailer, but it may also work in the opposite direction, squeezing profits when there are other legal markets with lower taxation.
While the standard UK rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) of 20% is generally higher than US sales taxes, differences in prices can be far greater than this could account for. The Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey are not part of the EU and Low Value Consignment Relief applies to imports. Retailers such as Play.com and Specsavers operate from Jersey or Guernsey specifically as a means of avoiding VAT.
In the UK, imported commercial goods valued up to £15 are exempt from VAT; for personal gifts, the exemption rises to £36. As of July 2014, imports up to the value of £135 are not liable for UK customs duty.

Business costs

Companies sometimes argue that some of their fixed costs are higher in the United Kingdom than elsewhere, such as forstorage and distribution. The truthfulness of this defence varies from case to case. For example, the UK has around the fiftieth highest population density of any country in the world, eight times that of the US and over twice that of France,[5] sotransportation distances are unlikely to be a factor, and a parliamentary report concluded there was no great difference across EU states.
Differences in storage costs are difficult to quantify, since many goods are shipped just in time directly from the manufacturer to the consumer, or in the case of electronic goods and services, they may not be physically shipped at all, but delivered via the Internet.

Over-regulation

Quality and safety regulations are roughly comparable between the markets discussed in this article, although some businesses argue that increasing safety regulation increases costs, which must be passed to the consumer.[7] Retailers and manufacturers sometimes argue that legal requirements for guarantees and warranties differ between markets, and this must be factored into prices.

Remedies

Shipping from abroad

Perceived or actual higher prices in the UK often have the effect of encouraging British consumers to order goods from the Internet, whether from UK businesses claiming to break a price cartel or directly from abroad, including via eBay and other online auction sites.
Most American Internet retailers ship directly to consumers in the UK which, assuming customs provisions are met, can provide a worthwhile alternative to higher UK prices. Many believe that competition from the Internet and the Eurozone general free trade will tend to normalize retail prices and put an end the UK being known as "Treasure Island". However, "customer not present" transactions can generally not be made for legally controlled products such as alcohol, tobacco, solvents, fuels, or medication.
Electrical and electronic products designed for the North American market may have to be converted to run on EU voltage andTV systems, annulling any benefit in reduced prices. Other products may also differ in specification, or they may not come with the same warranties or guarantees, making returning faulty goods difficult, or at least not cost effective. Furthermore, products for sale in the European Union should carry the CE mark for safety, but products purchased in the United States or designed for the US market are often supplied with other safety designations such as the UL listing.

Internet delivery

Products and services delivered over the Internet do not face physical barriers for shipping the goods are eliminated, so one might expect Internet-based markets to normalize across free trading countries.
Apple's iTunes Store formerly operated a model in which purchases can only be made in a domain where the users' means of payment is registered. UK customers were therefore tied to the offerings in the UK iTunes Store, proving a disadvantage both in price and selection. On 9 January 2008, however, Apple conceded that this was unfair practice and promised to harmonise prices with Europe within six months, citing record labelswholesale music prices as the reason.

Friday, July 3, 2015

What Makes Infrastructure Debt Attractive

What Makes Infrastructure Debt Attractive to Pension Funds

Interview with: Andrew Robertson, Co-Head, Macquarie Infrastructure Debt Investment Solutions
Montreux, Switzerland, May 14, 2015

About the European Pensions & Investments Summit 2015
The 15th annual European Pensions & Investments Summit is the ultimate meeting point, bringing elite buyers and sellers together. The Summit offers regional pension investors and international fund managers and consultants an intimate environment for focused discussion of the key new drivers shaping institutional asset allocations. Taking place at the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Montreux, Switzerland, 8 – 10 June 2015, the Summit includes presentations on capturing attractively valued investments, increasing fund resilience, tail risk management and making responsible investing a reality.
For more information please send an email to press@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.epi-summit.com/AndrewRobertson_Interview
marcus evans group – investment sector portal

The Investment Network – marcus evans Summits group delivers peer-to-peer information on strategic matters, professional trends and breakthrough innovations.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3937929&trk=hb_side_g
YouTube: www.youtube.com/MarcusEvansInvest
Twitter: www.twitter.com/meSummitsInvest
SlideShare: www.slideshare.net/MarcusEvansInvest

Please note that the Summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

Interview with: Andrew Robertson
Why should pension funds allocate some capital to infrastructure debt? How?
In addition to liability matching and returns, infrastructure debt provides investors access to assets that enjoy increased protection from normal business cycles, and are therefore less correlated to other asset classes and provide diversification of risk.

In the case of pension schemes that rely on corporate sponsors, the ability to hold assets with lower correlation to the financial strength of the sponsor is also attractive.

How do the investment returns on infrastructure debt compare against long-term sovereign and high quality corporate bonds?
We believe that it compares favourably when evaluated against corporate bonds of a similar credit quality. According to a Moody’s report in 2013, recovery on default has been almost double the level achieved on senior secured corporate bonds. Higher yields can be earned on infrastructure debt due to substantial barriers to entry in the sector. Investors are a
lso rewarded for being able to hold less liquid investments on a buy-and-hold basis.

What are some of the risks associated with investing in this space?
Infrastructure assets can be characterised by the following features: regulated revenues for essential services (e.g. water); stable legislative backgrounds providing government-guaranteed tariffs (e.g. high quality renewables); or revenues received directly from users of infrastructure which hold an inherent position of competitive advantage (e.g. airports).

As such, political and regulatory risks, which are often present where the provision of infrastructure services involves an ongoing commitment from a government agency, are a key consideration when investing in the debt of these kinds of assets.

There should also be significant focus on the capabilities of the operator of the infrastructure asset, as well as unmitigated construction risks in the case of greenfield projects.
One must also ensure that the appropriate structures are in place to mitigate the risks.  These include borrower covenants (e.g. dividend restrictions), restrictions on business activities, ability to replace counterparties, enforcement triggers and insurance.

The complexities involved with evaluating these kinds of risk underline the importance of having a thorough understanding of operating across a wide range of jurisdictions and sub-sectors.

Any final words of experience?

Seek to identify a competitive advantage and capitalise on it. For example, a significant proportion of long-term lending to infrastructure projects is now being provided by insurance companies. Our experience is that pension funds are less constrained by regulation (e.g. Solvency II) which presents opportunities to achieve a competitive edge by tailoring lending solutions more closely to the needs of borrowers.


Contact: Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com


Macquarie Group (Macquarie) is a leading provider of banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services. Founded in 1969, Macquarie employs more than 13,900 people in 28 countries. At 30 September 2014, Macquarie had assets under management of EUR 295 billion.
In early 2012, Macquarie established the Macquarie Infrastructure Debt Investment Solutions (MIDIS) platform to leverage the infrastructure expertise within Macquarie into an investor-aligned global infrastructure debt investment management business. The MIDIS platform has been successful in securing mandates with prestigious insurer and pension scheme clients and has a track record of investing at attractive yields. Since March 2014, it has raised total commitments in excess of GBP 1 billion for its UK inflation linked debt strategy, which includes separately managed accounts and a pooled fund.
www.macquarie.com/midis


Scam Emails

Help disrupt fraudsters by reporting scam emails that you receive. People receiving scam emails are urged to report them.
The reports received by Action Fraud will be forwarded to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau run by the City of London Police for collation and analysis. This will enable crucial intelligence to be gathered and preventative action to be taken. The activity will seek to disrupt the fraudsters and close down the links between them and the victim.

What should you do if you’ve received a scam email?

  • Do not click on any links in the scam email.
  • Do not reply to the email or contact the senders in any way.
  • If you have clicked on a link in the email, do not supply any information on the website that may open.
  • Do not open any attachments that arrive with the email.
If you think you may have compromised the safety of your bank details and/or have lost money due to fraudulent misuse of your cards, you should immediately contact your bank.
If you've been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud.

Fake emails often (but not always) display some of the following characteristics:

  • The sender’s email address doesn’t tally with the trusted organisation’s website address.
  • The email is sent from a completely different address or a free web mail address.
  • The email does not use your proper name, but uses a non-specific greeting like “dear customer”.
  • A sense of urgency; for example the threat that unless you act immediately your account may be closed.
  • A prominent website link. These can be forged or seem very similar to the proper address, but even a single character’s difference means a different website.
  • A request for personal information such as user name, password or bank details.
  • The email contains spelling and grammatical errors.
  • You weren't expecting to get an email from the company that appears to have sent it.
  • The entire text of the email is contained within an image rather than the usual text format.
  • The image contains an embedded hyperlink to a bogus site.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Scam advise and ANTI-Fraud Strategy

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’s (NFIB) proactive intelligence team is warning people of a new method whereby fraudsters are exploiting the delay in the replacement of customer’s bank cards whilst targeting victims by intercepting their mail.
The NFIB say that fraudsters have identified that if a genuine banking customer requests a new card to replace a damaged one, some banks will send the replacement card but not cancel the damaged card straight away, leaving it active for several days.
Fraudsters target letterboxes in communal flats and premises that lack security and CCTV to steal victims’ mail specifically for banking documentation. 

Gathering enough personal information

Having identified a victim via the stolen letters and open source information, with all the personal information they need the fraudster calls the bank pretending to be the customer and states that the plastic bank card has snapped but is still functioning, and will need a replacement sent to their home address.
The fraudster returns a few days later to steal the bank card contained within the mail and utilises it for fraudulent purposes unbeknown to the victim until several days later when their original card stops working and get in touch with their bank.
Research conducted for Monday’s launch of Action Fraud’s “Not With My Name” campaign found that 71% of people do not regularly redirect their post for at least six months when they move house. Also 1 in 3 don't shred letters before throwing them away, this leaves people vulnerable to bank statements and other mail being intercepted by fraudsters.
A convicted fraudster told the NFIB “identity fraud is dead easy, it’s like any scam, you just need to plan it through. Do your homework, think it out, keep it simple and look for the system flaws”.

Protection advice from the Not With My Name campaign:

Always destroy or securely store personal documents:
  • Check your bank and financial statements carefully and report anything suspicious to the bank or financial service provider concerned. When getting rid of personal documents always destroy them – rip up or shred.
  • If you have a communal mailbox or one in a shared area, empty it frequently.
  • If you move home set up a redirection with Royal Mail for at least a year and notify your bank, credit card companies and other organisations you deal with ASAP.
  • Additionally personally assess your communal mail area for vulnerabilities and consult with your premises management team in relation to added security measures. 
Also here are a number of other simple steps you can take to safeguard your personal information.