Cybercriminals Play the Grinch this Festive Season, Reveals McAfee’s Christmas Scams Survey

News Highlights -

* 28.6% of Indians have lost between INR 15,000 to 20,000 as a result of fake online retail sites
* 78.6% experienced seasonal travel scams through unsolicited and malicious links
* 53.6% Indians fell victim to deceiving apps by clicking on links that directed them to sketchy websites
* Other scams that Indians fell victim to during the holiday season hustle include email (25.3%) and text phishing (21.1%)
* 43% of Indians are very concerned about being scammed through fake charities

Are you looking forward to the Christmas break? You are not alone, as cybercriminals are equally thrilled about the holiday season. With online Christmas shopping on the rise, McAfee today revealed that 56.1% Indians have fallen victim to discount scams, by clicking on links that took them to a sketchy website. Its recent survey, ‘A Christmas Carol: Scam Edition’, highlights how the year end festivities present a variety of threats, with more than half (53.6%) Indians falling victim to scams resulting from deceiving apps. While cybercriminal activity continues to grow in sophistication, popular scams like email phishing (25.3%) and text phishing (21.1%) still result in close to a quarter of Indians being duped throughout the season.

As the tech savvy generation of online shoppers continue to surge, 35.4% of Indians confess to have been conned by discount scams, where a malicious file was downloaded onto their device. Throughout the festivities, 60.2% have fallen victim to robocalling, and 57.1% through sim jacking. Considering that family vacations and travel is high on the agenda for many Indians, the survey revealed a whopping 78.6% of Indians have been impacted by seasonal travel scams.

A new trend that hit unsavvy consumers hard this festive season was through phony gift cards. A total 39.3% Indians were directed to a site, were they were asked to input personal information such as name, telephone number or credit card information, with 40% losing between INR 10,000 to 15,000. Leveraging the emotional aspects of philanthropy and generosity, 60.7% were victims of fake charities, with scammers impersonating genuine trusts to ask for donations.

Millennials need not fear missing out on the party, as the survey revealed a staggering number (52.6%) between the age of 18 to 24 years, faced the brunt of romance scams, and 60% in the same age group agree to being scammed by e-greetings.

Venkat Krishnapur, Vice-President of Engineering and Managing Director, McAfee India commented – “Consumers choose to beat the holiday rush by purchasing and booking online, but, as transactions surge, so do the cyber-attacks. With the sheer volume of people shopping online, they tend to get careless, carried away with discounts, and open themselves to phishing attacks, frauds, malicious websites, and viruses that aim to steal money and personal information.

As threat actors continue to enhance their techniques and explore new creative means of theft, it is crucial that users are mindful of potential risks and undertake necessary measures to protect themselves this holiday season”.

Like the 12 days of Christmas, below are the 12 Scams of 2019 -

The following list outlines the 12 scams Indians have fallen victim to in 2019 and the percentage of Indians who have experienced them:

Email phishing: 25.3%
Deceiving apps: 24.3%
Discount scams: 24%
Streaming or downloading films/TV: 23.7%
Streaming or downloading music: 23%
Phony online stores:22.2%
Deceptive online games: 21.9%
Text phishing: 21.1%
Fake charities: 20.4%
Fake gift cards: 20.3%
Shipping notifications scams: 20.2%
Sim jacking: 20%


Tips to stay safe this holiday season:

Never reuse passwords. With just one hack, cybercriminals can get their hands-on thousands of passwords, which they can then use to try to access multiple accounts.
Stop and pause. Instead of clicking on a link in an email, it is always best to check directly with the source to verify an offer or shipment.
Browse with security protection. Use comprehensive security protection, like McAfee Total Protection, which can help protect devices against malware, phishing attacks and other threats. It includes McAfee WebAdvisor, which can help identify malicious websites.
Use a tool to help protect your personal information. A solution like McAfee Identity Theft Protection takes a proactive approach to help protect identities with personal and financial monitoring and recovery tools to help keep identities personal and secure

Jaguar Land, Rover's 3D-Printed Paw Ensures New Cars are Top Dog

Highlights

● Jaguar Land Rover has 3D-printed a dog paw for use in durability tests
● Yogi the Labrador was the canine supervisor for the unique project
● ‘RoboYogi’ tests ensure paint can withstand scratches from dog claws
● Results show New Land Rover Defender bumper can last more than a decade in the great outdoors

Jaguar Land Rover has developed a unique 3D-printed dog paw to help engineers assess the durability of future cars – with a little help from Yogi the Labrador and the new Land Rover Defender.

The ‘RoboYogi’ paw was used to test the rear bumper’s ability to withstand a dog’s claws scraping the paint before and after dog walks, with results showing it can withstand more than a decade of use by dogs – highlighting how Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles are designed to meet the demands of owners’ lifestyles.

Yogi the Labrador, a resident at the National Guide Dog Breeding Centre, was tasked with jumping in and out of the new Land Rover Defender boot, with every step recorded by pressure mapping technology. The data allowed the team to benchmark this real-world outdoor scenario against ‘RoboYogi’; from how a mid-sized dog clambers in and out, to the pressure applied by the claws and the pads on its feet.

Nine-year-old Yogi’s paw was then used to model and 3D-print a spring-loaded replica, allowing the claws to follow contours and apply pressure evenly across the bumper. Spring-loaded claws also proved a cost-effective solution as they are easily replaceable.

The life-like paw is now used by Jaguar Land Rover to complete a standard 5 000 cycle abrasion test; during which ‘RoboYogi’ scratches the panel at random ten times followed by a linear scratch to one side, before repeating the process.

The new Land Rover Defender proved to be the ideal testbed because of its iconic side-hinged door featuring a flat rear bumper for dogs to climb onto, compared to the more traditional split tailgate or rounded boot opening on other Land Rover models.

The new method was developed collaboratively across Jaguar Land Rover by experts in Materials Engineering team, working with the Additive Manufacturing and Robotic Engineering teams.

Julie Nicholls, Senior Engineer in Materials Engineering at Jaguar Land Rover, explains: “Our performance testing covers plenty of scenarios that our cosmetic parts are exposed to, but sometimes we have to think outside the laboratory to come up with bespoke solutions. Creating globally renowned vehicles means applying a quality mindset at every stage of a product’s lifecycle to ensure we meet the needs of our customers’ lifestyles. In this case we were able to achieve it by getting a dog, printing a paw and using a robot.”

Prioritising the comfort and safety of our furry friends is a well-trodden path for Land Rover, which offers a range of Pet Packs on the Discovery, including a full height luggage partition, a loadspace rubber mat, and loadspace liner tray.

Suzanne Boggan, Dog Care and Welfare Supervisor from the National Guide Dog Breeding Centre, said: “Whether you are the proud owner of a pet dog or – as is the case with our dogs – they play an even more vital working role, we recognise the importance of working with responsible manufacturers like Jaguar Land Rover to ensure vehicles are fit to carry animals safely. We were delighted Yogi could lend a paw to the engineers – we hope it will help more design teams make future models easier for our canine companions to get in and out of.”

The Jaguar Land Rover Additive Manufacturing Centre produces more than 80 000 parts a year for a variety of applications, including functional prototyping, design mock-ups and manufacturing assembly aids and fixtures. Jaguar Land Rover is also able to 3D print parts for production cars with the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 – the most extreme performance Jaguar ever – one of the first to use them.

Over 50% Job Seekers Consider Enhancing Knowledge & Skills as a Top Priority: SCIKEY Report

Over 50% of the job seekers in India consider "Enhancing knowledge and skills" as one of their top professional aspirations in life, but almost half (50.72%) of these professionals have low learning agility.

IT Sector depends on the ability of the talent to unlearn and relearn quickly to remain relevant to their clients. With 25% of the IT workforce being profiled with low learning agility is likely to create a severe job vs skill mismatch that will make it very challenging for the Indian IT sector that needs talent with high learning agility fueled by ever-growing new technologies.

The data also reveals that only 2.62% of job seekers appear to have high learning agility, and almost all (91%) making efforts to improve their skills further. With such a small percentage (2.62%) of highly agile learners as compared with low learning agility (25%), not only will the private sector need to come up with creative & effective ways of quickly upskilling or re-skilling their currently employed talent, but also the policymakers will have to look at new education methods to bridge the gap and reverse this trend.

SCIKEY research also reveals that 11.10% of job seekers are absolute instruction takers and totally depend upon being spoon-fed, making them highly inefficient & irrelevant in the age of digital transformation and automation, especially in the IT sector.

The findings also indicate that only 1.71% professionals are profiled with excellent management skills, and only 1.10% of professionals exhibit high leadership skills required to excel in this era. Analysis also finds only 0.6% of professionals who can be groomed for a CXO role.

These are the findings of the survey on 'Mindset state of IT Professionals in India on Career Growth & Aspirations' conducted by SCIKEY, a talent lifecycle management venture. The report is based on insights from 10,117 respondents. These mainly include IT professionals between the age group of 22 to 47 from states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana and West Bengal. The SCIKEY Research Report has been derived from the SCIKEY MindMatch Algorithm. This algorithm can map a professional's mindset that is based on a set of questions that understand the individual's emotional quotient, ego filters, aspirations and belief levels, habits and the ecosystem disturbances that cause distractions & stress in a professional’s life. This data is further filtered to derive professional behavioural elements of any individual and is termed as "Mindset Map".

Mr. Alok Kumar, Director, SRKay Group said, "Indian IT that was the darling of the 1990s, is it ready for 2020 and beyond? SCIKEY analysis shows percentage of leaders, innovators and quick learners are in short supply that will challenge India IT growth story while a large number of existing IT professionals will struggle to cope up with fast-changing demand for skills that new age job would require."

Tata Motors and Yes Bank to Empower Customers with Digital Retail Finance Solutions

Tata Motors, the market leader in the Commercial Vehicles industry, has taken their relationship with YES Bank to the next level by developing “digital synergies” for offering financial products to its valued customers. They will jointly introduce digital retail finance solutions for the entire range of cargo and passenger carriers, facilitating easy purchase and ensuring superior operating economics for the end customers.

Tata Motors’ industry first technology enabled platform, E-Guru app, helps understand the customers’ business needs in order to recommend the befitting product as per their requirements. Through this partnership, both the companies will work towards evaluating the financial needs and packages which include product structuring, down payment and various other schemes. YES Bank will further leverage the E-Guru app allowing it to deliver superior customer experience with quick approvals across all touch points. The MoU also enables customers to avail attractive financial schemes with minimal formalities.

On the occasion of the MOU signing, Mr. Rajesh Kaul, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Commercial Vehicles Business Unit – Tata Motors said, “This is a welcome partnership between two agile and tech savvy organizations who use technology as an enabler to add value and leverage our common strengths to meet the ever changing needs of our customers. We are confident of increased reach, and help us serve our customers in an efficient and delightful manner.”

Mr. Nipun Jain, Group President – National Head Commercial Retail Assets & MIB, YES Bank said, “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with Tata Motors and are delighted to offer their commercial vehicle dealers and customers enhanced convenience through technology. The API based integration has been designed to facilitate real time document processing for credit assessment, enable customers to get an instant in-principle approval and allow real-time tracking of credit status among other benefits, further aiding Tata Motor’s market penetration. This integration is among the industry first in this segment and is a testament of YES BANK’s commitment to provide best-in-class technology banking solutions to our clients and helping them achieve their objectives.”

Tata Motors offers end-to-end smart transport solutions starting from sub 1 ton, going up to above 55T vehicles in cargo and construct range. The Company also offers the passenger transport range in the country and has the widest sales and service distribution network of over 3700 touchpoints. 

SEMrush New Report Highlights the Nuances of Content Marketing Landscape in Indian Market

SEMrush, the leading online visibility management platform unveiled report on the ‘State of Content Marketing’ during the biggest SEMRUSH Marketing Show in India. The report reveals trends that are shaping the content marketing landscape. The story was created after analysing more than 450,000 tweets, 700,000 blog posts, and responses by more than 1,200 marketers to a survey. It was compiled after analysing data gathered between January and September 2019.

Twitter Analysis
The SEMrush study found the top 20 hashtags to appear with #ContentMarketing. The most popular #ContentMarketing tweets: #digitalmarketing, #marketing, #seo, #socialmedia, and #smm appeared 71%, 52%, 36%, 35%, and 27% of the time, respectively. The top 5 topics discussed in tweets with #ContentMarketing were strategy, social media, SEO, statistics, and AI. Of these topics, strategy was discussed 29% of the time; far ahead of social media at 11%. The visual content accompanying tweets consisted of images 50% of the time. Links accompanied tweets 72% of the time.

Authors of the most retweeted posts containing #ContentMarketing were ranked based on the number of likes, retweets, and performance of tweets published by them. The most famous author was Mike Schiemer.

Google Analysis
The top 5 Google searches related to content marketing were: "content marketing strategy", "content marketing institute", "content marketing agency", "content marketing examples", and "content marketing definition". Each was searched an average of 6600, 5400, 3600, 3600, and 2900 times, respectively every month. The top 5 questions posed on Google about content marketing were: “what is content marketing?”, “what is content strategy”, “why is content marketing important”, “why content marketing”, and “what is content marketing strategy”.

The SEMrush report highlights the importance of strategy to content. It also highlights that SEO and content go hand-in-hand and social media is the preferred channel for distributing content. It also highlights that visuals draw engagement.

The report captured the most expensive keywords bids in the content marketing industry. At $37.4, the keyword "email marketing content writing" was the costliest. Organisations are willing to pay a lot for a single lead as a single click on a paid result can cost more than $37.

Blogs Analysis
Traffic to blogs in the three most expensive industries for digital marketers: Insurance, online education, and marketing arrived 63.69%, 61.65%, and 69.03% of the time, respectively, following an organic search. The top-performing articles on insurance, online education, and marketing had word lengths of 3791, 3674, and 5714, respectively.

SEMrush’s analysis shows that organic search remains the most effective way to draw traffic to industry blogs.

Content Analysis
SEMrush’s analysis of content showed articles having word lengths exceeding 3,000 attracted three times more traffic, two times more shares, and 3.5 times more backlinks than articles of average length. Short essays are 4.5 times less likely to be shared than long articles. The most shared items are listicles, followed by guides, and how-to articles. The report showed that articles with long headlines (14+ words) get more traffic, are twice as likely to be shared, and five times more likely to have backlinks than articles with shorter headlines (7-10 words). A possible reason is that long headlines are cleverer, which attracts audiences.

Structured content attracts more traffic. Articles that have h2 and h3 perform better. The study shows 36% of articles with h2 and h3 are high performing with respect to traffic, shares, and backlinks. The study also showed less than 15% of articles having word length exceeding 3,000 are not shared.

Content & Industry
SEMrush found that 91% of companies surveyed had a content marketing strategy. 77% of companies surveyed had a content marketing strategist. 43% of companies believed their content marketing strategy was good. And the two most effective content marketing tactics were search engine optimisation, and repurposing and updating existing content.

The key metric by which companies measured the success of their content was how much organic traffic it generated, followed by many leads it created. The biggest priority of companies in 2020 was generating more leads using content.

Companies overwhelmingly realise the importance of content. They prize high-quality content that drives organic traffic to sites. The SEMrush report shows the deeper nuances of content by highlighting what kind of articles add the highest value. This knowledge will allow companies to create content that drives traffic organically to their sites and generate more leads.  

Defy the Night with vivo V17 - Capture #ClearAsReal Low-Light Shots

Highlights

* Features Super Night mode in both front and rear camera
* Packs a 32MP Front and 48MP AI Quad Rear Camera with Ultra Stable video mode
* Equipped with iView Display (a combination of punch-hole and latest E3 Super AMOLED screen)
* Available for pre-orders across offline and online channels starting today

vivo, the global innovative smartphone brand today announced the launch of the all new vivo V17, as the newest member of its existing V-series portfolio. The device sports a powerful quad-camera setup that promises to give images that are #ClearAsReal. The V17 also features cutting-edge 32MP front camera carved in the new iView display with E3 Super AMOLED screen. The device packs 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM and will be available in two colour variants – Midnight Ocean and Glacier Ice. Priced at INR 22,990 the device will go on sale starting December 17, 2019 on vivo India E-store, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm mall, Tatacliq & Bajaj Finserv EMI Store and across all partner retail stores.

Consumers will get an array of attractive offers* on the purchase of vivo V17 including:

Offline

* 5% Cashback with HDFC Bank Credit Card regular transactions and Credit Card/Debit Card EMI & HDFC CD loans till 31st Dec'19
* 5% Cashback with ICICI Band Credit Card/Debit Card EMI transactions till 31st Dec'19
* 5% Cashback with Axis Bank Credit Card/Debit Card EMI transactions till 31st Dec'19
* 5% Cashback with IDFC First Bank & HDBFS paper finance on down payment schemes till 31st Dec'19.
* Attractive EMI schemes from finance partners - Bajaj, IDFC First Bank, HDB, Home Credit
* Jio additional data benefit of INR 12,000

Online

* 5% Cashback on prepaid offers
* No Cost EMI up to 12 Months
* Jio benefits worth INR 12,000

*terms and conditions apply

With a commitment to the ‘Make in India’ program, the V17 has been manufactured at vivo’s Greater Noida facility.

Commenting on the launch of V17, Mr. Nipun Marya, Director Brand Strategy, vivo India said, “V17 is the latest addition to our flagship V-series which has been phenomenal for vivo’s success in the Indian market. Centered on innovation and customer-first philosophy, vivo’s V-series has introduced quite a few industry-first features and we continue to bring the best for our customers at best price points.”

AI Super Night Mode: Capture the Night

The Super Night Mode in the V17 helps the user capture mesmerizing shots even in the dark. The V17 rear camera packs features such as noise reduction which makes the image more explicit and spectacular. The Super Night feature brings stunning low-light shots in both rear and front camera, supported by frame-merging technology, HDR and vivo’s own portrait algorithm. Whichever camera you’re using, front or back; expect beautiful results even when the sun goes down.

Camera that Shoots Beyond Limits

The 32MP front Camera helps you capture every little detail and brings supreme clarity to your picture. The powerful 48MP AI Quad Rear Camera is a delight for photography enthusiasts. The Quad rear camera setup consists of 48MP main camera, 8MP super wide-angle camera, 2MP macro camera and 2MP bokeh camera. With superb light sensitivity, the cameras guarantee clear, bright pictures in all situations. The Super Macro mode captures the little wonders with exceptional details which the naked eye misses.

Super Wide-Angle Camera: Capture Limitless

V17 is capable of capturing 120 degree* super-wide angle in to one frame offering a bigger canvas to users to get creative and capture more beautiful landscapes in every selfie. The new Ultra stable video mode records clear and stable videos even with shaky hands. V17 helps you make every frame count, because every second of your life is worth cherishing and with V17 you can click the world around you in great clarity effortlessly.

* Super wide-angle camera is able to capture 108-degree photos after accounting for distortion.

Super AMOLED iView Display: View Beyond Limits

The customized next-gen Super AMOLED display is made of the latest E3 OLED and features an aspect ratio of 20:9. It also offers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, bringing vibrant and authentic colors to life. Enjoy this tantalizing view without eyestrain, as V17 filters out 42% of blue light. In addition, low brightness anti-flicker technology provides added protection for eyes in the dark. The V17 display is protected by the tough Schott Xensation UP display protection.

Smooth Performance

The V17 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675AIE processor, which requires low power consumption and makes your experience much more enjoyable and seamless. Plus, the device’s 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM ensures intuitive and smooth performance at all times. The device also sports In-Display Fingerprint Scanning, which features a 3P lens supported by vivo’s intelligent algorithm, giving you even faster access to your mobile world.

Dual-Engine Fast Charging & 4500mAh Battery

V17 runs on a 4,500mAh battery that comfortably lasts all-day long despite intensive usage and when it’s time to recharge, its exclusive Dual-Engine Fast Charging technology re-juices at breakneck speeds.

Optimized Game Mode, Ultimate Gaming Experience

vivo’s Multi-Turbo covers all aspects at the system level to enhance user experience. It includes AI Turbo, Center Turbo, Game Turbo, Net Turbo, Cooling Turbo and ART++ Turbo, improving underlying compilation efficiency, system response and performance.

Proptech Has a Hot Proposition for Indian Real Estate During 2020

By Mr. Madhusudhan G., Chairman & MD, Sumadhura Group

Proptech is poised to revolutionise the real estate industry as we know it today. Driven by changing technology and consumption patterns, the term broadly refers to technological innovation in various aspects of the real estate segment. The emergence of the market was brought about by the convergence of technology and real estate sector, the largest asset class in the world. With its cutting-edge technologies such as augmented reality, smart buildings, big data mining, 3D printing and cryptocurrency, proptech ventures are now equipped with the technical competence to enable energy consumption monitoring, creating and simulating interior designs, smart solutions for services such as parking, waste management and transportation. This is expected to improve the performance of organisations and benefit all stakeholders concerned with real estate market right from buyers to investors.

According to a JLL report, India is one of the most dynamic markets for proptech and it tops the list of countries in the Asia-pacific region in terms of number of deals made in the segment. Since the last 5 years, deals and investments amounting to USD 928 million has been made in the sector and this too is amongst the highest in the region. The proptech revolution hit Indian markets in mid-2000s on two fronts; first the residential sector then commercial. The huge potential of the residential market propelled funding for the proptech industry and also resulted in the development of a standardised system in the real estate markets, online housing portals etc. With a rapidly expanding commercial real estate sector, new players have entered the markets who aim at increasing the transparency in the sector in terms of data processing, as analytics providers etc.

Today, proptech is no longer a niche segment in the real estate sector, as enterprising entrepreneurs and businessmen have realised the potential of the largely untapped market. Investors are increasingly focussing on cost control and revenue maximisation, which can be easily achieved by aspects of proptech such as end to end process management software, and overall consolidation of the sector which would provide developers with a technological advantage. This would in turn eventually translate as economic gains for the organisation. Some of the prominent proptech trends to watch out for in the India include:

Blockchain Technology
While blockchain tech has already proved its mettle in the fintech industry it also holds great possibilities for the real estate sector. With data in the sector being increasingly digitised particularly with regards to property transactions, blockchain offers both buyers and developers additional security against possible fraudulent practices.

Augmented BI Tools
This mainly involves the application of analytic tools in order to determine value, make forecasts and gather useful business-related insight on a variety of aspects. These include maximisation of revenue, elimination of operational inefficiencies and improving general performance of the organisation. The rise of technology has enabled traditional BI tools to progress and even predict customer preferences from existing data in some cases.

Internet of Things (IOT)
Loosely defined as the inter-connectivity of everyday objects of even people the Internet of Things (IOT) is set to revolutionise the real estate sector. Home automation devices which forms an important part of the IOT is an indispensable aspect of efficient utilisation of urban spaces. They use artificial intelligence coupled with sensor-based technologies to offer an array of services in connection with the home environment.

Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) not only enables a prospective buyer to visualise the property even before its completion but it also facilitates a 360-degree tour of the property and its surroundings within the comfort of one’s own home. Due to its highly immersive and engagement-based nature of functioning VR is slowly becoming a prominent part of real estate, architecture and interior decor today. Several start-ups that offer these services in VR have emerged in tech cities across the country.

Chatbots & Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
The chatbot technology backed by the development of artificial intelligence assists realtors in generating leads and converting them into customers. Several eminent developers use chatbots to provide 24x7 services to potential customers. These are programmed to identify the needs of the potential customer and handle enquiries and in some cases even conduct follow ups. In addition to this CRM software automates the process by which an organisation keeps up with the customer preferences and needs. The software is even capable of running, tracking and following up on campaigns for the organisation.

Proptech today is shifting into a necessity in the real estate segment and is no longer a novelty factor in the market. The advent of technology in the real estate sector has not only made things more efficient but has also increased the transparency in the system. As the real estate market continues on its upward swing, entrepreneurs and businesses who harness technology in their organisation will reap the long-term benefits post the consolidation of the various aspects of the proptech sector. Nevertheless, proptech still remains a trend whose full potential has not been explored in the Indian markets. We are going through a time of rapid innovation, and companies that view technology as an opportunity to enhance, or even revolutionise, their existing processes will more than likely emerge with competitive advantage.