Hello.
Japan’s new year has been struck by tragedy, with a 7.5-magnitude earthquake leaving at least 80 dead, and a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane colliding with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Much attention has been centred on the “miracle escape” of all 379 passengers and crew from the burning JAL plane. That no one on the JAL flight died or was severely injured is remarkable. It is also an important reminder why passengers should always pay full attention to cabin safety briefings, says CNA’s Alison Jenner.
Have you redeemed your Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers for 2024 yet? Scammers have jumped in on the rush, spreading phishing links that steal the personal information of victims trying to redeem the vouchers.
Malicious links aren’t the only threat when it comes to scams these days, and it’s getting harder to know who to trust. In fact, receiving a verification phone call from a banking office is jarring in an age of scams.
While it is convenient for banks to authenticate customers over the phone, consumers have limited means of verifying the legitimacy of who they are dealing with, says Steve Kerrison of James Cook University, Singapore.
We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week.
Erin Low
Deputy Editor, Commentary
