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TECHNOLOGY

PayMaya introduces ‘PayMaya Verified Sellers’ to make online shopping safer

December 7, 2021 9:02 p.m.

To further boost the growth of e-commerce in the Philippines and protect customers from online scams, PayMaya introduced PayMaya Verified Sellers, a feature that makes transactions safer for both buyers and sellers using the PayMaya app.   

With this another first from PayMaya, legitimate and trustworthy sellers using the PayMaya wallet as the preferred mode of payment can get a special badge that marks them as PayMaya Verified Sellers.    

To get this special badge, PayMaya Verified Sellers will undergo another layer of screening to ensure that they are legitimate online businesses and are on good standing, on top of the standard registration and upgrade process for PayMaya app users. For sellers, this badge from PayMaya is a stamp of approval – a way to let consumers know that they are legitimate and trustworthy businesses that have passed the financial institution’s rigorous background check.  

Once verified, the badge will appear beside the seller’s name that customers can easily spot right before they transfer their payments in-app.   

PayMaya sees that this feature will boost consumer trust for online transactions and will serve as an added security against online scammers, a pain point currently experienced by sellers and buyers alike.   

“Filipinos are naturally enterprising – we have seen accelerated growth in the number of online sellers who are utilizing our PayMaya consumer app amid the pandemic. Online sellers need all the support they can, and we are very excited to provide them with embedded features such as the first verified sellers mark for an e-wallet app,” said Shailesh Baidwan, PayMaya President.  

“With PayMaya Verified Sellers, we aim to grow the number of online sellers and buyers as we promote trust within this ecosystem,” he added.  

Real-time transactions from the top-rated e-wallet  

On top of providing an added layer of protection for customers with the PayMaya Verified Sellers feature, PayMaya is also doubling down on enhancing its overall app experience to equip small business owners.    

By utilizing PayMaya as the payment method, sellers can track their transaction history in real-time – allowing them to instantly check the payments transferred to their account and not fall prey to bogus buyers sending fake transaction receipt screenshots.    

With PayMaya’s 99.9% uptime rate, online sellers and buyers can be confident that transactions will go through, especially when they need it most. This high uptime rate and enhanced features have translated to a more reliable and smooth customer experience, making PayMaya the top-rated e-wallet in the Philippines for both Google Play and App Store.      

Flexible, inclusive payment methods   

On top of boosting sellers’ credibility, PayMaya also provides the broadest payment acceptance options. Sellers can use their PayMaya QR codes, easy-to-use personal payment links, and money transfers via Smart Padala by PayMaya.    

Sellers utilizing PayMaya can seamlessly accept fund transfers from other PayMaya users and account holders of other financial institutions via their PayMaya QR, enabled by QR PH. To date, PayMaya is one of the few financial institutions that offer QR Ph person-to-person sending and acceptance as default features.    

Online sellers can also take advantage of the app’s Request Money feature as a payment link- allowing PayMaya upgraded users to generate a Request Money QR code that integrates the amount their buyer needs to pay for faster and more convenient transactions.    

They can also accept money transfers for personal payments from even those without a bank account via Smart Padala by PayMaya agents.   

Useful features to boost business   

PayMaya Verified Sellers get to enjoy additional benefits to help boost their business. To start, they can be featured on PayMaya’s official social media pages and in-app Maya Mall to reach millions of PayMaya users and potential customers.    

When they’re ready to expand their business, PayMaya is prepared to support them as they can increase their monthly limit up to P1,000,000 – allowing them to grow their business even further. PayMaya Verified Sellers can also enjoy exclusive discounts on bills, groceries, deliveries, and waived bank transfers by simply using their PayMaya app for their everyday transactions.    

Signing up to be a PayMaya Verified Seller is fast and easy—business owners simply need to fill out the online form at https://www.paymaya.com/survey/verified-seller.  Sellers can be verified within five business days.   

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines, with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, communities, and government. It provides more than 41 million Filipinos access to financial services through its consumer platforms. Customers can conveniently pay, add money, cash out or remit through its over 380,000 digital touchpoints nationwide.    

Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 60,000 partner agent touchpoints serves as last-mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved access to digital services. Through its enterprise business, it is the largest digital payments processor for key industries in the country, including “every day” merchants such as the largest retail, food, gas, and eCommerce merchants, as well as government agencies and units.    To know more about PayMaya’s products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information on Smart Padala, visit https://smartpadala.ph/

TECHNOLOGY

SEA 2023: Cybercriminals clog business networks with financial phishing

6:36 p.m. March 18, 2024

In 2023, Kaspersky anti-phishing technologies detected nearly 500,000 attempts to follow a phishing link on businesses’ devices in Southeast Asia (SEA). Interestingly, this number only refers to phishing links related to finance matters – e-commerce, banking, and payment systems.

Phishing persuades users to take action which gives a scammer access to your device, accounts, or personal information. By pretending to be a person or organization the users trust, they can more easily infect the victim with malware or steal their information.

These social engineering schemes “bait” with trust to get valuable information. This could be anything from a social media login, to your entire identity via your social security number. These schemes may urge the user to open an attachment, follow a link, fill out a form, or reply with personal information.

“Financial phishing” is a type of phishing which refers to fraudulent resources related to banking, payment systems and digital shops. Payment system phishing includes pages impersonating well-known payment brands.

From January to December last year, Kaspersky solutions detected and blocked a total of 455,708 financial phishing attempts targeting companies of various sizes in the region. The statistics reflect clicks on phishing links placed in various communication channels, including emails, fraudulent web sites, messengers, social media, etc. 

“Phishing is a trusted technique for cybercriminals when it comes to infiltrating business networks because they usually work. The rise of generative AI helps cybercriminals to make phishing messages or scam resources more convincing. As a result, it becomes challenging for people to distinguish between a scam and a legitimate communication. That’s why the role of robust security solutions increases,” comments Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky. 

The Philippines logged the highest number of financial phishing at 163,279 attempts in 2023, followed by Malaysia with 124,105. Indonesia chalked up 97,465 incidents while Vietnam experienced 36,130 phishing attacks related to financial matters. Thailand and Singapore registered the least number of this threat at 25,227 and 9,502 respectively.

“Cybercriminals employ various tactics, including financial-related phishing, to deceive employees and trick them into falling victim to an attack Our recent study showed employee security violations can be as damaging as external hacking for companies in Asia Pacific which means the human factor continues to play a role in making businesses vulnerable. Tools to help safeguard against human error are a vital step forward, but they can’t exclude employee education, skills development, and overall strengthening of the company’s ability to detect and respond to cyberattacks,” adds Yeo.

To help companies protect their systems against the damages of a successful phishing attack, Kaspersky experts recommend:

  • To advance decision-makers’ understanding of the importance of cybersecurity and how best to distribute budgets to stay ahead of threats, engage them with Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation for enhanced C-level professional education.
  • Consider experts’ help. For example, Kaspersky Assessments family of professional services identifies security gaps in your system’s configuration, and the Security Architecture Design helps create an IT security infrastructure that’s a perfect fit for a particular company. Every step of implementation is grounded in real security needs, giving decision-makers convincing arguments to allocate budgets.
  • Install and use enterprise security solutions with anti-phishing software: The Advanced Anomaly Control feature within Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business Advanced, Kaspersky Total Security for Business and Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Optimum help prevent potentially dangerous activities that are ‘out of the norm’, both undertaken by the user and initiated by the attacker who has already seized control of the system.  
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TECHNOLOGY

Revolutionizing social networking: Rili, groundbreaking AI-powered platform

6:11 p.m. March 9, 2024

Rili.ai officially launches its AI-powered app to redefine how individuals connect, interact, create, and communicate in the digital age. Thanks to voice cloning and lip-syncing, anyone can create their own digital twin (Rili) and interact with anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

Users can cultivate their digital twin, training it with content in over 100 languages to break down communication barriers and foster worldwide friendships. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, gain insights and information from other individuals, or delve deeper into meaningful conversations with other users, Rili.ai is the app to do so effortlessly.

To train Rili, users can share knowledge and information through chat (written messages or voice audios) or by speaking into a microphone. Moreover, it is possible to integrate the digital print of anyone into Rili profiles with their existing accounts on platforms such as Twitch, X, and YouTube. Leveraging this integration, Rili.ai gathers personalized information from users’ public profiles on these platforms, ensuring a tailored experience based on their interests and preferences.

Features for Enhanced Social Engagement

The app offers various features designed to enhance users’ digital interactions. The explore feature allows users to effortlessly search for their favorite Rili users and discover others who share similar interests and preferences, fostering meaningful connections in a virtual community. With profile customization, users can tailor their Rili to reflect their unique personality and interests. The chat functionality allows users to initiate conversations with other “Rilis” and review their past chats, promoting seamless interaction and boosting engagement. Other features include creating favorite Rili lists, scoring conversations, adding likes to conversations or phrases, and sharing messages with anyone through different channels.

Through Rili, users have the unique ability to deeply connect with others, gaining valuable insights and understanding into their perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Rili.ai facilitates meaningful connections that transcend geographical boundaries and time constraints. With its advanced capabilities, Rili.ai offers an app for preserving digital heritage, allowing users to capture and preserve their memories, stories, and experiences for future generations.

“Rili is the new generation of social media platforms. Powered by AI and using the most relevant state-of-the-art technologies, its development will be a turning point for the history of communication. The creation of digital twins will give the opportunity to the society to expand their knowledge, connections and share of voice beyond boundaries”, highlighted Antonio Camacho, Rili Co-founder. “Rili’s mission is to fight against isolation, allowing people to connect with others you would not be able to reach”.  

Join Rili’s white list

The Rili alpha version is already live for anyone interested in joining the community. You can sign up for the white list and will be notified once you have access to create your own Rili. The app is available for iOS and Android.

Revolutionizing Social Networking: Introducing Rili, the Groundbreaking AI-Powered Platform for Sharing and Expanding Your Legacy

Rili.ai officially launches its AI-powered app to redefine how individuals connect, interact, create, and communicate in the digital age. Thanks to voice cloning and lip-syncing, anyone can create their own digital twin (Rili) and interact with anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

Users can cultivate their digital twin, training it with content in over 100 languages to break down communication barriers and foster worldwide friendships. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, gain insights and information from other individuals, or delve deeper into meaningful conversations with other users, Rili.ai is the app to do so effortlessly.

To train Rili, users can share knowledge and information through chat (written messages or voice audios) or by speaking into a microphone. Moreover, it is possible to integrate the digital print of anyone into Rili profiles with their existing accounts on platforms such as Twitch, X, and YouTube. Leveraging this integration, Rili.ai gathers personalized information from users’ public profiles on these platforms, ensuring a tailored experience based on their interests and preferences.

Features for Enhanced Social Engagement

The app offers various features designed to enhance users’ digital interactions. The explore feature allows users to effortlessly search for their favorite Rili users and discover others who share similar interests and preferences, fostering meaningful connections in a virtual community. With profile customization, users can tailor their Rili to reflect their unique personality and interests. The chat functionality allows users to initiate conversations with other “Rilis” and review their past chats, promoting seamless interaction and boosting engagement. Other features include creating favorite Rili lists, scoring conversations, adding likes to conversations or phrases, and sharing messages with anyone through different channels.

Through Rili, users have the unique ability to deeply connect with others, gaining valuable insights and understanding into their perspectives, experiences, and expertise. Rili.ai facilitates meaningful connections that transcend geographical boundaries and time constraints. With its advanced capabilities, Rili.ai offers an app for preserving digital heritage, allowing users to capture and preserve their memories, stories, and experiences for future generations.

“Rili is the new generation of social media platforms. Powered by AI and using the most relevant state-of-the-art technologies, its development will be a turning point for the history of communication. The creation of digital twins will give the opportunity to the society to expand their knowledge, connections and share of voice beyond boundaries”, highlighted Antonio Camacho, Rili Co-founder. “Rili’s mission is to fight against isolation, allowing people to connect with others you would not be able to reach”.  

Join Rili’s white list

The Rili alpha version is already live for anyone interested in joining the community. You can sign up for the white list and will be notified once you have access to create your own Rili. The app is available for iOS and Android.

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TECHNOLOGY

The lightest smartphone with massive 6000mAh battery HONOR X7b coming to PH on March 9

4:34 p.m. March 7, 2024

HONOR Philippines never stops! After the successful launches of HONOR X9b 5G, HONOR Magic V2, and HONOR X8b, the leading global smart devices provider is expected to launch the HONOR X7b in the Philippines on March 9!  

“We, at HONOR, believe that technology is very inclusive, there is technology that caters to even the most unique requirement there is. We had HONOR X9b 5G that is ultra tough that can withstand harsh drops. HONOR X8b was recently introduced with a massive storage and great camera quality for those who value design and photography. Now, we are welcoming a new addition to our X Series, the HONOR X7b,” said HONOR Philippines Vice President Stephen Cheng. 

Welcoming the HONOR X7b 

HONOR X7b is the latest addition to HONOR’s X Series line-up, offering consumers a reliable, well-rounded device available to consumers at an affordable price. Delivering upgrades in hardware performance, battery performance, and photography capabilities, the new device promises an exceptional, uninterrupted user experience. 

Equipped with a 6,000mAh ultra-large battery, the HONOR X7b delivers the best battery life among all HONOR X Series smartphones to date. It can support various activities for up to 3 days  on a single charge, making it a reliable companion for users on the go. Thanks to HONOR’s innovative battery technologies, the HONOR X7b is the thinnest and lightest smartphone with a 6000mAh battery. The device’s battery maintains over 80% of its health even after three years of usage, ensuring exceptional longevity and reducing the need for constant recharging. 

The HONOR X7b boasts a 108MP Main Camera  with a 1/1.67-inch sensor. To enable the camera to capture bright and vivid shots even in challenging low-light conditions, the HONOR X7b supports 9-in-1 pixel binning, achieving a pixel  size measuring 1.92µm that ensures night colors are faithfully reproduced in images. 

For more information and announcements, you may visit HONOR’s website www.hihonor.com or social media platforms: Facebook (Facebook.com/HonorPhilippines), Instagram (Instagram.com/honorph/) and TikTok Shop: (Tiktok.com/@honorphilippines). To check out HONOR’s complete list of retail stores, go to https://www.hihonor.com/ph/retailers/

In the meantime, check out HONOR’s wide array of mobile phones, tablets, and laptops at any HONOR Experience and Partner Stores nationwide or online via Shopee (https://bit.ly/HONORPHShopee), Lazada (https://bit.ly/HONORPHLaz) and TikTok Shop (https://bit.ly/HONORTikTokShop)

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