THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 59

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 59

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

How about knowing your purpose? Do you know your purpose? Don’t for a minute get confused! Knowing who you are and knowing your purpose are two very different things.

If you don’t know your purpose, it will be extremely difficult to get other people to understand what it is that you are selling and/or what assistance it is that you need from them.

Knowing your purpose is more about knowing what you want to achieve for . . . others. Those others could be your clients, your friends and your family. So – do you know what you want to achieve for others on a daily basis?

It’s about knowing what you would do if you didn’t have to work. Think about that for a moment . . . if you didn’t have to work, what would you do? Would you still be the same person that you are right now, or would you do a 180 degree turnabout and become someone completely different. You may become someone who no longer treats people with dignity and respect – you may become the second Mother Theresa or guess what, you may continue to be the person that everyone has come to love, because having money and not having to work, may actually leave you as the person you are now.

Knowing your purpose means that in all probability, you will leave your mark on this world when you leave it one day. So what is your legacy? What will your children and friends say that you have achieved in your life time and will they even know?

For me, knowing your purpose means that you have to have some idea about who you are and what it is that you are doing here, in this life time, before you can start telling people who you think they are?

It’s about accepting some things because, they just are and it’s about making a concerted effort to change the things that need to be changed in your life and thereby changing the things in your world that need to be changed. It’s about quietly going about your business and making a difference.

It’s about challenging myself to be all that I can be, rather than all that everyone else thinks I should be.

It’s about being true to myself.

It’s about being me . . .

So, how about it then, do you know your purpose?

Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

WHERE HAS ALL THE MONEY GONE?

Good grief! SARS is squeezing every red cent out of anyone who breathes and the money is being "misappropriated" from Government coffers! What upsets me even more is the fact that this piece is all about the statistics (or lack thereof) yet nothing seems to be done to bring these figures down and regulate the whole thing! Staff should be properly charged and put the proper disciplinary procedures. I have no doubt that proper procedures are in place to prevent such misappropriation - the question has to be, why are they not being monitored?

Who is accountable?
Who is responsible?

Until those two questions are asked and answered - the 'misappropriation' will continue!

Where has all the money gone?
August 15 2007 at 06:54AM
By Wendy Jasson Da Costa

Public servants at the bottom of the salary scale were largely to blame for the more than R45-million misappropriated from government coffers in the last financial year, the Public Service Commission (PSC) says.

According to a report released by the PSC in Pretoria on Tuesday, theft and fraud accounted for 67,4 percent of the 771 cases of financial misconduct reported. PSC chairperson Stan Sangweni said the largest number of financial misconduct cases had been among salary levels 1 to 8. "This level of employee is often entrusted with duties that entail the handling of state money and the procurement of goods," Sangweni said.


"(The) trend is in line with statistics provided for the previous financial years." Overall, 319 cases of financial misconduct were reported at national level and 452 at provincial level, the PSC said. The Public Finance Management Act defines financial misconduct as entailing any material loss through criminal conduct, or unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

DThe PSC's director-general, Odette Ramsingh, said financial misconduct that occurred at salary levels 1 to 8 mainly entailed the misuse of petrol cards and using state vehicles without the proper authority. The department of justice had reported the highest number of finalised cases, 86, the department of defence 74, and the South African Police Service 63, the report said.

Of the provinces, the Eastern Cape had the highest number of finalised cases, 173, most of them, 127, from its department of education. The Free State showed the largest financial management improvement. The number of reported cases was 29 in 2005/06, compared with 52 finalised in 2004/05. The department of land affairs had the biggest loss, R20-million, which had been set aside for land acquisitions. None of this was recovered.

A fairly senior employee - level 14 - was charged with misconduct and a criminal case launched, although the employee had left the department. The National Treasury lost R154,84, arising from the unauthorised use of a government vehicle. The employee, a level 6, repaid this money, was reprimanded and given a verbal warning, the report said. The employee also faces charges for the unauthorised use of the vehicle.

The PSC said other categories of misconduct included corruption, fraud, theft, irregular expenditure, gross negligence and misappropriation and abuse which involved the wrongful, improper or excessive use of public funds and assets. Ramsingh said the increase in the number of cases reported might be ascribed to more national and provincial departments submitting reports during the 2005/06 financial year.

The only one that did not submit a report was Gauteng's education department. Of the 34 national departments, 10 had submitted a nil report, which meant they had encountered no financial misconduct in the 2005/06 year. Those departments were the Public Service Commission, communications, Independent Complaints Directorate, the Presidency, provincial and local government, public enterprises, science and technology, safety and security, social development, and sport and recreation.

The PSC said on Tuesday, however, that while most departments had submitted the required details, the quality of the information was of concern and that most departments seemed "indifferent" to accurate reporting or lacked the capacity to pay proper attention to it. The PSC emphasised there was a need for internal controls and said in future it expected monthly reports of finalised financial misconduct cases and the recovery of debt. The PSC report is to be tabled in parliament.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Cape Times on August 15, 2007

MOTIVATION - SHARING LIFE

MOTIVATION – SHARING LIFE

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

Today’s quote comes from Erin Majors, who says:

“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

This is so true of so much in life. I am often astounded at how incredibly scared (or perhaps selfish is the right word) people are to share, especially in the business world. It’s almost as if, people are scared to give someone a helping hand because that may mean that they will lose out on the deal. How bizarre! To my mind, sharing something with someone, just makes my business just that much stronger – pretty much I guess, like the brighter light of two candles as apposed to just one. Yet many people look at me, with a really puzzled expression on their faces when I ask “How may I be of assistance to you?” Strange that don’t you think?

Then of course, you have those individuals who ‘help’ others, but only with some sort of hidden agenda, or a ‘what’s in it for me’! I must say, I really don’t get that one – because sooner or later, any deviousness will come out, and usually when you least expect it! Why does there always have to be some sort of ‘pay off’?

For me the Universe, is a really, really fun place. I have been helped along this pathway of life, many times by complete strangers. People, whose names I never even got to know and thankfully, I have been in a position to help some along the way – again often people whose names I never got to know and quite honestly it gave me a great sense of satisfaction. I was giving back you see – giving back to the Universe that has given so much to me.

Oh, don’t get me wrong – I’m not talking about people, who only have one purpose in life, and that is to get as much as they can out of somebody, whilst giving as little as they can in return! I’m not talking about the people who make a career out taking anything and everything that they can. I am not talking about the people who continually whine and moan about how badly life has treated them and how all they need is a little bit of help and then sit on their fat backsides and do nothing for themselves, whilst all around them people running around frenetically, doing everything for them!

I’m talking about empowering people to do for themselves, just like a candle – once lit – burns for itself. Sometimes people just need a helping hand to steer them in the right direction or a little advice or a word of encouragement.

So what kind of person are you? Do you give back to life or are you the person that just takes from it?
Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

UNROADWORTHY TRUCK SHOCKS TRAFFIC OFFICIALS

Here's Saturday's post.

What surprises me is that the traffic officials were surprised by the condition of the truck and that it had passed a roadworthiness inspection! Clearly they haven't been on the same roads as I have and seen some of the vehicles that I have seen! Some of the taxis are held together with rope and wire. It's quite unbelievable!

Unroadworthy truck shocks traffic officials
December 29 2006 at 11:40AM
By Thamsanqa Ngubane

Traffic officials are investigating how a truck with several defects that they impounded on Thursday had passed a roadworthy inspection two months ago. Road Traffic Inspectorate officials in Pinetown impounded the truck after spotting it during their daily inspections. "We were following the truck on the N3 when we noticed that there was something wrong," said Pinetown Provincial Inspector Brandon Thring. He said the truck was suspended and taken off the road immediately because there were cracks on the trailer's chassis, the tyres were worn and the brakes and other parts were also not functioning properly.

The truck, which was overloaded by two tons, was transporting meat products from Durban to a supermarket in Pinetown when it was stopped.

Officials were shocked when they discovered that the truck had passed a roadworthiness test in October. "It is strange to see that it had gone on a test two months ago if it is in this poor condition," said Thring. "If people continue taking chances (operating and driving unroadworthy vehicles) they must know that we are not on a holiday, we are on the road enforcing the law, and if they don't want to comply their vehicles will be taken off the road," he said.

AA Test & Drive Operations Director Greg Tourell said South Africa was lagging behind other countries in terms of vehicle testing and roadworthy approval. "Vehicle safety is not getting the attention it deserves. In South Africa roadworthy certificates are being handed out to total wrecks," he said.

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFOMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES - PART 4

Here's Friday's blog

ARTICLE 4

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

PART 4

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.


At the CCMA, it is now an arbitration hearing, and remember – all the evidence has to be presented by both Mike and George, all over again.

One of Mike’s witnesses (who in fact was George’s supervisor – lets call him Andrew) was very clear on the fact that George had in fact been trained and George was well aware of how to conduct the searches on staff. Andrew also stated that George had been posted to his particular position to conduct the searches and that is what George’s specific function was. Having said all of the above, Andrew did say that under normal circumstances – this function would have been carried out by someone who was more senior than George.

Although the function of searching staff, would normally be carried out by someone more senior than George, Andrew stated that the reason George had been posted to this particular position was because of the length of time he had worked in the security services division, which was the Security Division of all of Mike’s businesses. George, of course, had been with the company for about 14 years. This, meant that George had the most experience in the security arena of the company, and it was for this reason that George had been chosen for this post.

One of the senior Managers in the store (let’s call him Simon) stated that the reason that the video surveillance equipment had been installed at the exit was because of the large losses that the store was experiencing. Video surveillance had always been in the actual store itself and it had been ascertained that very little of the shrinkage was due to theft from the public. Therefore it was assumed that the staff were stealing, hence the need for the staff to be correctly searched. Simon stated that the company could be held responsible if searches were not conducted correctly as staff could bring about various charged, against the company.

It was noted at this point that the stores losses were around the R500 000 mark.

George, at this point, claimed that he had not received any training at all, in terms of the correct procedures on how to search the staff and that furthermore, he had objected to being posted to this particular position being the Staff Exit Section.

Next week we will continue with what the Commissioner at Arbitration had to say.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

TRAVELGATE: MORE MPs ADMIT GUILT

Fabulous - they have stolen from the tax payer, they have been caught and now have to pay fines. In both cases the fines are a great deal less than what was stolen - surely they should also be paying back the money that they have stolen? If they don't - where is the punishment, since they have each made money on the deal! Why are they still employed by parliament?

Actually, if the truth be told, other than being caught - what is the punishment? None that I can see. The lesson in this instance is that 'Crime does pay!"

Travelgate: More MPs admit guilt
Fatima Schroeder
December 06 2006 at 10:39AM

Two more Members of Parliament have pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and theft in connection with the multimillion parliamentary Travelgate scandal, bringing the number of accused left in the trial to 10.

The 10 remaining accused five MPs and five travel agents - represent a third of the number of suspects initially arrested. To date, the Scorpions have concluded plea-bargains with 30 current and former MPs and one travel agent, Shamiela Lamalia, who has agreed to testify on behalf of the State.

The matter was on Tuesday postponed to February 12, but lawyers indicated that a few more accused were considering cutting deals with the State. The trial may only start in June next year.


Tuesday, Jabu Sosibo and Elizabeth Ngaleka - both current ANC MPs - accepted plea-bargains from the State after lengthy negotiations.

Sosibo admitted to defrauding Parliament of R241 000, and was fined R100 000 or five years in prison, suspended for five years on condition that she was not found guilty of similar offences during the period of suspension.

Ngaleka was fined R20 000 or three years in prison, suspended for five years, after she pleaded guilty to theft of R37 000.

The State has allowed each of them to start paying their fines in instalments as of January. Sosibo will pay his fine in 40 instalments of R2 500 each. Ngaleka is to pay R2 500 a month for eight months. Judge President John Hlophe accepted the plea-bargains and convicted and sentenced them according to the agreements reached with the State. Their attorney, Selwyn Hockey read out the personal circumstances of Sosibo. This included that Sosibo, a grandmother of three, had a long history in South Africa's struggle for freedom and a lengthy involvement with the ANC.

She joined Parliament in 1994 and served on various portfolio committees. She was also active in the ANC Women's League. Ngaleka has been an MP since 1998 and was a member of the parliamentary committee on minerals and energy as well as agriculture and land affairs.

This article was originally published on page 3 of Pretoria News on December 06, 2006

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 58

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 58

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

Do you know what you stand for? Well . . . . . do you?

What is it that you represent? What do you stand for? When you walk away from a conversation – do you leave a part of yourself behind? What about an e-mail or an sms – when you send one, does it contain something that reflect who you are and what you represent?

When you enter a room – do people notice you? Well . . . do they?

I’m sure you’re wondering “what’s with all of the questions?” It’s about branding who you are.

You see, I’m ‘in love’! I can just see all of you who know me, fall laughing to the ground! Ok you can get up now!

Yes I am, I am in love! I am in love with what I do. I am crazily, passionately in love with what I do - and that shows.

It shows in my energy. It shows in every conversation that I have regarding work and even if it is a conversation that has nothing to do with work - it shows. It shows because I live to do what it is that I do!

How fabulous is that!

It shows in every e-mail that I send out. I shows every time I enter a room.

It just shows!

So, I ask again – do you know what you stand for?

Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

SCORPIONS TO STING BANK FRAUD RING

Good Morning Bloggers - here's yesterday's post

Remind me again, why the Scorpions were shut down? Ah yes . . . . . I remember, it's because they caught the bad guys!

Scorpions to sting bank fraud ring
Louis Oelofse

25 October 2006 at 15h14

The Scorpions are investigating an international online banking fraud ring and have already arrested a South African in the case, it was revealed.

Login details stolen
Advocate Gerhard Nel of the Scorpions said the unit was going after the "big guys" in foreign countries, after a 28-year-old man was arrested two weeks ago for allegedly stealing login details of South African online banking customers.


"We do not want to give to much information about the case at the moment because we want to see if we can go after the main people," Nel said.

The South African was arrested at his home in Cape Town after joint operation between the Scorpions, the Standard Bank and a UK-based security consultancy.

The man, who is out on R20 000 bail but under house arrest, has been linked to at least 120 incidents of online fraud affecting most of South Africa's major banks. Several international banking customers were also affected.

Impacts all major local banks
Standard Bank security head Herman Singh confirmed that the arrest is the first of its kind involving a substantial amount of money and impacting all major South African banks.

"The type of attacks and modus operandi are totally new this case is far more sophisticated and organised. It was generic to all secure sites and the impact is only starting to be fully understood in the banking sector," he said.

It is thought the man used the spyware on vulnerable computers in internet cafes to capture details including card numbers and customer-selected PINs and passwords.

The details were then transmitted via a remote internet access device to a file server in Estonia, and were then retrieved by the alleged fraudster, who use them to log onto internet banking sites and make numerous electronic fund transfers and prepaid airtime purchases.

Anonymity of Internet cafes
Most of the affected internet cafes are in Johannesburg's northern suburbs and Pretoria, with isolated cases reported in Cape Town.

The first incidents were reported in May, and the modus operandi was established after investigation by Standard Bank computer experts.

When Scorpions officials swooped on the suspect, they found a laptop computer, three mobile phones and about 20 SIM cards at his premises, as well as R20 000 in cash

"Once again, this attack shows the importance of banking customers keeping their details secure, and preferably avoiding Internet Cafes as a place to do their online banking," said Singh. - Sapa

MOTIVATION - INTEGRITY

MOTIVATION - INTEGRITY


By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC


The quote today comes from the great Confucius himself, who says:


“The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home.”


Pretty straight forward I would say – but what kind of integrity do we have in the home?
Therein lies the million dollar question!


My Concise Oxford Dictionary says that integrity is: “Wholeness, entirety, soundness, uprightness, honesty.”


Those are some ordinary words with huge meanings behind them and if we would have to live up to them or the perception of them – what would that mean in the grand scheme of things?
On a personal level, integrity means a whole bunch of things – like;


Being honest about things – honest with myself, first and foremost because I cannot possibly be honest with anyone else, if I am not honest with myself!


Standing up, and being counted for what I believe in, irrespective of what the consequences to that is. Things like - I will not tolerate cruelty to animals, to children or the elderly.


When making a commitment, sticking to the terms of that commitment or the spirit of that commitment. It’s about delivering on promises. The deliverables must be met.


Giving my word – that for me is good enough because my word is my bond!


Treating people the way that I would like to be treated. So many of us have double standards. We do things, but then when others do the same thing it suddenly becomes an issue.


Being respectful of people’s time. Being late for or not pitching for appointments for me is one of the most disrespectful things that I can do to someone, the minute I know that I am going to be late or cannot make the meeting, I phone and tell the person that I am supposed to be meeting. – by not doing this, I am telling the other person that my time is far more valuable than theirs.


Then of course there is acceptance – none of us like to be judged, especially by someone who doesn’t know you at all, and yet we judge people on a daily basis, based on our perception of what and who they are. Don’t do it. You don’t have the right! We all want people to accept us for who and what we are, so how about we afford them the same consideration and respect. Accept people for who they are.


So, think about it – carefully – what is your credibility like?


Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

DON'T BECOME A VICTIM OF PHISHING

I really don't believe it, but I am still hearing about individuals who are supplying their bank account details, discriminatly on the internet! What's with you? Haven't you heard yet - banks won't ask you for that information to be put on the internet. If you are convinced it is authentic and not a scam, please take the time and trouble to first phone your bank (don't take a number off the screen, rather look it up or dial 1023 for the number). check if it is a real message from the bank (which it probably won't be) and proceed from there.

There is no longer any kind of excuse for people to be caught with a phishing scam!

Don't become a victim of phishing
Andrew Parker

20 June 2006 at 10h39

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Last week I explained the basics of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer, or HTTPS, which is one of the fundamental technologies used to secure internet communications.

It is very important to realise, though, that such technologies merely secure the channel you are using. In other words, they secure a connection between two end-points. One of those end-points is, hopefully, a trusted vendor or site, the other is you. Are you the weakest link?

You may have heard of "phishing". Why it's spelt like that I have no idea, but the name is an apt one. Phishing e-mails are created to appear as if they have been sent to you by a trusted organisation, like a bank or insurance company.


Their purpose is usually to direct you to a phoney website, created to look like the home page of your bank, for instance. Once you're there, the site will try any number of tricks to get you to fill in information that could be used to access your bank accounts, or even to assume your identity. In other words, they're fishing for information.

Classic Phishing e-mails use lines such as: "there is a problem with your account", or "we are performing routine maintenance/an account upgrade/an identity check".

The alarm bells should start ringing when you see such messages. They should escalate to wailing sirens if you are told to enter any account details, PIN number, ID numbers or similar. Don't do it. The prevalence of phishing e-mails has meant that banks and the like will never request such information using e-mail, and you should never have to submit these details to your bank for any reason other than to access internet banking sites.

Ignorance
I know that for many readers the above is merely stating the obvious, yet I rant on because I've seen how believable some of these e-mails can be. It's now so easy to copy a company's logo and appearance by simply copying elements of their web page, which makes these phoney e-mails difficult to detect if you don't know what to look for. Don't become a victim through ignorance. Study the following web resources for more advice, and tell your friends about this problem:

www.microsoft.com/athome/security/email
www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.html
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/phishing
www.honeynet.org/papers/phishing

In South Africa, sadly, one is accustomed to seeing high walls, razor wire, electric fences and a rottweiler protecting a suburban home. Yet we're less enthusiastic about protecting our computers and data.

To stop a would-be hacker from gaining access to your computer, create a security perimeter around it using a firewall. Simply put, a firewall checks incoming data and says: "Yes, you're allowed in", or "Go away, I'm not that stupid". They're not to be confused with antivirus software. Better firewalls check outgoing data, too, just to be sure your PC hasn't succumbed to a nasty.

I've reviewed the excellent free firewall from Zone Labs in an earlier Switched On; e-mail online@intech.co.za for a copy of this column. You can download Zone Alarm from www.zonelabs.com - click "Zone Alarm" in the column to the left of the web page.

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFOMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES - PART 3

ARTICLE 4

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

PART 3

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

So here we are on the brink of an Appeal Hearing. George has decided that he has been unfairly dismissed and he has lodged a formal request for an appeal hearing, which of course is his right.

A senior staff member has been called in to chair the hearing (the chairman of the dismissal disciplinary cannot chair the appeal hearing), let’s call him Steve.

Steve had a look at all the material that had been presented at the disciplinary and he decided that because George had not been charged with dishonesty and because there had been no stock losses (although remember at this point that was purely supposition), that this information was irrelevant to the case as George had been charged for being negligent because he did not follow procedures – he had not been charged for dishonesty.

Steve did think that it was important though that because procedures had not been correctly followed, Mike could have suffered losses.

Steve diligently looked for an alternative decision to the one of dismissal, but could not find any solution that would be appropriate – therefore the decision of ‘dismissal’ was upheld, and the appeal was dismissed.

So that gives up the background to why this particular case was lodged at the CCMA.

For the record, an arbitration proceeding done as CCMA level is done as a ‘de novo’ hearing.

What this means is that it becomes a completely new case and/or hearing. It is not a re-hearing or a re-proceeding of the employer’s (Mike’s) disciplinary procedure. Nothing that happened at the George’s hearing or even the appeal hearing is taken into consideration – it’s as if it never happened. It is a completely new hearing, on a new page, with a clean slate.

Therefore only the evidence that is presented at the arbitration hearing is taken into consideration – not any of the evidence that was presented at George’s “company” hearing. This is very important to remember!

Next week we will continue with what happens.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

Some of you may be wondering why I have posted, this clearly political issue on my Business Blog. Well the answer is quite simple - there is a lesson to be learned here for the SMME. Firstly, all your staff need to be treated in the same manner - you cannot play favorites or it will cause dissention in the ranks!

Secondly, it's all about perception - trust takes a lifetime to build and it can be destroyed in a nano second by a hint of a rumour or the percetion of a slight! The relationships that you build with your clients take a long time. You could lose them all in the blink of an eye. Be careful what you do. Make sure that your actions are honerable. Be sure that you are sending out the right message to your clients.

'Some more equal than others before the law'
February 28 2007 at 05:03PM
By Susan Featherstone

On Friday 5th January a silver jaguar crashed into the wall of a Hurlingham property north of Johannesburg. The man behind the wheel was a Pretoria High Court judge and according to witnesses at the scene he was "drunk, argumentative, loud and swearing like a trooper". He allegedly resisted arrest and was put in a police car by five metro police officers.

The identity of the judge was withheld but the media was told he had been charged with drunken driving and malicious damage to property and was released on R1 000 bail after spending the night in the Parkview police cells.


No breathalyser test was done on the judge but a blood sample was taken. Police have continued to dodged questions on whether the blood samples have returned from the state laboratory. The judge denies that he was drunk at the time of the accident and said that he had been "drinking tea" that night.

On February 27th Judge Nkola Motata should have appeared in an open court to face the charges of drunken driving but was instead allowed to appear behind closed doors in the magistrate's chambers at the Hillbrow magistrate's court. Accusations of preferential treatment are circulating in the media since this unusual step was taken, so IOL asked its readers: Are prominent people accused of crime given special treatment?

Of the 805 people who voted on the IOL poll, 780 (97 percent) believe VIPs are treated differently, while 25 people (3 percent) believe they are not. A few comments from the poll:

DF:

Nah, that's just a perception... like the one that crime is out of control!

Craig:

Hilarious that this "esteemed judge" should not face the media in court. Would he ever grant a private hearing to an ordinary South African under similar circumstances? I think not. Kick him out for good, strip him of all power and then throw him into prison. With all his profanities, along with his high and mighty above the law attitude, we'll soon see how big his mouth is.

Mandrake:

Stupid question: is the sky blue? does fire burn? does money make the world go round? the more money you have, the more influence you have, the better lawyer you afford, the more influence he has over the processes of justice. Next question please.

Richard:

A big Yes. Cover ups, cover ups, and more cover ups... the country is full of examples, too many to mention here. Just goes to show how poor, ineffective, and inefficient our justice system is... with a corrupt government behind them, what do you expect.

Anonymous:

Like I said previously, the rich get away with everything. Money will always talk and the poor will have to pay. Yengeni, Waterkloof 4, Shaik, Zuma - money talks. They will pay for special treatment, etc. It is becoming a joke.

Godfather:

Is this question for real? There's no justice at all in South Africa! Prisoners in SA get weekends away to spend with family. What kind of justice is this? Other countries are laughing at us.

Lorenzo:

Look at our legal system and the Judiciary. It’s a mess. I'm surprised so many of our judges manage to remain sober. Hey this is South Africa, get with the programme, anything goes except the rule of law... and that includes our judges as well.

Soprano:

"Justice handled them equally"? Since when do prisoners go to private hospitals? Since when do prisoners spend less than 10 percent of their sentences, get to visit home on weekends and stuff? Since when do prisoners get backing from SACP & Cosatu having followers carrying cards with the face of the accuser - publicly displaying her identity? Don't even mention Thatcher, that was not a trial!... why didn't you count this "Drunken Maser" judge... can anyone prove he has really indeed appeared in court?

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 57

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 57

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

Do you focus enough on you? Strange question you may think, but here’s the thing.

It is always a good thing to focus on the other person at the right time, in fact it is critical to focus on the other person at the right time. Having said that, first of all you need to understand yourself. You need to understand who you are, what the difference is that you make. What it is that you do, how you do it and why other people need it. You need to understand that you credibility needs to be intact and that you can and do meet the deliverable requirements.

Nick Heap calls this Your Core Process, whilst Roger Hamilton calls this “Being in your flow”. Penny Power who is the founder of Ecademy (www.ecademy.com) calls this Emotional Understanding of your Self, your Emotional Wealth.

Whatever you call it, it needs to be done and established before you start networking, or enter into any kind of networking discussion with anyone – if you want to come across as a ‘real’ person or the genuine article.

So take some time out, sit down with yourself and have a ‘heart to heart’. Ask yourself the question – who are you? What difference do you make, and if you don’t know, ask yourself what difference is it that you would like to make? Be honest with yourself (and that does not mean that you have to beat yourself up). Set yourself some realistic goals and when you know which direction it is that you are going in – so will the people that you engage with, believe me!

The time that you invest in yourself, will always yield far greater returns than the time that you don’t.

Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

SCAM TARGETS TEACHERS' SALARIES

This should serve as a warning to all - check your bank accounts on a daily basis (if possible) and follow up and report all suspicious transactions.

Scam targets teachers' salaries
November 17 2006 at 12:15PM
By Irene Kuppan and Sharlene Packree

Police, a Johannesburg company and at least three banks, have launched an investigation after teachers across KwaZulu-Natal had money deducted from their bank accounts without their knowledge. KwaZulu-Natal Minister of Education Ina Cronje has warned teachers and officials to check their bank statements for unauthorised payments.

While it is unclear how many teachers have fallen prey to the scam, the Daily News was inundated with dozens of calls from teachers at various schools who said that most of the staff had been affected.

'We have no specific relation with the department of education'

According to those who called in, an amount of R7,51 was deducted from their bank accounts on October 3 and November 3. While teachers have said the amount deducted on its own may seem small, if the money was taken from the bank accounts of all of KZN's 74 000 teachers the amount could run into more than R1-million.

A letter being circulated at schools warning teachers of the scam said it appeared that all teachers paid by the department of education were being targeted.


The R7,51 was taken through a debit order by a Johannesburg-based company called BDB Holdings and a Mr D Theron is somehow involved. Paul Marcellin, spokesperson from BDB Holdings, said that the company had received numerous complaints and had launched a full investigation into the matter.

According to their Website, BDB provides human resource management applications, payroll packages and electronic funds transfer solutions. "We are a company that facilitates payments and we act on behalf of other companies. We have no specific relation with the department of education but were asked by a company called Central Bridge Trading to take the monies off the accounts," he said.

It is not clear how Central Bridge Trading obtained the personal details of the teachers. Marcellin said they had a joint meeting with the banks involved and they have launched an investigation. They have since terminated the contract with Central Bridge Trading.

Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Phindile Radebe said the Durban Fraud Unit had contacted BDB Holdings and were waiting for relevant information on how the details of the teachers had been obtained. "We have received many reports from teachers and are investigating the matter. We are hoping to make arrests soon," he said. It is not clear how many teachers have been targeted by the scam but it is believed to be thousands.

Spokesperson for Standard Bank, Ron Linstrom said they were informed about the scam a few days ago. Absa's Deon Oosthuizen said that Absa was aware of the scam and an investigation was under way. Cronje said the department had not effected the debit order and the payments had not been done through the department's payment system. She advised anyone affected to open a case at the nearest police station and then take the case number to the bank.

A Newlands West teacher, who did not want to be named, said the money was taken out of his account for the past two months. He said that as soon as he noticed the missing money, he contacted his bank and informed them of the "suspicious" debit. "This is a violation of our privacy as banking details are confidential."He said even though it cost more to recover the money, it was the principal of the matter and the scam should be investigated.Teacher and officials can contact the department's hotline at 080 020 4353 (office hours), or fax information to 033 342 0275, or email nomondemkznedu.kzntl.gov.za

This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on November 17, 2006

MOTIVATION – CONTROLLING FEAR


By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC


Today’s quote comes from Marilyn C Barrick, who says:


“For the most part, fear is nothing but an illusion. When you share it with someone else, it tends to disappear.”


How fabulous is that? I think it’s marvelous – the only problem of course is that we have to get over our own selves and our own egos and our own pride and our own lack of self esteem and of course our own . . . . . fear!

Fear of what other’s may think of us,
Fear of how others may see us
Fear of how we may see ourselves
Fear!

Crazy stuff that – fear, and ironically enough something that every single person on the planet experiences at one time or another, and actually therefore nothing really to be ashamed of at all.

Owners of small businesses all over the country seem to think that they are always alone with their fears. Strange thing that, how we feel that everything that happens to us is uniquely ours!

Come on people, we are actually all in this together, surely it makes perfectly good sense to get together and unite, as a group to face the challenges that presents itself to us all as individuals. Surely it is better to ‘brainstorm’ our way through these issues rather than try to stand up in the face of perceived adversity, all by ourselves. Surely it is better to find solutions for all of us than to try and be all of everything to ourselves?

I am often told about individuals who are ‘lonely’ in business by themselves and yet that is exactly how they mean to stay – by themselves because of the ‘fear’ mostly, I guess, fear of opening themselves up to anyone, of showing how weak and/or vulnerable they are. Yet in the words of my friend and mentor Vanessa Paige – ‘Your greatest strength lies within your vulnerability’, lay my biggest ‘ah ha’ moment! Took me quite a while to get that one, but I did – eventually and I am a far stronger person for it.

Now you see, I share everything about my life with people. My fears, my challenges and my triumphs - especially my triumphs. I am not alone in my business and I don’t have to do it alone either.

Are you alone? Are you afraid and alone?

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

MBEKI TAKLES CRIME CRISIS

Mbeki tackles crime crisis
February 09 2007 at 11:59AM
By Angela QuintalPresident Thabo Mbeki has given the nation what many have been crying for, an acknowledgement that crime is a problem and it is affecting the very fabric of South African society.He acknowledged that the fight against it needed to be stepped up and provided concrete examples of how the war against crime would be stepped up several gears.“Certainly we cannot erase that which is ugly and repulsive and claim the happiness that comes with freedom if communities live in fear, closeted behind walls and barbed wire, ever anxious in their houses, on the streets and on our roads, unable freely to enjoy our public spaces,” he said in his state of the nation address.”
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'Bring the department of home affairs to full capacity'While strides had been made and some targets surpassed, including employing 152 000 police officers, “we recognise the fact that the impact of this is not high enough for everybody to feel a better sense of safety and security”.Mbeki acknowledged that the incidence of most contact crime had been reduced, but that the annual reduction rate in categories such as robbery, assault and murder, was still below the 7 to 10 percent that had been targeted.The abuse of women and children continued at an unacceptable level, he said.He noted that last year’s security workers’ strike had brought home to all South Africans that the industry could not be handled simply as a private affair or the private sector.The regulatory system was inadequate and would be reviewed this year, Mbeki announced.“In addition to improving the work of the police, we can - together with the private security industry - create an environment in which the security expectations of the public, in which huge resources are expended, are actually met”.Mbeki’s ninth and last state of the nation address was delivered at a time of heightened debate about crime and his perceived indifference to how it affects all South Africans.The president called for “an enduring partnership in actual practice within our communities and between the communities and the police, to make life more and more difficult for the criminals”.Mbeki said he was heartened by the resolve shown by business and religious leaders to strengthen such partnerships on the ground, and to give of their time and resources to strengthen the fight against crime. “Government will play its part to ensure that these partnerships actually work, and that we all act together to discharge the responsibility to protect our citizens.”Mbeki said the Ministry of Safety and Security and the Police Service were working on proposals to further improve the functioning and effectiveness of Community Police Forums Mbeki told MPs, that in addition to many ongoing programmes that had been implement government would this year;
continue to improve the remuneration and working conditions of the police, increasing the total number of police officers to more than 180 000 within three years, and ensure the optimal use of the electronic monitoring and evaluation system that has just been introduced;
bring the forensic laboratories which had been equipped with the latest technology, to full capacity, and ensure the optimum use of the finger-print database;
bring the department of home affairs to full capacity, by filling vacant posts, improving systems and implementing other recommendations of the Task Team that has been working with the Minister to improve the work of this vital institution;
implement the recommendations of the Khampepe Commission on the mandate and operations of the Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions);
modernise the South African Revenue Services’ systems, especially in respect of border control, and improve the work of the inter-departmental co-ordinating structures in this regard;
intensify intelligence work on organised crime, building on the successes that have been achieved in the last few months in dealing with cash-in-transit heists, drug trafficking and poaching of game and abalone;
use new technology provided to the justice system to improve management of the courts and the prosecution service to massively reduce case backlogs;
transform the judiciary and improve its functioning, “in consultation with this eminent institution of our democracy”;
build more corrections facilities;
boost intelligence agencies’ capacity, while ensuring that they operate within the Constitution and laws at all times; and
improve analysis of crime trends to improve crime prevention and crime combating.”In this regard, we must respond to the cold reality that, as in other countries, the overwhelming majority of violent crimes against the person occur in the most socio-economically deprived areas of our country and require strong and sustained community interventions focused on crime prevention.” Meanwhile, the findings of a Markinor survey released on the eve of the state of the nation address, found that 73 percent of South Africans were happy with Mbeki’s performance and 82 percent agreed that he could be trusted to do what was best for the country.The poll was conducted, however, in December, before the high profile murders that have added to the recent debate, as well concerns from business and the recent FNB anti-crime campaign that fuelled the controversy.The survey conducted in December among 3 500 respondents, showed Mbeki lost support when it came to his performance rating - down by six percent from the 79 percent he received in May last year - but that he was still rated higher than during his first term as president.Markinor director Mari Harris said Mbeki’s personal rating was far higher than the performance ratings for national, provincial and local government.

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFOMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES - PART 2

ARTICLE 4

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

PART 2

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

So here we are again with Mike and George and the disciplinary is now taking place. You will remember that George has failed in his duty as the Security guard, to either search the employees as they were leaving and/or to search them in the correct manner. George has also allowed employees to sign the register evidencing that they have been properly search when they haven’t and all of this has been captured on video.

At no time during the disciplinary did George challenge any of what Mike had found. In other words he did not deny that he had not searched some of the employees, he did not deny that he had not searched some of the employees in the procedures as laid down or even that he had allowed staff to sign the register indicating that they had been searched, when in fact they hadn’t. George did not deny anything.

What George did say however, is that he had not been trained properly – in fact he stated that he was upset at the lack of training that he had received by Mike at this store. He further stated that the search “procedures” which he had not received any training for at this store, were completely different to the search “procedures” that he had been trained in at a previous store that Mike owned.

The Chairman presiding over the disciplinary, after weighing up all the evidence and taking into account the fact that George had been with the Company for 15 years, found George guilty of misconduct in that he had failed in his duty to properly carry out the required search procedures. George’s misconduct had created a potential loss or theft situation and had therefore put the company at risk. The Chairman also took into account that ‘as far as was known’ no theft and/or loss had taken place during this particular shift.

The Chairman further found that despite all of the mitigating circumstances (being the long service and that no losses appeared to have taken place during this particular shift), that the relationship of trust and confidence had been broken down irrevocably. This was shown and highlighted by the video footage that had been provided proving that the employee had failed in his duty and that as a result of this the employment relationship could no longer continue.

George was dismissed.

In accordance with Mike’s internal appeal procedure and in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, George lodged a formal appeal.



Now of course, an appeal hearing had to take place.

Next week we will continue with what happens.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

THE POWER OF NETWORKING - PART 56

THE POWER OF NETWORKING

PART 56

By Nikki Viljoen of N Viljoen Consulting CC

I don’t know about you, but I have, of late, had to take a step back, from the world and do a bit of re-examining. Not always the most pleasant thing in the world to do – but certainly something that must be done from time to time if you want to get rid of the ‘dead wood’ in your life and make sure that you are on the right path going in the right direction.

“Dead wood” is pretty much what I want to talk about today – and it is the ‘energy’ sapping, frustrating, pulling out of hair in frustration type of ‘dead wood’ in particular that I want to discuss.

We all have them in our lives – the Radiators and the Drains. There are some people on the planet that you are just drawn to, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing (unless you yourself are a Drain!). They give out the type of energy, or aura, or whatever, else you would like to call it, that makes you feel good. Those people are a pleasure to have around – they are fun to engage with or have any kind of interaction with as they usually give very freely of themselves and you come away from them with a smile on your face and a song in your heart and usually with a benefit or two, whether it is something that you have learnt or a joke that you have shared. It’s that warm fuzzy feeling, that tells you that all is good with the world today and you actually can’t wait to see them again – to engage in a mutually satisfying conversation or even debate. These, clearly are the Radiators and it is always a good thing to have a few of them in your circle of influence, and hopefully you are also a Radiator and therefore a good thing in the circle of influence yourself.

Then, of course, you have the Drains – these are the people who I (not so) affectionately call human vampires! They suck and draw out all your energy and then off they go on their merry way to their next un-suspecting victim and you are left behind in an exhausted heap. Not much fun at all.

The dilemma arises when some of your client’s and/or the people that you network with, are Drains. The rest you can walk away from or see as seldom as you can – but with clients and people who you meet at networking events, this is not always that easy to do.

A lot of it has to do with the energy that you yourself give out. It could be that if you are ‘down’ or not in a good space yourself – the negative energy that you are giving out is simply attracting the wrong people and it means that they will, in all probability bring you down even further.

It is critical for you to attract the right kind of people, when you are networking. You yourself need to be happy, passionate about what you do and interesting to those around you and those that you meet at networking events. You need to be ‘on fire’ for life, for your business, for the things that you hold dear to you. Most importantly you need to protect yourself from the Drains, so mixing and/or attracting other Radiators is always a good thing – safety in numbers I think! All that positive energy driving the negative away!

Drains you see, feed of off people to get their energy. Radiators get their energy from inside of themselves (well at least I do) and that is obviously is like gold, a very sort after commodity.

Well, I’m off to get rid of some of the ‘dead wood’ drains in my life and I know that this will also let in some more Radiators, can never have enough Radiators!

So, who are you? Where do you get your energy? Are you a Drain or a Radiator?

Nikki Viljoen is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist and she can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

ESCAPING THE 9 TO 5 HUMDRUM

As with many things in life - for me it is about finding your passion and having fun. Work, should never feel like work, it should be something that you can't wait to get to and once there you don't want to leave!

Escaping the 9 to 5 humdrum

(May 08 2007 at 08:59AM)


If you're feeling bored or uninspired and are experiencing ongoing dissatisfaction with your job, then you're probably in a rut and will need to do something about it, says business coach Jasbindar Singh. "It's quite normal for us human beings to feel this from time to time," says Singh. "It's just a very normal natural human thing that we get into a rut in some sphere of our lives."

He says many of us suffer from a syndrome called "domination by routine" whereby we lack a challenge, adventure, excitement and inspiration. It can really be a problem if it drags on for a long time and begins to affect our mood. You can start heading down a spiral of anger or depression. In extreme situations people can start to turn to everything from food to drugs to alleviate the symptoms, says Singh.

'Domination by routine'

And the most important thing to do in this situation is the one thing which might seem the hardest - take action. "When you're in a rut one of the key things is to actually take that first step. It doesn't have to be massive. It's not like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It's just about getting into your gym gear and going for that walk."

Singh says it's important that you stop running on autopilot and listen to your intuition and feelings."When you're in a rut, you're not really doing yourself or anyone around you a favour."Singh says people let things drag out when they're in a rut for three main reasons:

They have a fear of the future.
They believe there is too much effort required for change.

We all have a certain amount of complacency when we're in our comfort zone. But just talking with someone about where your career is at can help you gain clarity, objectivity and insigh . "I think it's really helpful to go and talk to somebody like a career counsellor or an executive coach. Just talk to somebody. Sometimes it's almost irrelevant whether it's a career coach or a really good, trusted friend," says Singh.

Finding yourself in a rut may be perfectly normal and natural, but staying in one is a path to misery. Singh says some people stay that way for years. "A rut is a horrible place to be permanently. I think it's really important that we're constantly re-inventing ourselves and renewing ourselves, however you do it. If you don't then life is pretty shut down and miserable." Being in a rut is an indication that you need a renewal of your mindset and experiences. It shows we need to make a change to regain that energy and spark. Discovering something you really enjoy is the perfect ticket out." What we know is that if people are doing things they have a passion for, then they're more likely to be successful at it. If they're doing things that they enjoy, then they're more likely to not be in a rut or not to get into a rut again."

But unfortunately many people pull themselves out of one rut only to fall right back into another a short time later.Alexandra Beck, head of People Partners at New Zealand's The People Group, says this is most likely because the person may have made only cosmetic changes."If a person finds themselves in a rut, they probably need to make more than a few minor changes to their current situation. Without this, there is a higher chance of a temporary lift from a slight modification but then soon after the novelty of the new change has worn off, they will end up back where they started - feeling dissatisfied and demotivated."

Beck says it's important to take a step back and look at your situation. Talk with an objective third party and find out what the real issues are."It might be a work rut, but it could also be a life rut. It could be where we live or the relationship we're in. A number of things could come into play," says Beck.With a work rut, Beck says you need to ask a few questions in order to dig your way out.

What is it that you're trying to achieve?

What are your interests and values?

What activities do you enjoy at work and outside of work?

What are the current skills you've got and how transferable are they?

How can that be applied in the area you want to move into?

The answers to these questions may not be easy. They might reveal that your current career will never bring you long-term satisfaction. Real work might be involved and serious changes might need to be made to pull you out of your rut. Beck says too many people just stop there. "Unfortunately this ends up in the 'too hard basket', and they end up taking an easier option and changing jobs within the same field, rather than going through the hard work sometimes necessary to change vocation." The lack of follow-through is one reason why some people can stay in a rut for years." I've seen people reach the conclusion that they do need to change something in their lives, but when it actually comes to the doing, they lack the motivation, confidence or belief in themselves that it will make a difference and things will get better," says Beck.

But since your work life is even shorter than your actual life, it pays to get it right. "Seize the opportunity. Don't delay and put it off. Go and get some advice whether it's investing in a coach or seeing someone else you trust."

It may be time to invest in some more education. But Beck says you had better do your homework first. A three-year tertiary qualification is expensive, especially if you take yourself out of the labour market to complete it. You're then missing valuable real-world experience. "Someone may already have a significant amount of transferable work experience and would be better placed doing a more vocationally oriented short course." But some higher education remains the minimum criteria for many jobs."A tertiary qualification is the entry level for a lot of jobs - regardless of whether you need it or not," says Beck.

Whatever changes you want to make with your career, it pays to be decisive once you know where you're headed. "When you're more clear about where you want to go, you can take a more structured approach. It also comes across in an interview situation that you're motivated and sure about what you want," says Beck. When making a change it also pays to take into account any financial considerations or other factors that might limit particular career choices. If you're tied to a large mortgage, then stepping too far down the salary ladder might not make sense. But that doesn't mean significant career changes can't be made later in life."People who have already had two or three different careers and then make the move to their 'dream' job later on in life are often even more fulfilled by their change of direction than a younger person making a similar move." - New Zealand Herald

This article was originally published on page 33 of The Star on April 25, 2007

MOTIVATION - LISTEN

MOTIVATION - LISTEN

By Nikki Viljoen of Viljoen Consulting CC

The quote today comes from Shel Silverstein, who says:
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child.
Listen to the don'ts.
Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me...
Anything can happen, child.
Anything can be.”

There have been an inordinate number of people, of late, who have been demanding that we listen to them. A huge number of these have been the doomsday orators whose predictions of the future of this country do not bode well for us. This has resulted in, sometimes quite prolific debates, which have resulted in bruised egos and battered self esteem.

Oh, please don’t get me wrong – I believe that intelligent debate is a good thing. Apart from hearing, listening (and those are two entirely different things believe it or not) and understanding a situation from a completely different view point, a good debate also ‘stretches’ the mind, and quite honestly I’m all for that. What I am having difficulty in understanding, is why some people are ‘hell bent’ on declaring South Africa, hopeless.

I find it disconcerting, and frankly a little insulting to have to listen, on a continual basis, about how this country is ‘going down the tubes’. Quite honestly, if they spent as much time doing things to improve their lot as they do bemoaning the fact that they don’t have one or because of apartheid, they still haven’t found one, I have no doubt we would be a lot further along the road to recovery than we currently appear to be.

I am astounded by the amount of energy that they are willing to use in order to beat their breasts and cry ‘woe is me’ and list all of the bad things that are happening around us, and yet they are unwilling to spend a fraction of that energy in looking for something good that has happened!

So here is the deal. I am no longer prepared to listen to these people, I am no longer prepared to waste my time and/or energy trying to change their minds and show them the good around us. I am, in fact, no longer prepared to have anything to do with these people – I know that that sounds a bit harsh, but that is exactly how I feel.

Instead of wasting time and energy on them, I will be using my time and energy to find the good, to change what’s wrong in my own life, to make a difference in the lives of others.
If we all just had one positive thought, if we all just made one positive statement and if we all just shared one positive thing with each other on a daily basis, I have no doubt that this country would be a fabulous beacon of shining light.

So what are you going to spend your energy on today?

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za.

BANKING SCAMS

Good morning bloggers. I have posted some of the banking scams that are currently plaguing the world (not just South Africa, it's all over).

Please read through this carefully, it explains in detail, how the different scams work and also gives great tips on how to prevent falling into the trap.

Security Notice

Phishing

SIM Swap

Confirmation of payments or deposits Scam warning

Keystroke logging

1. Phishing

TopPhishing is a scam designed to obtain information in order to gain access to your banking accounts. The scam artist entices you to disclose confidential personal data such as bank and credit card account numbers and passwords / PINs, by convincing you that they are genuinely communicating directly from the Bank. The communiqué requests you change your passwords / PINs under the advice that you may have been compromised.

The required password may be provided to you by the perpetrators and when you change your details, you grant them access to your accounts. There has been an increase of such Phishing schemes through both email and internet channels. They employ spam email where the addresses seem genuine, as the sender address creates the impression that it was sent from your financial institution. In addition, you may be surfing a site, where a pop-up may prompt you to follow the links to your banking site. These prompts could be under the guise of a competition where you should click here to enter, which takes you to the phishing sites.

Please note that we as a bank will never send you an email requesting you to enter your personal details or private identification and authentication details such as Client Identity number (Profile), PIN and/or Password. If you are in any doubt about the source of an email claiming to come from us or of the validity of our website, call our helpdesk.

What does a phishing scam look like?

Generally, you receive an email message or view a pop-up window that includes bank logos and other key information taken directly from our genuine websites and communications. Deceptive emails usually include attachments or hyperlinks. The main identifier is the request to amend or update your details electronically.

How do phishing scam artists get my email address and know where I bank?

Typically, they don't. The perpetrators mass mail emails to random addresses or popular domains (hotmail.com, gmail.com) and hope that they hit on a real address.

What should I do if I receive such email?

Delete any such suspicious mails immediately. What to do if you have clicked on the link? First ensure that you close down the website you have clicked on from the Phishing email. Logon to the secure internet banking website and change your details immediately (PIN and Password) or contact the internet banking helpdesk for further assistance.

Fraud preventative tips
We recommend you monitor your accounts regularly for unusual activity and report any suspicious activity by calling our helpdesk.

Always keep your PIN and Password a secret

Refrain from using public facilities to do your secure banking, like hotels, internet cafes and the like as those terminals may not be secure.

Always type in the address of the internet banking website, (never access your Internet Banking facility through a bookmark or saved page).

Our SMS authorisation facility will further protect you in the event that someone gains access to your profile. As a unique SMS reference number is required for certain functions, the more risky transactions cannot be effected on your account without your knowledge and authorisation. If you have not already done so, we encourage you to activate the SMS facility at any branch.

Keep your operating system and browser patches up to date, since this includes important security enhancements.

We encourage you to install and maintain up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware.

2. SIM Swap

TopSMS authorisation offers you additional security when making once-off payments and/or adding beneficiaries to your profile. How does SMS authorisation work? Once the SMS facility has been activated on your profile, a unique eight-digit alpha-numeric reference number will be sent to your cellphone whenever you make once-off payments and/or add beneficiaries. You will need to enter the reference number in the input field on screen to be able to proceed with the transaction.

The SIM Swap Scam

Criminals are now fraudulently initiating SIM card swaps which allow them to intercept the SMS authorisation facility

How this works?

The SIM swap takes place after the fraudsters have received the client's logon details as a result of the client acting on, for example, Phishing emails. Once the fraudsters have the client's cellphone number and other personal information, the fraudster can pose as the client, requesting a new SIM card from a cellular service provider. The cellular service provider transfers the client's SIM card identity to the new SIM card, cancelling the client's SIM card in the process. The result is no signal on the old SIM card, which means the client cannot receive or make phone calls or send SMS messages. The SMS authorisation reference number, which is normally sent to the client, reaches the fraudster instead of the legitimate owner, and the fraudster is able to make once-off payments and create beneficiaries fraudulently.

What you as the client should do:
If you fall prey to an unlawful SIM swap or suspect that you have, contact your cellular service provider for assistance.

You should also contact the internet banking helpdesk to request that your internet banking access be suspended with immediate effect, to prevent fraudsters from gaining access and transacting on your accounts.

3. Confirmation of payments or deposits - Scam warningTop

There is a high incidence of deposit and refund scams and you may be at risk of becoming a victim. The basis of the refund and the deposit scams is the same. A fraudulent cheque is deposited and misrepresented as either cash or an electronic funds transfer (EFT). Once the deposit is effected, the perpetrators will create / amend a document that will show that the funds credited are cleared. They may amend the cheque deposit slip to reflect as cash, or generate a fraudulent Internet Payment confirmation. Please note that the fraudulent deposit may show as available but it could include uncleared effects.

The scam then splits, with two possible goals:

Deposit Scam

The perpetrators approach you with a payment for goods / services. The deal is concluded and the deposit is made. You may or may not check you account to determine if the funds have been credited. In some cases, you may rely on the fraudulent document confirming the deposit and release the goods or complete the required service. The initial deposit was actually a cheque deposit, masquerading as cleared funds. This amount is returned and your account is debited.

Refund Scam

In this scenario, there may be a pre-existing deal in place, or there could just be a sudden deposit into your account, wherein you have no knowledge of the payment. A falsified payment confirmation or deposit slip is sent to you as proof, requesting a refund. There are three scenarios:

An unexpected credit reflects on your account.

The perpetrators contact you, claiming a mistake on their part, where the funds were deposited into the incorrect account.

They request a refund via EFT to a nominated account. In support of their claim, you receive either an Internet payment confirmation or a cash deposit slip.

The claim of incorrect payment is sometimes supported by a fax, purporting to be from a well-known company or institution (Telkom, SARS etc.).

You may be convinced the funds are cleared and duly return the full amount to the nominated account.

A couple of days later, the initial fraudulent cheque deposit is returned and your account is debited. As you have refunded the amount via EFT, the funds are immediately cleared and the fraudsters withdraw the amount in cash and disappear.

2. A deal with new clients is concluded and a certain amount is expected in your account.
You receive an Internet Payment confirmation or a cash deposit to confirm the deposit of cleared funds.

However, the perpetrators make a deposit, which exceeds the expected amount (the new amount appears to be the result of finger trouble - an extra zero, or a double digit).

Contact is made either from your side or theirs, but they claim ignorance and confirm the mistake on their part with an urgent request to have the funds returned.

You may see the deposit reflecting (perhaps as movements due or with a suitable narrative) and duly refund the difference on the basis of the amended deposit slip / Internet Payment confirmation.

The cheque deposit is again unpaid a couple of days later and you carry the loss.

3. The fraudsters intercept a company's debtor invoices being sent out.

A cheque deposit is then made in excess of what the debtor owes to the targeted company.

The fraudster then contacts the company (telephonically and / or sometimes by fax) and tells them that they have made an electronic transfer in excess of the invoice received.
Similar to the previous scenarios described above, a document will be provided to mask the deposit as a cash deposit or an electronic transfer.

Preventative measures

We urge you to contact your home branch to confirm the nature of the deposit.

Do not merely accept the fact that a deposit shows on the account and always insist on verification that the movements on your account represent a cash deposit or an Internet transfer.

Delay the refund until such time as you can obtain confirmation.

4. Keystroke logging

TopKeystroke logging (key logging) is the use of computer software (spyware) or a device to record the keystrokes on a PC. This information is sent to/ retrieved by the fraudster, who is then able to analyse and possibly identify pertinent information (account access details, PINs, passwords), which will enable them to log on to internet banking as a legitimate client.

We therefore recommend that you do not perform any internet banking transactions in a public area where you suspect your personal details could be compromised. How are key loggers installed and what can they look like? The software can be installed on the physical machine or the user can be encouraged to run an email attachment that, when executed, will install the key logger. Other methods used are viruses and worms. A hardware key logger is a unit that is installed with the keyboard or it is a cable, hence it can look similar to common computer equipment.

Tips to assist you in preventing keylogging:

Do not do your banking on a public or unfamiliar computer.

Ensure effective access control to your PC.

Be alert to computer hardware changes.

Ensure that the computer has the latest version of anti-virus and anti-spy software installed.

Do not open attachments (embedded or otherwise) from unknown sources.

If you need to do your banking urgently and do not have access to a secure computer, our Cellphone or Telephone Banking services may be used.

If you are unable to avoid using a public computer to do your banking, it is advisable to change your PIN and password as soon as you have access to secure computer facilities.

Please remember to logoff and close your browser after banking online.

Please note:
The bank will never send you an email requesting you to enter personal details or private identification and authentication details such as Profile, PIN and/or Password.

If you receive an SMS reference number and you are not transacting, immediately change your PIN and Password and contact the internet banking helpdesk for further assistance.

Contact your branch to confirm the nature of a deposit, if you are unsure of any documentation provided.

Do not do your banking on a public or unfamiliar computer.

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFOMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

ARTICLE 4

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

PART 1

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

According to the law, the charge of negligence is a dismissible offence!

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s examine what can and often does happen.

Let’s go back to our protagonists – Mike (the employer) and George (the employee) and see what they are up to this week.

Mike owns a retail type store that sells anything and everything and George is the security guard. Once of George’s main functions is to physically search employees as they leave the premises, to ensure that half the store stock doesn’t leave with them.

Mike is a pretty thorough type of a guy and he has all of his procedures and controls in place. One of the procedures is that it is incumbent upon the Security guard to search each and every employee that leaves the premises, without exception. The procedures have all been circulated and all the staff have signed off indicating that they have familiarized themselves with the procedures. Furthermore, Mike has gone through the procedures with George to ensure that he understands exactly what it is that he must do. George has been with the company for 14 years now and it is therefore highly unlikely that he has not had the benefit of training for the position. George is equipped with a metal detector that must be used when conducting a search to ensure that metal objects have not been fraudulently removed from the store.

In view of the value of some of the higher priced goods in the store, Mike has had a whole surveillance application installed and he is able to video all the staff as they leave and therefore he is able to monitor George to ensure that the search is in fact carried out on all the staff and also to ensure that the correct search procedures are utilized.

In accordance with laid down procedures, George has signed the procedure manual, in particular the procedures that pertain to the searching of staff members as they leave the premises, thereby acknowledging that they had been read and explained to him and that he understood what it was that had to be done.

The employees are individually searched in a private cubicle, with close personal inspection, plus a metal detector scan.

Mike noticed that the turnover in the store was steadily declining and that the losses were creeping upwards all the time. He investigated and attempted to[ resolve the situation by increasing his preventative measures. One of the areas that he looked closely at was the staff exit procedures .

What he discovered was not good news. He found that out of 24 employees that left, George had only conducted a properly compliant search on 1 of these. There were eight instances where the staff members were not searched at all. That meant that there were 15 staff members who were not properly searched. Not only were the staff not searched and/or not correctly searched, the video also showed that George allowed the staff to sign the register thereby confirming that they had been search, when of course they hadn’t!

Clearly a disciplinary had to take place.

Next week we will continue with what happens.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFOMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

ARTICLE 4

WHAT TO DO WHEN . . . . STAFF ARE NEGLIGENT IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES

PART 1

By Nikki Viljoen – N Viljoen Consulting CC - March 2008.

According to the law, the charge of negligence is a dismissible offence!

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s examine what can and often does happen.

Let’s go back to our protagonists – Mike (the employer) and George (the employee) and see what they are up to this week.

Mike owns a retail type store that sells anything and everything and George is the security guard. Once of George’s main functions is to physically search employees as they leave the premises, to ensure that half the store stock doesn’t leave with them.

Mike is a pretty thorough type of a guy and he has all of his procedures and controls in place. One of the procedures is that it is incumbent upon the Security guard to search each and every employee that leaves the premises, without exception. The procedures have all been circulated and all the staff have signed off indicating that they have familiarized themselves with the procedures. Furthermore, Mike has gone through the procedures with George to ensure that he understands exactly what it is that he must do. George has been with the company for 14 years now and it is therefore highly unlikely that he has not had the benefit of training for the position. George is equipped with a metal detector that must be used when conducting a search to ensure that metal objects have not been fraudulently removed from the store.

In view of the value of some of the higher priced goods in the store, Mike has had a whole surveillance application installed and he is able to video all the staff as they leave and therefore he is able to monitor George to ensure that the search is in fact carried out on all the staff and also to ensure that the correct search procedures are utilized.

In accordance with laid down procedures, George has signed the procedure manual, in particular the procedures that pertain to the searching of staff members as they leave the premises, thereby acknowledging that they had been read and explained to him and that he understood what it was that had to be done.

The employees are individually searched in a private cubicle, with close personal inspection, plus a metal detector scan.

Mike noticed that the turnover in the store was steadily declining and that the losses were creeping upwards all the time. He investigated and attempted to[ resolve the situation by increasing his preventative measures. One of the areas that he looked closely at was the staff exit procedures .

What he discovered was not good news. He found that out of 24 employees that left, George had only conducted a properly compliant search on 1 of these. There were eight instances where the staff members were not searched at all. That meant that there were 15 staff members who were not properly searched. Not only were the staff not searched and/or not correctly searched, the video also showed that George allowed the staff to sign the register thereby confirming that they had been search, when of course they hadn’t!

Clearly a disciplinary had to take place.

Next week we will continue with what happens.

Nikki is an Internal Auditor and Business Administration Specialist who can be contacted on 083 702 8849 or nikki@viljoenconsulting.co.za

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU HEAR THE TERM "ESTATE PLANNING"?

This was written by Dr Hannes Dreyer.

Not being a Financial Planner, I cannot give you any kind of financial advice. What I can do however, is to suggest that you get yourself off to an accredited Financial Planner, and just like you plan your business, your personal life and rest - make sure you plan for your death!

What do you think of when you hear the term "estate planning"?

Do you think ...

"Not relevant to me! I'm not old / dying / rich!"?

Estate planning is a bit like a trust - in that ordinary people do not think it applies to them. It sounds like something for financial planners and wealthy people and perhaps people on their deathbeds.

In fact, this may be what 99% of people think. And that is why 99% of people are not, and never will be, wealthy. Estate planning is about planning NOW, not only to protect your family when you're gone, and not only to minimize the very high death duty which estate duty is, in reality ...

... but also to minimize your tax burden whilst you are alive.

Estate duty is a high tax, and there are people who say it is an unfair tax, because it waits till you are gone before acting, taking advantage of the fact that you are not there to defend your wealth or your heirs! But without getting into a discussion of the fairness (or otherwise) of this tax, let's go on to find out how you can do all you can NOW to protect your wealth and your family when you are gone.

Because that's what Wealth Creators do - they take the initiative, they plan, they reduce their risks, they protect themselves and their wealth into the future. And by doing this, they actually create their wealth in the first place!

Death is not a nice thought but being prepared to plan for it is what separates Wealth Creators from the masses of people who will never be wealthy.
Take it from me - you'll get more out of life when you plan for death!
Dr Hannes Dreyer
Wealth Creators Mentor
October 29, 2007