2 Common Text Scams in the Philippines -- BEWARE!

Just last week, I received two fraudulent text messages. This isn't the first time, but it's the first time that I decided not to hit the delete button immediately -- which is my usual reaction.

Fraudulent Text #1:

"CONGRATULATIONS! Ur cel# WON... (insert prize here)...".  

This time, it's P300,000 and a Honda CRV. Another time it was some other amount of cash and a Toyota Innova. It's usually cash and a car. This is actually an old scam as it has been going around for a few years already.

I never joined any contest that offered any of those prizes so my first reaction was to ignore and delete the text. I've heard of instances though when the recipient actually believed the notification. What usually happens is:

•    You'll be asked to supply personal details.
•    You'll be asked to pay processing fees.
This is unsafe in so many different levels. While common sense dictates that you must never give out information of any sort to people you don't know, sometimes the lure of a big prize can be hard to resist. Remember, if you did not join any contest, it's virtually IMPOSSIBLE for you to win.

Fraudulent Text #2:  

"Musta na kayo dyan? Ito na nga pala new roaming number ko...".  

It tells you that the person on the other end has a package to send. The first time I received this, the text was in English and it wasn't jejemonic. My husband was out of the country at the time, but it never once occurred to me that it could be him or someone I know. Most of us in the Philippines have friends and loved ones abroad so it could still work.

•    If you reply, the texter will either ask you for load or ask you to buy prepaid cards which he/she will supposedly sell for you at a big profit. Remember, he/she is posing as someone you know and is expecting your trust.


More info here.

Source: forwarded email/animetric.blogspot.com

Bond Girl Rachel Grant endorses Human Nature

Bond Girl Rachel Grant endorses locally-made, all-organic beauty brand

CEBU, Philippines - Hollywood actress and TV host Rachel Grant was recently announced as the first-ever Global Ambassador of Human Nature, a beauty brand of Gandang Kalikasan, Inc. which is an all-natural and all-organic personal care product line that’s 100% made in the Philippines.

Rachel Louise Grant de Longueuil may only be half-Filipino in blood but she is certainly 100% Filipino at heart.  Part English, Scottish, French and Canadian sharing blood ties with England’s Queen Mother and Princes William and Harry, Rachel was born in Parañaque and grew up in England.  The only Filipina Bond Girl in James Bond movie “Die Another Day” with Pierce Brosnan and the new host for Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! (first time in 80 years to solely use a female host!), Rachel’s acting achievements are overshadowed by her accomplishments of the heart.  Through her family’s Padua Charitable Fund, Rachel is deeply involved in various charities and has been a Gawad Kalinga supporter as early as 2007 when she visited GK Citi Village in Parañaque.

The partnership between Human Nature and Rachel has been serendipitous. As Rachel learned about the products and the advocacy, she has shown generous support and commitment towards helping Human Nature achieve its vision of providing livelihood for GK farming communities all over the Philippines.  After her very first encounter with the brand, Rachel wrote “... I recently came back from the Philippines where I purchased many Human Nature products.  I am completely addicted to them - my skin is the best it has been in ages! I have completely taken myself off all other chemical products. I would love to help out. Let me know if I can help in any way! It’s for a great cause!”

Anna Meloto-Wilk, President and Co-founder, says about Human Nature and Rachel: “Here now is a chance for Filipinos to be proud of something made in the Philippines, that is helping this country and is being used by Hollywood stars. We were so elated with Rachel’s email that we immediately seized the opportunity to ask her to be the first Human Nature Global Ambassador. She represents Human Nature to the rest of the world because of her beauty, brains and heart for the poor.” As Global Ambassador, Rachel becomes a model for being a truly world class Filipino as she embodies the heart to love the Philippines and actively show that love through giving back.

To learn more about Human Nature products or how to be a Human Nature Dealer, call or text 0923.886.7767 email pilipinoycdo@gmail.com.

Source article: www.philstar.com

Facebook Updates | Allows Hi-Res Photos, Bulk Tagging

[Facebook Updates] Allows High Resolution Photos, Bulk Tagging, and Makes More Improvements to Photos

Today Facebook begins rolling out multiple improvements to its photos product. Users will be able to upload and download high resolution photos, quickly view photos in a pop-up light box view without leaving the page they are currently viewing, utilize two bulk tagging features to tag one person in multiple photos simultaneously, and use a streamlined and more reliable Flash uploading tool. Despite the monetary cost, Facebook has made the changes to keep the world’s most popular photos product technologically competitive.

Five months ago Facebook acquired photo sharing startup Divvyshot, whose founder Sam Odio product managed these changes. Odio tells us “We took a fresh look at the photos product, built a new vision, and this is first step towards that vision. Facebook is building out a larger photos team, photos are becoming a priority within the company, and it’s something we felt like we should be doing for our users.” The new changes will only go live for a small random subset of users later today because of the 100 million photos Facebook takes in a day. However, barring any significant problems, the changes will be rolled out to 100% of the user base over the next few weeks.

High Resolution Photos
Users will now have the option to upload photos at 2048 pixels along the largest side as well as Facebook’s standard 720 pixels. This 8 times improvement in quality will cover the resolution of photos taken by most consumer cameras. Larger photos, such as those shot with DSLRs, will be re-sized down to 2048 pixels, or roughly 6000 kilobytes, on the user’s side just before the upload occurs. This means that if you try to upload a 6 megabyte photo, you won’t have to wait for that large file to be sent to Facebook. Users will still have to be patient, however, as the uploader notes high resolution photos take up to 10 times longer to upload.

Anyone will be able to view the print quality, high resolution photos on Facebook’s web interface, and there will be a link below them to initiate a download of a .jpg of the photo. The high resolution will allows users to print 5×7 inch photos at 300 DPI, or perhaps even 8x10s, without any degradation of the image. High resolution photos will also be available through the API, opening opportunities for print products, and high resolution photo experiences on HD televisions. Odio says he’s excited to see what the API partners come up with.

Facebook will still be using its Haystack storage infrastructure for high resolution photos. The significant drop in storage costs over the last five years makes the high resolution feasible, but it will still cost millions of dollars. Odio says, “Zuckberg made the decision. He though users would appreciate high resolution. He looked at the tab and said ‘Let’s do it.’” Odio explained that all the other major photo sharing sites offer high resolution, including Divvyshot, and while Facebook had previously been focused on sharing memories, not pixels, Facebook is ready to “get with the times”.

Light Box View Of Photos
Soon, you will be able to click a photo anywhere on site, on the news feed or within albums, and the photo will load over a darkened background of the content you were viewing. You can then browse to adjacent photos, or click out or hit escape to close the light box and resume viewing the page you were previously looking at. The view will also include comments and Likes below the photo, only one advertisement instead of two, and the total amount of other text and distracting graphics will be minimal.

Light box view will also help photos load faster. Instead of sending a get http request for a whole new page which would have to be generated by the server and sent back, now Facebook will just construct the light box over your current page and immediately start downloading the image. The image may appear first, followed by the comments and Likes a tiny fraction of a second later.

The change should help users keep their desktops tidy. Previously when users wanted to retain their place in Facebook but view a photo, they would typically load the photo in a new tab. Odio say, “This seemed like a clumsy experience. The funny thing is that everyone is tracking page views. This change will probably cause a significant hit to page views, but we but we think it’s better. It loads much faster and you don’t lose your context in the content you were interested in.”

Bulk Tagging
When you go to any album page, you’ll be able to click “Tag photo”, enter a friend’s name, click the face of that friend in multiple photo thumbnails, and hit save to simultaneously tag that person in all of those photos. “People were doing an incredible amount of tagging, but it seemed like a terrible user experience to have to tag each individual photo separately”. Odio says it might sound difficult to pinpoint faces in thumbnails, but it’s actually quite easy.

The original uploader of photos will have access to an express bulk tagging system. Facebook will recognize the same face being present in multiple photos, and temporarily the group photos with the same face together making it easy to tag that person in all those photos simultaneously. This should alleviate uploader tagging fatigue, which frequently resulted in users leaving their friends to tag themselves.

Flash Uploader and Streamlined Flow
Facebook is implementing a new Flash uploader which increases reliability and takes advantage of the greater market penetration of Flash. Facebook has experimented with Java clients and browser plugins over the years, but rewrote the uploader in Flash for its ability to select multiple photos at once. The upload flow has also been streamlined. When you hit “upload photos” you’ll immediately begin selecting photos, and not be first asked to create and name an album as you were before.

Reliability is measured by how many users who at first click “upload” actually end up with new photos appearing on the site. Facebook expects at 5-10% increase in reliability thanks to the Flash uploader and streamlined flow. While users in the US with modern computers and fast connections might not see much difference, users in countries like Indonesia with older computers and worse connections will have a much improved upload experience.

By Josh Constine (www.insidefacebook.com)