Four ways a property agent can cheat you
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PETALING JAYA: The property sector appears to be getting a lot of attention from both potential buyers and sellers that are looking to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise from the current uncertain economy.
With the heightened interest in this sector during this period, it is also worth noting that there may be unscrupulous agents that would be out to take advantage of the situation unbeknownst to either the buyer or seller.
The Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents’ (MIEA) CEO K. Soma Sundram shares his views with StarBiz and notes that these are usually carried out by an illegal property broker or agent that does not have proper certification.
Legal agents are certified real estate negotiators (RENs) registered under the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Malaysia that have to abide by a set of rules and regulations or a code of conduct.
Soma says that other than the obvious where an agent runs away after the collection of the deposit as they could not deliver the contract, there are some other not so obvious areas that illegal agents may exploit to their own benefit:
FOMCA setuju lanjutan moratorium untuk golongan terjejas
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KUALA LUMPUR: Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) berpandangan lanjutan tiga bulan moratorium kepada golongan terjejas akibat krisis penularan COVID-19 wajar diberikan.
Timbalan Presidennya, Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman, berkata ini kerana lanjutan itu memberi masa kepada pihak berkenaan seperti yang diberhentikan kerja untuk mencari peluang pekerjaan atau sumber pendapatan lain, tanpa perlu risau memikirkan komitmen hutang kepada bank.
"FOMCA amat bersetuju dengan cadangan ini (lanjutan moratorioum). Jika pihak bank boleh beri lanjutan selama tiga bulan sehingga akhir tahun ini kepada pihak terjejas, saya percaya ia akan banyak membantu mereka dari segi aliran kewangan.
"Malah, bantuan moratorium sedang dilaksanakan ketika ini banyak membantu rakyat Malaysia terutama yang terjejas teruk dengan krisis COVID-19," katanya ketika dihubungi BH, hari ini.
Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, hari ini berkata hanya golongan sasar yang terjejas akan menerima moratorium sekiranya ia dilanjutkan, bukan lagi secara automatik kepada semua seperti sebelum ini.
Read more: FOMCA setuju lanjutan moratorium untuk golongan terjejas
Pros and cons of used vs new cars, plus full buying guide for second-hand and recon cars in Malaysia
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Used cars. Not all of us end up buying one, but surely ALL of us have looked at one and went, hmmm…. before. Compared to what you can buy new for the same money, the used option is usually of a higher level – it could be more premium, more exotic or even the car you’ve been dreaming of all these years. Or all of the above.
There are deals to be had, but buying used is not straightforward when compared to the certainty of buying new. We always recommend buying new if your budget permits. Besides that factory fresh “new car smell” and feel that just can’t be replicated, new cars typically come with lower HP loan interest rates and crucially, a full warranty.
Now, “car guys” love the hands-on part of motoring, and hanging out at the workshops even. But for everybody else (the other 99 out of 100 people?), the bonnet is only ever opened by the technician at the service centre, where the car goes in twice a year. For most, the car is a tool, and the tool has to be reliable. There’s less likelihood of a major failure happening in a new car, and if your luck isn’t good, you’re covered by a warranty so there’s no extra outlay beyond the expected commitments.
Why Myvi when can BMW?
That’s a practical view, but the lure is strong. I know that first hand. After selling my reliable daily runner in March, I was in the market for a new ride. The unannounced arrival of Covid-19 helped narrow down the field by ruling out anything new/nearly new that even resembled luxury. A hardy, reliable newish car would be great for “wartime” and I eventually went for a newish Perodua Myvi under warranty, throwing away whatever little car guy credentials I had.
5 taktik jualan yang biasa kita nampak, tapi sebenarnya salah
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Sekarang ni, macam-macam cara kita dengar orang buat untuk tipu pengguna, contohnya ayat biasa ni: “PM tepi kalau nak tanya harga”. Walaupun di luar sana banyak je peniaga yang jujur, tapi ada je yang guna taktik untuk menipu kita semua.
Yang terlibat dengan penipuan ni bukan peniaga biasa-biasa je, tapi kadang-kadang tu – syarikat-syarikat yang ada nama pun terlibat sama. Salah satunya macam LuxStyle yang minta pengguna daftar alamat dan emel diorang kalau nak tahu harga produk. LuxStyle ni kemudiannya akan hantar barang tu kepada mangsa dan minta bayaran atau barang tu akan dikembalikan dengan perbelanjaan mangsa.
Ramai mangsa dari serata dunia dah masuk perangkap penipuan LuxStyle ni, termasuklah dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia sendiri. Pusat Khidmat Aduan Pengguna Nasional juga dah keluarkan kenyataan supaya mangsa tak buka atau guna barang yang dihantar dan abaikan segala permintaan bayaran dari LuxStyle.
Disebabkan banyak kes penipuan macam ni, ia juga menimbulkan persoalan tentang: Apa hak pengguna terhadap perniagaan tak jujur ni? Maka, sebab itulah kitorang senaraikan 5 taktik jualan yang mungkin korang pernah jumpa dan apa hak korang untuk berdepan dengan diorang ni.
Read more: 5 taktik jualan yang biasa kita nampak, tapi sebenarnya salah
Be smart users of energy
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LETTER: FOR most of us, we were born into a life filled with electrical devices and a stable energy supply as it lights our homes and streets and powers our devices.
This energy also helps power computers and laptops to those who work from home, connecting our phones to our loved ones, to all the other appliances (security system, air-conditioners and more) that provide us with the comfort and assurance that we need to end every night in peace.
Alongside our nation's defence services and medical professionals are the engineers and technicians, working tirelessly to ensure our nation's electricity supply and distribution remain stable throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
They provide security and comfort to the police and armed forces by illuminating more than 120 temporary security posts around the nation, thus keeping these brave men and women safe as they do the same for us.
Service providers like Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Sabah Electricity (SESB) make sure that we can keep living our lives normally at home, for without electricity, decades of technological advancements can bring us no comfort nor benefit.
That said, as a result of the MCO, home electricity consumption nationwide has gone up drastically. This was acknowledged by TNB and the government, who have offered discounts to help ease the burden of the people.
Digital literacy needed for users’ protection
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25 Jun 2020 10:25AM
ACCORDING to the Statistics Department, Malaysian domestic access to the internet rose to 90.1% in 2019 compared to 87% in 2018; a rise of 3.5%. The percentage of households’ access to mobile phones was at 98.2% in 2019.
The five most popular activities among internet users were social networking (97.1%), downloading pictures, movies, videos or music or downloading games (84.7%), finding information for goods and services (83.5%), telephoning over the internet (77.4%) and downloading software or applications (77.1%). Clearly, many Malaysians are using the internet and their mobile phones as an integral part of their daily lifestyle.
Certainly, the online world brings many benefits. Social media, for example, assists in making social connections, seeking relevant personal information, for example on health or new recipes, and for many students it is a useful resource in education.
But the online world carries its own risks. And children are the most susceptible to these risks endangering their psychological and mental wellbeing and even their relationships.
These risks include cyberbullying, cyber predators getting access to personally identifiable information, phishing, posting personal details that may come back to have a negative impact on you in the future and many forms of scams.
TIPS UNTUK PENGGUNA
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Bagaimana cara mendapatkan laporan CCRIS tanpa hadir ke BNM:
1. Muat turun borang di bnm.my/ccrisform
2. Lengkapkan borang dan sediakan semua dokumen yang berkenaan
3. Hantar borang melalui webform - https://
Sumber dari Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)
Here’s A Breakdown Of All 19 PENJANA Tax Reliefs & Funds For Startups And SMEs
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The RM35 billion Economic Recovery Plan (PENJANA) that was recently announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin included a variety of initiatives to stimulate Malaysia’s overall economy. Out of those, Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) then identified and compiled 19 initiatives that were specifically relevant to local startups and SMEs.
These are the ways in which PENJANA can assist the startup ecosystem.
1) Remission Of Penalties
Objective: To ease financial stress on businesses through remissions of penalties related to late tax payments.
What It Is: 50% remission of penalty for late payment of sales tax and service tax due.
Payable From: July 1, 2020 – September 30, 2020.
Beneficiary: All businesses.
2) Extension Of Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) For Machinery & ICT Equipment
Objective: To ease financial stress on businesses through remissions of penalties related to late tax payments.
What It Is: ACA will be given for qualifying capital expenses incurred on machinery and equipment, including Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment.
It is claimable within a 2-year period at the following rates:
Initial allowance: 20%
Annual allowance: 40%
For Expenditures Incurred: March 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020.
Beneficiary: All businesses.
3) Special Tax Deduction On Costs Of Renovation & Refurbishment
Read more: Here’s A Breakdown Of All 19 PENJANA Tax Reliefs & Funds For Startups And SMEs
Ini cara elak penggodam yang sasar negara umum bantuan kewangan
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SYARIKAT keselamatan siber yang berpangkalan di Singapura CYFIRMA baru-baru ini melaporkan bahawa kumpulan penggodam yang disokong oleh Korea Utara merancang kempen pancingan data berskala besar di enam negara, termasuk India.
Peretas merancang sasaran terhadap negara-negara yang mana pemerintah telah mengumumkan bantuan kewangan kepada individu dan perniagaan untuk menstabilkan ekonomi mereka yang dilanda wabak.
Menurut CYFIRMA, kempen phishing Lazarus Group dirancang untuk menyamar sebagai agensi kerajaan, jabatan dan persatuan perdagangan yang ditugaskan untuk mengawasi pengeluaran bantuan fiskal.
Penggodam mengaku memiliki dua juta ID e-mel India.
“Rancangannya adalah untuk menghantar e-mel mengenai ujian covid-19 percuma untuk semua kediaman Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai dan Ahmedabad, yang mendorong mereka untuk memberikan maklumat peribadi,” menurut catatan dari CYFIRMA.
Berikutan amaran itu, Pasukan Tindak Balas Kecemasan Komputer India (CERT-In) memberi amaran bahawa mungkin ada kempen serangan pancingan data berskala besar terhadap individu dan juga syarikat.
Read more: Ini cara elak penggodam yang sasar negara umum bantuan kewangan
LETTER | Extend due date to file tax returns
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LETTER | The Covid-19 pandemic created chaos for every one of us as many lost their jobs and some were forced to take pay cuts and even no-pay leave. To recuperate from the depression is going to be arduous for many of them. The government has recently lifted the conditional movement control order (MCO) for the recovery movement control order (RMCO). People are just coming out from their domains and starting to restructure and look into their livelihoods.
So another pressing issue which is on the table now and needs to be seriously attended to is the due date set by Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) for the submission of the income tax return Form BE. Although LHDN has extended submission of the Form BE from May 15, 2020, to June 30, 2020, the situation is still beleaguered as many are still finding it difficult to make ends meet. It is going to be agony for the people with very little money in hand to come up with a payment to the LHDN in these trying times.
The moratorium and the discount under Bantuan Prihatin Elektrik (BPE) are coming in handy at this particular juncture. The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) is urging the LHDN to do the same by extending the due date for Form BE till the end of September. With this extension, the taxpayers will be able to start anew by focussing on their livelihoods such as looking for a job or jobs to substantiate their incomes.
The actual scenario of how badly the people were hit is clearly visible at queues at the pawnshops as soon as the MCO was lifted. There was also a lot of hue and cry over the electricity bills which were exorbitant. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) came up with a better solution to help the public. The LHDN should indeed follow the footsteps set by them.
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