Strathclyde University Associates Warning - This paper describes the recent phenomenon of phishing, in which email messages are sent to unwitting recipients in
order to elicit personal information and perpetrate identity theft and financial fraud. A variety of existing techniques for
addressing this problem are detailed and a novel approach to the provision of phishing advice is introduced. This takes
the form of a Web-based user-service to which users may forward suspect email messages for inspection. The Anti-
Phishing Web Service rates the suspect email and provides a Web-based report that the submitter may view. This
approach promises benefits in the form of added security for the end-user and insight on the factors that are most
revealing of phishing attacks. Keywords detail as Phishing, spam, email scams.
Strathclyde University Associates Introduction. Phishing scams are an increasingly common method of identity theft. They begin with an email message that
appears to originate with an established legitimate organization. The email usually asks the recipient to
submit personal information on a website. However, the email is fraudulent and has actually been sent with
criminal intent. Unfortunately, many email users are unsophisticated in the ways of email and being unable to
spot phishing attempts, they innocently follow the instructions contained therein. A consequence of this
innocence may be significant financial loss.
This paper describes the nature of phishing scams and the associated problems email users face in
identifying phishing emails. In addition, we describe a software solution (the Anti-Phishing Web Service)
that aims to assist with the phishing problem.
Email, spam and scams on Strathclyde University and SCER Associates. The term ‘spam’ commonly refers to unsolicited bulk email. Unsolicited email includes sales and job
enquiries specifically addressed to a particular recipient without their prior knowledge or request. Bulk email
includes mailing lists and newsletters to which the recipient has subscribed. Spam is the intersection of these
email varieties – it is both unsolicited and bulk.
The majority of spam emails advertise products such as computer software or drugs. With negligible cost
and effort required to send spam, it now accounts for around 76% of all email messages (Gaudin, 2004).
Many infrequent email users now find it difficult to locate legitimate email in their mailbox. As a result, the
effectiveness of email as a communication medium has been severely reduced.
To combat this growing problem, most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) prohibit the sending of spam
from their networks. Some spammers use multiple free ISP accounts to send spam, whereby, if one of these
free accounts is terminated, another can be quickly created. Another popular method of despatching spam is
through virus infested PCs, usually belonging to unsuspecting home broadband users (Leyden, 2004a).
Despite attempts to reduce the problem, the incidence of spam continues to increase.
Many countries, including the UK and the US, have introduced laws to prevent the sending of spam (BBC
News, 2003). However, these laws have had little effect, since most spam originates from outside the
legislating country. There are also loopholes and inadequacies in these laws. For example, the US Can Spam
Act requires individuals to opt-out of spam, rather than opt-in. EU anti-spam laws also have problems,
because business email addresses are exempt from the legislation.
Since most legal attempts to address spam have met with limited success, many ISPs and email users now
rely heavily on email filters to remove spam. Spam filters perform a series of tests on each incoming email
and combine the results to determine whether the message is spam or legitimate. Spam filtering takes place at
the mail transfer agent (MTA) or mail user agent (MUA). Popular MTA spam filters include SpamAssassin
and Brightmail. Many MUA, such as Eudora and Mozilla Mail, now provide integrated spam filters. Without
spam filters and related spam blacklists many users might otherwise simply abandon the use of email.
While the majority of spam emails are advertisements for products, some messages aim to entice the
recipient into scams. Common email scams include pyramid schemes that promise very high returns on an
initial investment (Wikipedia, 2006a). Unfortunately, such ‘investors’ have no chance of receiving any return
on their initial outlay. Perhaps the most popular email scam is the Nigerian money transfer (Wikipedia,
2006b). This scam asks the recipient for help with the transfer of money from a Nigerian bank account,
promising a large payment in return. Once entered, the investor is asked for sums of money to help with the
fictitious transfer process. Of course, no money transfer is ever received by the unwitting subjects of this
criminal operation.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Risk Assessment: Smartcard fraud scam Warning
Risk Assessment Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates. Security is a balance between confidentiality, authentication and integrity versus convenience, cost and reliability. Figure 4 illustrates the balance that must be struck by stakeholders when implementing technical solutions to counter security vulnerabilities,
Abstract. The introduction of smartcard technologies has reduced the incidence
of card fraud in the UK, but there are still significant losses from fraudulent
card use. In this paper we detail the context of smartcard introduction and describe
the types of fraud that remain a threat to cardholders and other stakeholders
in the card system. We conclude with a risk analysis from the cardholder’s
perspective and recommend greater cardholder awareness of such
risks. Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
Risk Assessment. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates. Security is a balance between confidentiality, authentication and integrity versus convenience, cost and reliability. Figure 4 illustrates the balance that must be struck by stakeholders when implementing technical solutions to counter security vulnerabilities, essentially this boils down to cost versus benefits.
This generic approach can be applied to security measures for smart card payments,
whereby:
• Cost is the amount it costs the card issuer and card scheme to support the plastic
card payments, including the cost of implementing changes to the system e.g.
longer keys or moving to online authentication to validate all card transactions;
• Performance considers convenience and reliability e.g. avoiding reputational
damage or inconvenience for customers or retailers;
• Risk is remaining level of risk which the security measures have not fully mitigated.
This could be financial loss, additional costs, loss of market share, reputational
damage, corporate embarrassment, legal or regulatory investigation or risk
to personal safety.
The potential loss or exposure from a given risk can be reduced through assessing and
management of the risk (Figure 5). Effective risk reduction methods may leave an
element of residual risk, but will bring benefits, although these may not always be financial, e.g., they could be reputational benefits.
A risk map is a technique to analyse and illustrate risks, likely causal events and potential
impacts [10]. The links shown are not always exhaustive but demonstrate the
potentially wide ranging impacts of each risk and support analysis of outcomes and
mitigation actions. As a tool, they also allow flexibility to consider how the impact of
one risk, e.g., card stolen, can be compounded by the occurrence of other risks, such
as the PIN having been obtained.
Figure 6 illustrates a risk map analysis for the cardholder, based upon four primary
risk conditions, card obtained by fraudsters, card details obtained by fraudsters, PIN
obtained by fraudsters, and PIN forgotten by cardholder. The associated cardholder
events represent the contexts in which the risks are created, and the impact arising
from these circumstances is also indicated.
For the cardholder, the key risks centre on the components for which the cardholder
is responsible, namely the smartcard, the PIN and documents such as statements
and receipts that contain card details. The events include some that are within
the cardholder’s control, e.g., keeping a note of the PIN number, but others such as a compromised terminal are beyond cardholder control.
Summary and Conclusions. Risk Assessment Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates. The introduction of smartcards to the UK marketplace has had a significant effect in reducing the incidence of card fraud, but further steps are required to prevent continued instances of fraud. A key step in this direction is to clarify the roles, responsibilities and risks faced by the different stakeholders in the card process. Furthermore, ‘awareness raising’ in which cardholders become more conscious of their risks and responsibilities may afford the best defence against consumer fraud. Our analysis of the card process, stakeholders and cardholder risks may contribute to this awareness.
Abstract. The introduction of smartcard technologies has reduced the incidence
of card fraud in the UK, but there are still significant losses from fraudulent
card use. In this paper we detail the context of smartcard introduction and describe
the types of fraud that remain a threat to cardholders and other stakeholders
in the card system. We conclude with a risk analysis from the cardholder’s
perspective and recommend greater cardholder awareness of such
risks. Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
Risk Assessment. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates. Security is a balance between confidentiality, authentication and integrity versus convenience, cost and reliability. Figure 4 illustrates the balance that must be struck by stakeholders when implementing technical solutions to counter security vulnerabilities, essentially this boils down to cost versus benefits.
This generic approach can be applied to security measures for smart card payments,
whereby:
• Cost is the amount it costs the card issuer and card scheme to support the plastic
card payments, including the cost of implementing changes to the system e.g.
longer keys or moving to online authentication to validate all card transactions;
• Performance considers convenience and reliability e.g. avoiding reputational
damage or inconvenience for customers or retailers;
• Risk is remaining level of risk which the security measures have not fully mitigated.
This could be financial loss, additional costs, loss of market share, reputational
damage, corporate embarrassment, legal or regulatory investigation or risk
to personal safety.
The potential loss or exposure from a given risk can be reduced through assessing and
management of the risk (Figure 5). Effective risk reduction methods may leave an
element of residual risk, but will bring benefits, although these may not always be financial, e.g., they could be reputational benefits.
A risk map is a technique to analyse and illustrate risks, likely causal events and potential
impacts [10]. The links shown are not always exhaustive but demonstrate the
potentially wide ranging impacts of each risk and support analysis of outcomes and
mitigation actions. As a tool, they also allow flexibility to consider how the impact of
one risk, e.g., card stolen, can be compounded by the occurrence of other risks, such
as the PIN having been obtained.
Figure 6 illustrates a risk map analysis for the cardholder, based upon four primary
risk conditions, card obtained by fraudsters, card details obtained by fraudsters, PIN
obtained by fraudsters, and PIN forgotten by cardholder. The associated cardholder
events represent the contexts in which the risks are created, and the impact arising
from these circumstances is also indicated.
For the cardholder, the key risks centre on the components for which the cardholder
is responsible, namely the smartcard, the PIN and documents such as statements
and receipts that contain card details. The events include some that are within
the cardholder’s control, e.g., keeping a note of the PIN number, but others such as a compromised terminal are beyond cardholder control.
Summary and Conclusions. Risk Assessment Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates. The introduction of smartcards to the UK marketplace has had a significant effect in reducing the incidence of card fraud, but further steps are required to prevent continued instances of fraud. A key step in this direction is to clarify the roles, responsibilities and risks faced by the different stakeholders in the card process. Furthermore, ‘awareness raising’ in which cardholders become more conscious of their risks and responsibilities may afford the best defence against consumer fraud. Our analysis of the card process, stakeholders and cardholder risks may contribute to this awareness.
The Phishing Process Warning by Christopher Cranston
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Strathclyde University and Associates - Most phishing attacks take four distinct steps toward defrauding unwary recipients: (1) the scam operators set
up the phishing website. This website usually imitates an established, legitimate site; (2) using guessed or
copied email addresses, the scammers send out emails purporting to come from the legitimate site; (3) the
recipient downloads their email and receives the phishing message. The email asks the user to click on a
hyperlink and enter personal details on the resulting website. If the user clicks on the hyperlink the phishing
site will be displayed. If duped, the user may then enter the requested personal information; (4) the recipient's
personal details are now held by the scam operators. The scammers may now assume the identity of the
recipient and gain illicit access to funds. These steps are elaborated below.
Step 1: Construct the Phishing Website
The first task is to establish a phishing website. These are simple to set up, requiring little more than an
Internet-connected computer serving web pages. The Web pages are usually altered copies of pages
belonging to the targeted organisation. Sometimes, the phishing site appears as a pop-up window over the
legitimate site. Generally, phishing sites are contrived to appear authentic.
Most phishing sites do not have a domain name and Web links to the site in the phishing email usually
take the form of IP addresses, e.g. http://61.71.120.10/citi/index.php. Sometimes phishing sites do use
domain names, often cleverly crafted to mimic established sites, e.g. http://www.usbank-secure.biz/.
However, registering a domain name entails some financial cost and provides additional information that
may be used to track the perpetrators.
Strathclyde University and Associates - Recent analysis by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) found that most (27%) of phishing sites
were hosted in the US (op. cit.). This was closely followed by South Korea with 20% and China with 16%.
For comparison, the UK hosted only 1% of phishing sites. The report also estimated that 25% of phishing
sites were hosted on hacked computers, without their owners’ knowledge. Finally, the report states that on
average phishing sites are only live for 2.25 days - the longest noted was a site serving content for 15 days.
Sites with a longer lifespan tend to operate from countries where there may be difficulties in closing down
sites, where there are different or no Internet crime laws.
Step 2: Write and Send Phishing Emails
Once the phishing site is set-up, the next step is for large numbers of phishing emails to be sent out. For this
to be possible the scam operators must collate a large number of email addresses. These are acquired using
address harvesting techniques perfected by spammers. Like other spammers, phishing scam operators must
accumulate as many email addresses as possible in order to maximize the response rate.
Address harvesting techniques vary, but one popular methods is to use programs that search the web for
published email addresses. These programs target Usenet posts, web forums, mailing lists and guest books,
since these resources are likely to contain email addresses (Hird, 2002). Another technique is dictionarybased
address generation. Finally, rather than collect addresses themselves, phishing scammers may simply
purchase a list of addresses from an unscrupulous third party. Regardless of the selected technique, large
numbers of addresses are acquired by the scammers. Although many of these addresses will be malformed,
duplicates or out-of-date, and many of the valid addresses will belong to individuals who are not customers
of the organization being impersonated (and so cannot be defrauded by the scam), this will not deter the
scammers, since sending email is of negligible cost. The scammers’ concern is simply to maximize the
quantity of phishing emails sent.
The content of a phishing email is often carefully crafted. A typical email attempts to alarm the recipient
by describing security or maintenance issues at an established legitimate organization. The message will ask
the recipient to resolve these issues by confirming personal information on a web page. An embedded
hyperlink in the email often provides easy access to the web page. This hyperlink is often disguised to
resemble a link to the legitimate website, although it points to the phishing site.
Some emails contain embedded forms for users to enter their personal details. This removes the need for a
separate phishing web site. Other phishing emails do not ask for personal details at all, but urge the user to
install an attached piece of software. Software offered in this way is usually malicious and may be a virus,
worm, Trojan horse or spyware program. Spyware programs are particularly dangerous, as they can intercept
and transmit sensitive personal information, without the user's knowledge.
Regardless of whether the goal is to have recipients visit a web page, enter details in a form or install a
program, the user must be convinced that the email is authentic. To accomplish this, phishing emails often
contain images, slogans or disclaimers taken from the organization being impersonated. Fortunately not all
phishing emails look authentic. Many have poor spelling or grammar and may also bear little resemblance to
legitimate emails from the genuine organization. Such clues may alert users to the email's true purpose.
When phishing emails are sent out, it is common to spoof the sender's address. Spoofing the sender's
address is possible since the current email Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) does not validate the
purported ‘From’ address. This loophole allows scammers to send phishing emails that appear to come from
legitimate organizations. A recent Anti-Phishing Working Group Report indicates that in June 2004, 92% of
phishing emails were sent with a spoofed sender's address. This technique is prevalent as it convinces many
recipients that the email is authentic.
Once phishing emails have been written, disguised and addressed, the final step is to send them. This step
employs standard spamming techniques, e.g., sending the phishing emails using someone else's mail server.
In the past this was easily done through open relays and open proxies. Although these vulnerabilities are now
rare, they are still occasionally used to send spam and phishing emails. Todays phishing emails are
commonly sent from mail servers or proxies running on virus infected machines. Viruses such as Sobig
contain built-in SMTP servers, turning infected machines into unwitting spam senders (Sophos, 2006). This
permits the perpetrators to remain hidden, while an estimated 60% of all spam is sent using virus infected
machines (Spamhaus, 2003).
Strathclyde University and Associates - Most phishing attacks take four distinct steps toward defrauding unwary recipients: (1) the scam operators set
up the phishing website. This website usually imitates an established, legitimate site; (2) using guessed or
copied email addresses, the scammers send out emails purporting to come from the legitimate site; (3) the
recipient downloads their email and receives the phishing message. The email asks the user to click on a
hyperlink and enter personal details on the resulting website. If the user clicks on the hyperlink the phishing
site will be displayed. If duped, the user may then enter the requested personal information; (4) the recipient's
personal details are now held by the scam operators. The scammers may now assume the identity of the
recipient and gain illicit access to funds. These steps are elaborated below.
Step 1: Construct the Phishing Website
The first task is to establish a phishing website. These are simple to set up, requiring little more than an
Internet-connected computer serving web pages. The Web pages are usually altered copies of pages
belonging to the targeted organisation. Sometimes, the phishing site appears as a pop-up window over the
legitimate site. Generally, phishing sites are contrived to appear authentic.
Most phishing sites do not have a domain name and Web links to the site in the phishing email usually
take the form of IP addresses, e.g. http://61.71.120.10/citi/index.php. Sometimes phishing sites do use
domain names, often cleverly crafted to mimic established sites, e.g. http://www.usbank-secure.biz/.
However, registering a domain name entails some financial cost and provides additional information that
may be used to track the perpetrators.
Strathclyde University and Associates - Recent analysis by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) found that most (27%) of phishing sites
were hosted in the US (op. cit.). This was closely followed by South Korea with 20% and China with 16%.
For comparison, the UK hosted only 1% of phishing sites. The report also estimated that 25% of phishing
sites were hosted on hacked computers, without their owners’ knowledge. Finally, the report states that on
average phishing sites are only live for 2.25 days - the longest noted was a site serving content for 15 days.
Sites with a longer lifespan tend to operate from countries where there may be difficulties in closing down
sites, where there are different or no Internet crime laws.
Step 2: Write and Send Phishing Emails
Once the phishing site is set-up, the next step is for large numbers of phishing emails to be sent out. For this
to be possible the scam operators must collate a large number of email addresses. These are acquired using
address harvesting techniques perfected by spammers. Like other spammers, phishing scam operators must
accumulate as many email addresses as possible in order to maximize the response rate.
Address harvesting techniques vary, but one popular methods is to use programs that search the web for
published email addresses. These programs target Usenet posts, web forums, mailing lists and guest books,
since these resources are likely to contain email addresses (Hird, 2002). Another technique is dictionarybased
address generation. Finally, rather than collect addresses themselves, phishing scammers may simply
purchase a list of addresses from an unscrupulous third party. Regardless of the selected technique, large
numbers of addresses are acquired by the scammers. Although many of these addresses will be malformed,
duplicates or out-of-date, and many of the valid addresses will belong to individuals who are not customers
of the organization being impersonated (and so cannot be defrauded by the scam), this will not deter the
scammers, since sending email is of negligible cost. The scammers’ concern is simply to maximize the
quantity of phishing emails sent.
The content of a phishing email is often carefully crafted. A typical email attempts to alarm the recipient
by describing security or maintenance issues at an established legitimate organization. The message will ask
the recipient to resolve these issues by confirming personal information on a web page. An embedded
hyperlink in the email often provides easy access to the web page. This hyperlink is often disguised to
resemble a link to the legitimate website, although it points to the phishing site.
Some emails contain embedded forms for users to enter their personal details. This removes the need for a
separate phishing web site. Other phishing emails do not ask for personal details at all, but urge the user to
install an attached piece of software. Software offered in this way is usually malicious and may be a virus,
worm, Trojan horse or spyware program. Spyware programs are particularly dangerous, as they can intercept
and transmit sensitive personal information, without the user's knowledge.
Regardless of whether the goal is to have recipients visit a web page, enter details in a form or install a
program, the user must be convinced that the email is authentic. To accomplish this, phishing emails often
contain images, slogans or disclaimers taken from the organization being impersonated. Fortunately not all
phishing emails look authentic. Many have poor spelling or grammar and may also bear little resemblance to
legitimate emails from the genuine organization. Such clues may alert users to the email's true purpose.
When phishing emails are sent out, it is common to spoof the sender's address. Spoofing the sender's
address is possible since the current email Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) does not validate the
purported ‘From’ address. This loophole allows scammers to send phishing emails that appear to come from
legitimate organizations. A recent Anti-Phishing Working Group Report indicates that in June 2004, 92% of
phishing emails were sent with a spoofed sender's address. This technique is prevalent as it convinces many
recipients that the email is authentic.
Once phishing emails have been written, disguised and addressed, the final step is to send them. This step
employs standard spamming techniques, e.g., sending the phishing emails using someone else's mail server.
In the past this was easily done through open relays and open proxies. Although these vulnerabilities are now
rare, they are still occasionally used to send spam and phishing emails. Todays phishing emails are
commonly sent from mail servers or proxies running on virus infected machines. Viruses such as Sobig
contain built-in SMTP servers, turning infected machines into unwitting spam senders (Sophos, 2006). This
permits the perpetrators to remain hidden, while an estimated 60% of all spam is sent using virus infected
machines (Spamhaus, 2003).
Thursday, March 17, 2011
University of Strathclyde Card ID Theft Warning: Trends in Smartcard fraud scam
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates. The introduction of smartcard technologies has reduced the incidence
of card fraud in the UK, but there are still significant losses from fraudulent
card use. In this paper we detail the context of smartcard introduction and describe
the types of fraud that remain a threat to cardholders and other stakeholders
in the card system. We conclude with a risk analysis from the cardholder’s
perspective and recommend greater cardholder awareness of such
risks.
A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that
nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a
credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital
of Europe’ [1], with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as
other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds
may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN
cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN
verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the
141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic
card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in
2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart
cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
Card ID Theft. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
Identity theft occurs when a criminal obtains an individual’s personal information and
uses this to open or access card accounts in that individual’s name. A criminal may
use stolen documents such as utility bills and bank statements, or false documents, to
give the necessary documentation to open up a card account. Alternatively, they can
use key bits of personal information to take control of an account, perhaps arranging
for payments to be taken from the card account or by changing account address details
and requesting issue of cheques or a new card.
Likely Trends. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK. Wilhelm [7] considered the future of credit and debit card fraud due to the introduction of smart cards and predicted a hybrid period of approximately ten to fifteen yearsduring which magnetic stripe and smart card technology would co-exist. In this period,fraudsters will get creative and exploit technology and social conditioning to devise
attacks on chip technology.
One of the highlighted concerns is allowing the use of the magnetic stripe as a
fallback where a chip fails to function. This permits fraudsters to circumvent a number
of the safeguards provided by smart card technology. This will prevent Chip and
PIN from fully addressing counterfeit card fraud made possible through the theft of
card details in transit or from lost/stolen scenarios. While the report predicts that a
significant reduction in card counterfeiting is likely to occur, it acknowledges that
while magnetic stripes are available, counterfeiting remains a viable option for fraudsters.
The report also highlights that fraudsters will focus their efforts on CNP fraud
and target merchants as a vulnerable link in the process.
of card fraud in the UK, but there are still significant losses from fraudulent
card use. In this paper we detail the context of smartcard introduction and describe
the types of fraud that remain a threat to cardholders and other stakeholders
in the card system. We conclude with a risk analysis from the cardholder’s
perspective and recommend greater cardholder awareness of such
risks.
A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that
nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a
credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital
of Europe’ [1], with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as
other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds
may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN
cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN
verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the
141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic
card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in
2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart
cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
Card ID Theft. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
Identity theft occurs when a criminal obtains an individual’s personal information and
uses this to open or access card accounts in that individual’s name. A criminal may
use stolen documents such as utility bills and bank statements, or false documents, to
give the necessary documentation to open up a card account. Alternatively, they can
use key bits of personal information to take control of an account, perhaps arranging
for payments to be taken from the card account or by changing account address details
and requesting issue of cheques or a new card.
Likely Trends. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK. Wilhelm [7] considered the future of credit and debit card fraud due to the introduction of smart cards and predicted a hybrid period of approximately ten to fifteen yearsduring which magnetic stripe and smart card technology would co-exist. In this period,fraudsters will get creative and exploit technology and social conditioning to devise
attacks on chip technology.
One of the highlighted concerns is allowing the use of the magnetic stripe as a
fallback where a chip fails to function. This permits fraudsters to circumvent a number
of the safeguards provided by smart card technology. This will prevent Chip and
PIN from fully addressing counterfeit card fraud made possible through the theft of
card details in transit or from lost/stolen scenarios. While the report predicts that a
significant reduction in card counterfeiting is likely to occur, it acknowledges that
while magnetic stripes are available, counterfeiting remains a viable option for fraudsters.
The report also highlights that fraudsters will focus their efforts on CNP fraud
and target merchants as a vulnerable link in the process.
Trends in Smartcard Scam Warning: Lost and Stolen Fraud
Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that
nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a
credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital
of Europe’ , with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as
other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds
may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN
cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN
verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the
141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic
card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in
2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart
cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
Trends in Smartcard Scam, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates: Lost and Stolen Fraud. This type of fraud occurs when a card is lost by the cardholder or is stolen from them. Fraudsters can then use the card to obtain goods and services. Once the cardholder notices their card is gone, they will contact the card issuer but as it can take time to realise the card has gone, most fraud of this type takes place before the card has been reported as lost or stolen.
Levels of this type of fraud have remained static for the past five years but the introduction
of Chip and PIN is expected to reduce this by making it more difficult for
fraudsters to use a lost or stolen card in person at a retail outlet. Prior to Chip and
PIN, the retailer would verify that the signature on the sales voucher matched that
written on the back of the card. The signature strip was signed by the cardholder in
ink and was subject to wear and tear over the lifetime of the card.
University of Strathclyde and Associates - Mail Non-Receipt. This occurs where a card is stolen when it is in transit from the issuing bank or building
society to the cardholder. This is similar to lost and stolen fraud since it takes
time for the cardholder to realise that a card has not arrived. This delay is often compounded
by the fact that cards are often sent out automatically by the issuers rather
than at request of the cardholder, e.g. when a card is nearing its expiry date. Card issuers
have endeavoured to reduce levels of this type of fraud by using secure mail
services and/or requiring the cardholder to phone and activate the card before it can
be used. However, fraudsters could still intercept cards in transit and skim the details
before re-mailing them to the cardholder. Once the cardholder activates the card, the
fraudster can also use the counterfeit card produced using the skimmed details.
Credit card cheques, often sent to cardholders on an unsolicited basis by the card
issuing company, also offer criminals an additional means of obtaining unauthorised
spending against a card account.
Card Not Present, Trends in Smartcard Scam: Lost and Stolen Fraud. This type of fraud covers any card transactions where the cardholder is not physically
present, i.e. those conducted over the internet, telephone, fax and mail order, and is
now the largest type of card fraud in the UK [6]. Fraudsters obtain details of a card,
i.e. cardholder name, card number and the 3 digit security number from the back of
the card, and can use these to pay for goods or services over the internet, phone, fax
or mail order. Companies reliant on Card Not Present (CNP) transactions are unable
to check the physical security features of the card to determine if it is genuine and
cannot rely on signature or PIN authentication. Equally, there is no check that the information
is being provided by the genuine cardholder
A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that
nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a
credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital
of Europe’ , with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as
other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds
may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN
cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN
verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the
141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic
card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in
2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart
cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
Trends in Smartcard Scam, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates: Lost and Stolen Fraud. This type of fraud occurs when a card is lost by the cardholder or is stolen from them. Fraudsters can then use the card to obtain goods and services. Once the cardholder notices their card is gone, they will contact the card issuer but as it can take time to realise the card has gone, most fraud of this type takes place before the card has been reported as lost or stolen.
Levels of this type of fraud have remained static for the past five years but the introduction
of Chip and PIN is expected to reduce this by making it more difficult for
fraudsters to use a lost or stolen card in person at a retail outlet. Prior to Chip and
PIN, the retailer would verify that the signature on the sales voucher matched that
written on the back of the card. The signature strip was signed by the cardholder in
ink and was subject to wear and tear over the lifetime of the card.
University of Strathclyde and Associates - Mail Non-Receipt. This occurs where a card is stolen when it is in transit from the issuing bank or building
society to the cardholder. This is similar to lost and stolen fraud since it takes
time for the cardholder to realise that a card has not arrived. This delay is often compounded
by the fact that cards are often sent out automatically by the issuers rather
than at request of the cardholder, e.g. when a card is nearing its expiry date. Card issuers
have endeavoured to reduce levels of this type of fraud by using secure mail
services and/or requiring the cardholder to phone and activate the card before it can
be used. However, fraudsters could still intercept cards in transit and skim the details
before re-mailing them to the cardholder. Once the cardholder activates the card, the
fraudster can also use the counterfeit card produced using the skimmed details.
Credit card cheques, often sent to cardholders on an unsolicited basis by the card
issuing company, also offer criminals an additional means of obtaining unauthorised
spending against a card account.
Card Not Present, Trends in Smartcard Scam: Lost and Stolen Fraud. This type of fraud covers any card transactions where the cardholder is not physically
present, i.e. those conducted over the internet, telephone, fax and mail order, and is
now the largest type of card fraud in the UK [6]. Fraudsters obtain details of a card,
i.e. cardholder name, card number and the 3 digit security number from the back of
the card, and can use these to pay for goods or services over the internet, phone, fax
or mail order. Companies reliant on Card Not Present (CNP) transactions are unable
to check the physical security features of the card to determine if it is genuine and
cannot rely on signature or PIN authentication. Equally, there is no check that the information
is being provided by the genuine cardholder
Smartcard Scam Warning: Stakeholders – University of Strathclyde and Associates
Stakeholders by Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
Although cardholders are usually the focus of concern in matters of card fraud, there
are other stakeholders in the establishment, use and maintenance of smartcards. These
stakeholders are (1) cardholders; (2) merchants; (3) Acquirers; and each of these has
roles, responsibilities and risks in operation of the card system.
Research indicates that we can all do more to defeat criminals, particularly where
basic security measures are involved. Statistics, such as the following [8], are particularly
alarming and highlight the need for cardholders to be aware of the risk and impact
if they fail to protect their PIN number and card details:
• 25% of all UK residents have disclosed their PIN to someone else, exposing them
to heightened risk of fraud and potentially making them liable for any card fraud
losses they may suffer;
• 27% of Britons use the same PIN for all their cards and the average adult has four
cards each;
• 44% of people still allow their cards out of their sight (in restaurants and bars for
example) when settling a bill;
• 51% of online shoppers do not fully appreciate that the start of a website address
changes from ‘http’ to ‘https’ when they enter a website made secure for purchasing.
The key recommendation for cardholders is that they should be security conscious
and take all practical precautions when undertaking a card payment. Cardholder
complacency is still a large factor in card fraud levels. While card issuers are unlikely
to acknowledge vulnerabilities, in order to avoid adverse reputational impacts, increased
cardholder awareness of the risks and impacts associated with known vulnerabilities
in the Chip and PIN system, will ensure that they become less complacent.
The large variety of card terminals makes it difficult for a cardholder to identify
one that has been tampered with, but there are other ways they can notice fraudulent
actions, for example by being familiar with merchant best practices. This would allow
them to raise alarms with other staff members if suspicious behaviour is observed,
e.g., swiping a card prior to inserting it into a card terminal or watching a PIN
being entered. Cardholders should also check their credit card and current account
statements to identify any illicit transactions. One measure to limit exposure for a
debit card linked to a current account is to establish a second account containing a
smaller balance for use in card transactions.
Stakeholders by Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow. The agreements which merchants have with their acquirers spell out the terms under
which they can accept card payments. The terminals supplied by the acquirers determine
floor limits and undertake the Chip and PIN authorisation process. Vulnerabilities
exist when fraudsters have access to terminals and so merchants should seek
to address and improve staff awareness of process vulnerabilities that could lead to
card fraud through training. Staff should be trained in card transaction processes and
be empowered to request additional authorisation via a Code 10 call where they deem
necessary and know how to do this without putting themselves at risk.
Stakeholders by Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow. Merchants must also be alert to the fact that they are a prime target for fraudsters.
Smartcard Scam: Stakeholders – University of Strathclyde and Associates. They have a responsibility to be vigilant and monitor transactions and any suspicious
staff activities. References should be checked when hiring new staff. Systems holding
customer and transaction data must be adequately protected. Any concerns raised
by customers about staff undertaking card transactions should be investigated. Card
present merchants have various ways of reading and processing card details e.g. staff
inserts card, cardholder inserts card or card is swiped and this can make it difficult for
cardholders to know what would constitute a suspicious action by a member of staff.
Acquirer guidelines should be followed to minimise the risk of chargeback for
both card present and CNP transactions. The planned rollout of ‘contactless’ cards in
the UK towards the end of 2007 may introduce further concerns for merchants as only
one in three low value transactions would be flagged for verification by PIN. For a
CNP merchant there are specific challenges as Chip and PIN is not currently an option
for this type of transaction and it is an area where card fraud has risen significantly.
The Address Verification System (AVS) allows retailers to verify the billing address
supplied with that associated with the cardholder and Card Security Code (CSC)
allows retailers to cross check a special security code held on the back of the card.
Card schemes are also introducing positive identification measures such as Verified
by Visa and MasterCard Secure Code to help merchants. Merchants should protect
themselves against chargeback’s by introducing these measures for on-line transactions.
By 30th June 2007, all CNP merchants must have introduced this measure or at
least have a plan in place to do so. Chargeback of disputed transactions is likely for
any non-compliant merchants.
Smartcard Scam: Stakeholders – University of Strathclyde and Associates. The acquirer or merchant acquirer is the bank retained by the retailer to process
payment card transactions on their behalf. Acquirers are responsible for paying the
merchant for the transactions they process. They do this on receipt of card transaction
details from retailers by passing them to the card issuer for authorisation and processing.
Acquirers are also responsible for obtaining transaction authorisation prior to the
delivery of goods and/or services.
The responsibility for maintenance and upgrades to card terminals also lies with
acquirers who risk who must provide clear instructions and guidelines to merchants in
order to minimise instances of card fraud and chargeback. Acquirers are increasingly
using fraud detection software to detect patterns that could be due to fraudulent activity.
This can be helpful in identifying and investigating unusual patterns of transactions.
Although cardholders are usually the focus of concern in matters of card fraud, there
are other stakeholders in the establishment, use and maintenance of smartcards. These
stakeholders are (1) cardholders; (2) merchants; (3) Acquirers; and each of these has
roles, responsibilities and risks in operation of the card system.
Research indicates that we can all do more to defeat criminals, particularly where
basic security measures are involved. Statistics, such as the following [8], are particularly
alarming and highlight the need for cardholders to be aware of the risk and impact
if they fail to protect their PIN number and card details:
• 25% of all UK residents have disclosed their PIN to someone else, exposing them
to heightened risk of fraud and potentially making them liable for any card fraud
losses they may suffer;
• 27% of Britons use the same PIN for all their cards and the average adult has four
cards each;
• 44% of people still allow their cards out of their sight (in restaurants and bars for
example) when settling a bill;
• 51% of online shoppers do not fully appreciate that the start of a website address
changes from ‘http’ to ‘https’ when they enter a website made secure for purchasing.
The key recommendation for cardholders is that they should be security conscious
and take all practical precautions when undertaking a card payment. Cardholder
complacency is still a large factor in card fraud levels. While card issuers are unlikely
to acknowledge vulnerabilities, in order to avoid adverse reputational impacts, increased
cardholder awareness of the risks and impacts associated with known vulnerabilities
in the Chip and PIN system, will ensure that they become less complacent.
The large variety of card terminals makes it difficult for a cardholder to identify
one that has been tampered with, but there are other ways they can notice fraudulent
actions, for example by being familiar with merchant best practices. This would allow
them to raise alarms with other staff members if suspicious behaviour is observed,
e.g., swiping a card prior to inserting it into a card terminal or watching a PIN
being entered. Cardholders should also check their credit card and current account
statements to identify any illicit transactions. One measure to limit exposure for a
debit card linked to a current account is to establish a second account containing a
smaller balance for use in card transactions.
Stakeholders by Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow. The agreements which merchants have with their acquirers spell out the terms under
which they can accept card payments. The terminals supplied by the acquirers determine
floor limits and undertake the Chip and PIN authorisation process. Vulnerabilities
exist when fraudsters have access to terminals and so merchants should seek
to address and improve staff awareness of process vulnerabilities that could lead to
card fraud through training. Staff should be trained in card transaction processes and
be empowered to request additional authorisation via a Code 10 call where they deem
necessary and know how to do this without putting themselves at risk.
Stakeholders by Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow. Merchants must also be alert to the fact that they are a prime target for fraudsters.
Smartcard Scam: Stakeholders – University of Strathclyde and Associates. They have a responsibility to be vigilant and monitor transactions and any suspicious
staff activities. References should be checked when hiring new staff. Systems holding
customer and transaction data must be adequately protected. Any concerns raised
by customers about staff undertaking card transactions should be investigated. Card
present merchants have various ways of reading and processing card details e.g. staff
inserts card, cardholder inserts card or card is swiped and this can make it difficult for
cardholders to know what would constitute a suspicious action by a member of staff.
Acquirer guidelines should be followed to minimise the risk of chargeback for
both card present and CNP transactions. The planned rollout of ‘contactless’ cards in
the UK towards the end of 2007 may introduce further concerns for merchants as only
one in three low value transactions would be flagged for verification by PIN. For a
CNP merchant there are specific challenges as Chip and PIN is not currently an option
for this type of transaction and it is an area where card fraud has risen significantly.
The Address Verification System (AVS) allows retailers to verify the billing address
supplied with that associated with the cardholder and Card Security Code (CSC)
allows retailers to cross check a special security code held on the back of the card.
Card schemes are also introducing positive identification measures such as Verified
by Visa and MasterCard Secure Code to help merchants. Merchants should protect
themselves against chargeback’s by introducing these measures for on-line transactions.
By 30th June 2007, all CNP merchants must have introduced this measure or at
least have a plan in place to do so. Chargeback of disputed transactions is likely for
any non-compliant merchants.
Smartcard Scam: Stakeholders – University of Strathclyde and Associates. The acquirer or merchant acquirer is the bank retained by the retailer to process
payment card transactions on their behalf. Acquirers are responsible for paying the
merchant for the transactions they process. They do this on receipt of card transaction
details from retailers by passing them to the card issuer for authorisation and processing.
Acquirers are also responsible for obtaining transaction authorisation prior to the
delivery of goods and/or services.
The responsibility for maintenance and upgrades to card terminals also lies with
acquirers who risk who must provide clear instructions and guidelines to merchants in
order to minimise instances of card fraud and chargeback. Acquirers are increasingly
using fraud detection software to detect patterns that could be due to fraudulent activity.
This can be helpful in identifying and investigating unusual patterns of transactions.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
strathclyde police associates - boiler room strathclyde police,Strathclyde Associates
strathclyde police associates - boiler room strathclyde police,Strathclyde Associates
Strathclyde Police Internet Auction Warning on Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
By Strathclyde Police and Associates on January 20, 2011 - As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give... [+]
you advice about how to avoid being a victim. Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several... Read more
Archived in: strathclyde police associates strathclyde report crime strathclyde associates scam fraud theft boiler room strathclyde polic safety publications boiler room
Strathclyde Police Internet Auction Warning on Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
By Strathclyde Police and Associates on January 20, 2011 - As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give... [+]
you advice about how to avoid being a victim. Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several... Read more
Archived in: strathclyde police associates strathclyde report crime strathclyde associates scam fraud theft boiler room strathclyde polic safety publications boiler room
strathclyde police associates - boiler room strathclyde police,Strathclyde Associates
By Strathclyde Police and Associates on January 20, 2011 - As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give.
Strathclyde Police Internet Auction Warning on Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give you advice about how to avoid being a victim.
Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several thousand would-be traders falling victim every year.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on How internet auction sites work
These sites work as facilitators for transactions between sellers and buyers. Sellers post items for sale with terms and conditions set, and potential buyers make ‘bids’. The person who makes the highest offer within an allotted time wins. Arrangements are then made between the two parties for payment and delivery of the goods.
Payment is often arranged through an escrow service. These services hold the buyer’s payment in trust until the goods have been received and checked. The buyer then authorises the escrow service to release the payment to the seller.
How internet fraudsters operate
Internet fraudsters operate in a variety of ways including the following:
‘Invisible goods' fraud
The buyer sends the payment, but no goods are delivered and inevitably, the seller cannot be contacted, as false details were originally given. Using a legitimate escrow service can help protect the buyer from this type of fraud.
Non-Payment fraud
Buyers can also fail to pay. This can happen where the seller agrees to payment after delivery. It can also occur if a stolen credit card is used to make payment to an escrow service, and this is not discovered until after the goods are sent.
Please bear in mind that this is different from the case where there is no payment made as a result of a dispute between buyer and seller. This is a civil matter.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on online escrow fraud
Unfortunately, a number of fraudsters have created apparently genuine websites offering escrow services in order to defraud would-be customers.
The seller follows instructions on how to pay his money to the escrow site, usually by means of a cash transfer system such as Western Union. The escrow site then fails to pass the money on to the seller, and can no longer be contacted by either party.
These fraudsters also use a number of other methods to maximise their gain from such a website. Escrow fraudsters can commit invisible goods frauds or can contact the losing bidders for genuine auctions, claiming to be the seller with a similar product for sale. In both cases, the fraudster insists that payment is made through their fraudulent escrow service, with the same result as before.
In addition, escrow fraudsters can ensure winning bids on genuine auctions for high-value goods, again insisting that payment is made through them. When the seller checks the escrow service, he sees that payment has been made by the buyer and sends off the goods (usually to a foreign address). The seller thereafter loses contact with the buyer and the escrow service, and does not receive the promised payment.
Don’t Be Caught Out
There are a number of steps that can be taken to minimise the risks associated with carrying out business on the internet.
• Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the auction site terms and conditions.
• Get to know the seller/buyer - if possible, check the auction website for feedback on this person. Find out details, such as a permanent address and landline telephone number. Carry out online checks to verify that information.
• Ask questions about the goods. Try to verify that a seller has the items in front of him Consider the payment arrangements requested. Fraudsters will often insist on high-risk payment methods such as cash, cheque, wire transfer or cash transfer systems such as Western Union or Nocheques.
• Consider the seller/buyer's location. Very few internet auction frauds occur with the buyer and seller in the same police force area. Although these fraudsters do operate within the UK, they often prefer to commit their frauds in foreign countries, playing on the difficulties of international crime investigation.
• Check out escrow services - especially if the other party insists on using a particular service. These sites are often well presented and appear genuine, but fraudulent sites may have a number of spelling and grammar mistakes.
If you do find yourself a victim of internet auction fraud, report the fraudulent transaction to the internet auction site itself. You should then contact your local police office.
Author's Bio
With approximately 8,000 police officers and 2,600 police staff working round the clock, Strathclyde Police is Scotland’s largest police force, and one of the biggest in the UK.
The Force was formed in 1975 and provides a vast range of policing services on behalf of 12 local authorities.
We currently protect nearly 2.3 million people across 5,371 square miles of Scotland — from Glasgow’s lively urban areas to the rural remoteness of the Inner Hebrides — with policing services specifically tailored to the individual needs of our various communities.
There are eight territorial divisions within Strathclyde Police, each headed by a divisional commander. Each division is divided into sub divisions, serving the public at a local level.
Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several thousand would-be traders falling victim every year.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on How internet auction sites work
These sites work as facilitators for transactions between sellers and buyers. Sellers post items for sale with terms and conditions set, and potential buyers make ‘bids’. The person who makes the highest offer within an allotted time wins. Arrangements are then made between the two parties for payment and delivery of the goods.
Payment is often arranged through an escrow service. These services hold the buyer’s payment in trust until the goods have been received and checked. The buyer then authorises the escrow service to release the payment to the seller.
How internet fraudsters operate
Internet fraudsters operate in a variety of ways including the following:
‘Invisible goods' fraud
The buyer sends the payment, but no goods are delivered and inevitably, the seller cannot be contacted, as false details were originally given. Using a legitimate escrow service can help protect the buyer from this type of fraud.
Non-Payment fraud
Buyers can also fail to pay. This can happen where the seller agrees to payment after delivery. It can also occur if a stolen credit card is used to make payment to an escrow service, and this is not discovered until after the goods are sent.
Please bear in mind that this is different from the case where there is no payment made as a result of a dispute between buyer and seller. This is a civil matter.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on online escrow fraud
Unfortunately, a number of fraudsters have created apparently genuine websites offering escrow services in order to defraud would-be customers.
The seller follows instructions on how to pay his money to the escrow site, usually by means of a cash transfer system such as Western Union. The escrow site then fails to pass the money on to the seller, and can no longer be contacted by either party.
These fraudsters also use a number of other methods to maximise their gain from such a website. Escrow fraudsters can commit invisible goods frauds or can contact the losing bidders for genuine auctions, claiming to be the seller with a similar product for sale. In both cases, the fraudster insists that payment is made through their fraudulent escrow service, with the same result as before.
In addition, escrow fraudsters can ensure winning bids on genuine auctions for high-value goods, again insisting that payment is made through them. When the seller checks the escrow service, he sees that payment has been made by the buyer and sends off the goods (usually to a foreign address). The seller thereafter loses contact with the buyer and the escrow service, and does not receive the promised payment.
Don’t Be Caught Out
There are a number of steps that can be taken to minimise the risks associated with carrying out business on the internet.
• Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the auction site terms and conditions.
• Get to know the seller/buyer - if possible, check the auction website for feedback on this person. Find out details, such as a permanent address and landline telephone number. Carry out online checks to verify that information.
• Ask questions about the goods. Try to verify that a seller has the items in front of him Consider the payment arrangements requested. Fraudsters will often insist on high-risk payment methods such as cash, cheque, wire transfer or cash transfer systems such as Western Union or Nocheques.
• Consider the seller/buyer's location. Very few internet auction frauds occur with the buyer and seller in the same police force area. Although these fraudsters do operate within the UK, they often prefer to commit their frauds in foreign countries, playing on the difficulties of international crime investigation.
• Check out escrow services - especially if the other party insists on using a particular service. These sites are often well presented and appear genuine, but fraudulent sites may have a number of spelling and grammar mistakes.
If you do find yourself a victim of internet auction fraud, report the fraudulent transaction to the internet auction site itself. You should then contact your local police office.
Author's Bio
With approximately 8,000 police officers and 2,600 police staff working round the clock, Strathclyde Police is Scotland’s largest police force, and one of the biggest in the UK.
The Force was formed in 1975 and provides a vast range of policing services on behalf of 12 local authorities.
We currently protect nearly 2.3 million people across 5,371 square miles of Scotland — from Glasgow’s lively urban areas to the rural remoteness of the Inner Hebrides — with policing services specifically tailored to the individual needs of our various communities.
There are eight territorial divisions within Strathclyde Police, each headed by a divisional commander. Each division is divided into sub divisions, serving the public at a local level.
University of Strathclyde and Associates Types of Card Fraud Scam
A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital of Europe’ [1], with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the 141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in 2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK. Types of Card Fraud Scam. The UK Payments Association (APACS) has identified five categories of card fraud: Counterfeit Card Fraud, Skimming, Mail Non Receipt, Lost and Stolen Fraud, Card not Present
Counterfeit Card Fraud Scam. Counterfeit cards are also referred to as cloned cards. Counterfeit cards are made by altering and re-coding validly issued cards or by printing and encoding cards without permission from the card issuing company. Most cases of counterfeit fraud involve skimming of valid card details, a process whereby the genuine card details from the magnetic stripe are electronically copied onto another card, without the legitimate cardholder’s knowledge. In most cases, the cardholder will be unaware that their card details have been skimmed until card statements reveal that illicit transactions have been made on their account.
Skimming. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK - Skimming of card details can happen at retail outlets where a corrupt employee can put a card through a skimming device which will copy data from the card’s magnetic stripe so it can be used to encode a counterfeit card. Skimming can also occur at cash machines where a skimming device has been fitted. A skimming device is attached to the card entry slot where it records the electronic details from the magnetic stripe on the back of the inserted card. A separate pin-hole camera is hidden to overlook the PIN entry pad to record the PIN number. Fraudsters can then produce a counterfeit card for use with the captured PIN to withdraw cash at a cash machine. Criminals can also shoulder surf, whereby they watch the user entering a PIN and then steal the card for their own use. Another type of device can be inserted into a cash machine where it will trap the inserted card. A fraudster can then suggest retrying the PIN. Once the genuine cardholder gives up and leaves to contact the card issuer or cash machine operator, the criminal can then remove device, retrieve the card
and then use it with the PIN details they have observed.
Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK. Types of Card Fraud Scam. The UK Payments Association (APACS) has identified five categories of card fraud: Counterfeit Card Fraud, Skimming, Mail Non Receipt, Lost and Stolen Fraud, Card not Present
Counterfeit Card Fraud Scam. Counterfeit cards are also referred to as cloned cards. Counterfeit cards are made by altering and re-coding validly issued cards or by printing and encoding cards without permission from the card issuing company. Most cases of counterfeit fraud involve skimming of valid card details, a process whereby the genuine card details from the magnetic stripe are electronically copied onto another card, without the legitimate cardholder’s knowledge. In most cases, the cardholder will be unaware that their card details have been skimmed until card statements reveal that illicit transactions have been made on their account.
Skimming. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde and Associates, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK - Skimming of card details can happen at retail outlets where a corrupt employee can put a card through a skimming device which will copy data from the card’s magnetic stripe so it can be used to encode a counterfeit card. Skimming can also occur at cash machines where a skimming device has been fitted. A skimming device is attached to the card entry slot where it records the electronic details from the magnetic stripe on the back of the inserted card. A separate pin-hole camera is hidden to overlook the PIN entry pad to record the PIN number. Fraudsters can then produce a counterfeit card for use with the captured PIN to withdraw cash at a cash machine. Criminals can also shoulder surf, whereby they watch the user entering a PIN and then steal the card for their own use. Another type of device can be inserted into a cash machine where it will trap the inserted card. A fraudster can then suggest retrying the PIN. Once the genuine cardholder gives up and leaves to contact the card issuer or cash machine operator, the criminal can then remove device, retrieve the card
and then use it with the PIN details they have observed.
Trends in Smartcard fraud Warning– Abstract: University of Strathclyde and Associates
Susan Burns, George R. S. Weir, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK {susan.burns, george.weir}@cis.strath.ac.uk
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Abstract. The introduction of smartcard technologies has reduced the incidence of card fraud in the UK, but there are still significant losses from fraudulent card use. In this paper we detail the context of smartcard introduction and describe the types of fraud that remain a threat to cardholders and other stakeholders in the card system. We conclude with a risk analysis from the cardholder’s perspective and recommend greater cardholder awareness of such risks.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Introduction. A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital of Europe’ [1], with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the 141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in 2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
If the media is to be believed, the UK introduction of Chip and PIN authentication for credit and debit card transactions is flawed and has failed to reduce levels of card fraud across the board. Specific cases highlighting the security implications of smart card based technology have been widely reported, including exploits at Shell petrol stations [4] and Tesco self-service tills.
As cards are a widely accepted international form of payment, fraud can happen virtually anywhere in the world or on the Internet. Cards can be compromised in the UK and then used overseas. Cardwatch research shows that most of the fraud committed abroad on UK cards affects cards that have been compromised in the UK
Although the financial cost of card fraud is largely borne by the banking industry, the cardholder experiences loss of time in taking steps to resolve matters, as well as inconvenience, worry and frustration while a fraudulent incident is investigated. The cardholder’s credit rating can be affected and the whole affair can be a distressing experience.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Abstract. The introduction of smartcard technologies has reduced the incidence of card fraud in the UK, but there are still significant losses from fraudulent card use. In this paper we detail the context of smartcard introduction and describe the types of fraud that remain a threat to cardholders and other stakeholders in the card system. We conclude with a risk analysis from the cardholder’s perspective and recommend greater cardholder awareness of such risks.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Introduction. A recent report from the European Security Transport Association (ESTA) found that nearly 20% of the adult population in Great Britain has been targeted as part of a credit or debit card scam. As a result, the UK has been termed the ‘Card Fraud Capital of Europe’ [1], with UK citizens twice as likely to become victims of card fraud as other Europeans. Plastic card fraud is a lucrative exploit for criminals and the proceeds may be used to fund organised crime. Smart payment cards (Chip and PIN cards) were introduced in the UK to replace magnetic stripe cards and support PIN verification of card transactions. By the end of 2005, more than 107 million of the 141.6 million cards in the UK had been upgraded to smart cards [2]. Levels of plastic card fraud fell by 13% to £439.4 million in 2005 [3] and again to £428 million in 2006 (Figure 1). The reduction has been widely attributed to the rollout of smart cards with Chip and PIN authentication.
If the media is to be believed, the UK introduction of Chip and PIN authentication for credit and debit card transactions is flawed and has failed to reduce levels of card fraud across the board. Specific cases highlighting the security implications of smart card based technology have been widely reported, including exploits at Shell petrol stations [4] and Tesco self-service tills.
As cards are a widely accepted international form of payment, fraud can happen virtually anywhere in the world or on the Internet. Cards can be compromised in the UK and then used overseas. Cardwatch research shows that most of the fraud committed abroad on UK cards affects cards that have been compromised in the UK
Although the financial cost of card fraud is largely borne by the banking industry, the cardholder experiences loss of time in taking steps to resolve matters, as well as inconvenience, worry and frustration while a fraudulent incident is investigated. The cardholder’s credit rating can be affected and the whole affair can be a distressing experience.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Boiler Room Movie Review
The Digital Information Office, Strathclyde University and Associates service for electronic resource management review by Bradley Null: America is the land of opportunity, and now more than ever, the opportunity that most Americans are preoccupied with is that of easy money. Our news media is saturated with stories of the instant millionaire, 25-year-old startup CEOs worth nine figures or the crafty investor that bought that startup on IPO and doesn't have to worry too much about his day job anymore either. There are a number of powerful cautionary tales waiting to be drawn from this unwholesome frenzy. Boiler Room tries to tell one of these stories, but sadly it fails to add much to the greed genre established by its two heavily referenced predecessors: Wall Street (1987) and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992).
Boiler Room is the story of Seth (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout obsessed with the American dream of easy money. After concluding rather quickly that college isn't necessarily the fast track to a quick buck, he opens up an underground casino out of his house in Queens, providing a popular service for the local city college kids. After his disapproving father (Rifkin) finds out about the casino, Seth, feeling a repressed need to gain his father's approval, looks into an opportunity to become a stockbroker at the small firm of J.T. Marlin.
As it turns out, the firm, located in the heart of Long Island, conspicuously far from Wall Street, is a 'chop shop,' shorthand for a brokerage house more interested in pawning off securities for its own interests rather than serving its customers. When Seth's father discovers this, not only does Seth not find the approval he was hoping for, but he is excommunicated from the family.
Though he has only a minor part in the film, Ben Affleck is highlighted in trailers for the film, and the discerning observer will notice a strong similarity between his scene in the trailer, and Alec Baldwin's immortalized portrayal of a real estate shark in Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, Affleck's big scene draws heavily on Baldwin's, though his performance (and the material he has to work with) does not live up to what is almost universally agreed upon as the best performance of Baldwin's career. This is not the only referencing of David Mamet's portrayal of the dark world of real estate cold-calling in this movie, however. Later in the film, when receiving some instructions on how to cold-call potential customers, Seth is told to remember one of Baldwin's catch phrases from that scene, 'A-B-C. Always Be Closing.' Boiler Room also liberally references, both directly and indirectly, its direct predecessor in the 'greed is good' category of filmmaking. Not only drawing its basic theme and plot structure from Wall Street, Boiler Room also draws its best dialogue during a scene in which a number of young stock brokers sitting in one of their sparely decorated mansions, compete with each other to quote lines from Wall Street, whose antagonist, Gordon Gecko, is obviously regarded as an idol within the group.
As a movie, Boiler Room is moderately entertaining. Vin Diesel in particular, off a strong turn in Saving Private Ryan, turns in another powerful performance as Chris, one of Seth's mentors at J.T. Marlin. Sadly though, Ben Younger, in his writing and directorial debut, adds very little to the filmic pantheon in his own voice. Even the film's most prolific statement on the American obsession with getting rich, 'either you're slinging crack rock or you've got a wicked jump shot,' is a quote of the rap star Notorious B.I.G. The most admirable outcome of this film might be that it leads viewers to check out its two predecessors. I would urge the same as well.
Boiler Room is the story of Seth (Ribisi), a 19-year-old college dropout obsessed with the American dream of easy money. After concluding rather quickly that college isn't necessarily the fast track to a quick buck, he opens up an underground casino out of his house in Queens, providing a popular service for the local city college kids. After his disapproving father (Rifkin) finds out about the casino, Seth, feeling a repressed need to gain his father's approval, looks into an opportunity to become a stockbroker at the small firm of J.T. Marlin.
As it turns out, the firm, located in the heart of Long Island, conspicuously far from Wall Street, is a 'chop shop,' shorthand for a brokerage house more interested in pawning off securities for its own interests rather than serving its customers. When Seth's father discovers this, not only does Seth not find the approval he was hoping for, but he is excommunicated from the family.
Though he has only a minor part in the film, Ben Affleck is highlighted in trailers for the film, and the discerning observer will notice a strong similarity between his scene in the trailer, and Alec Baldwin's immortalized portrayal of a real estate shark in Glengarry Glen Ross. In fact, Affleck's big scene draws heavily on Baldwin's, though his performance (and the material he has to work with) does not live up to what is almost universally agreed upon as the best performance of Baldwin's career. This is not the only referencing of David Mamet's portrayal of the dark world of real estate cold-calling in this movie, however. Later in the film, when receiving some instructions on how to cold-call potential customers, Seth is told to remember one of Baldwin's catch phrases from that scene, 'A-B-C. Always Be Closing.' Boiler Room also liberally references, both directly and indirectly, its direct predecessor in the 'greed is good' category of filmmaking. Not only drawing its basic theme and plot structure from Wall Street, Boiler Room also draws its best dialogue during a scene in which a number of young stock brokers sitting in one of their sparely decorated mansions, compete with each other to quote lines from Wall Street, whose antagonist, Gordon Gecko, is obviously regarded as an idol within the group.
As a movie, Boiler Room is moderately entertaining. Vin Diesel in particular, off a strong turn in Saving Private Ryan, turns in another powerful performance as Chris, one of Seth's mentors at J.T. Marlin. Sadly though, Ben Younger, in his writing and directorial debut, adds very little to the filmic pantheon in his own voice. Even the film's most prolific statement on the American obsession with getting rich, 'either you're slinging crack rock or you've got a wicked jump shot,' is a quote of the rap star Notorious B.I.G. The most admirable outcome of this film might be that it leads viewers to check out its two predecessors. I would urge the same as well.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group
A NEW FOCUS ON QUALITY: The building regulations update away back in 2002 introduced new flexibility into how compliance could be demonstrated. The novel carbon emissions based alternative offered a whole building approach to achieving targets compared to the prescriptive elemental approach which until then had been the only route. It occurred to many building design practitioners that traditional manual design calculation methods would not allow these opportunities to be fully explored.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: Dynamic computer modelling and simulation tools obviously could have a part to play, but where to start? What computational tool to use? What about hardware requirements, recruitment, training? Thus the Scottish Energy Systems Group was established, with funding from The Scottish Executive and Strathclyde European Partnership, to provide guidance and support to the industry. The objective was to give the Scottish building design community a head start in producing a better quality of building design, incorporating more innovation and new ideas, and with confidence that the solution would work as intended.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: Four years on, and a whole new set of regulations are being introduced, with target carbon emissions the only route to compliance. Now computer modelling is an almost indispensable tool for design evaluation, and indeed is becoming an integral part of the route to compliance (see article on New Building Regulations). Most of our members are using one of the various packages available, or at least have explored the possibilities via consultancy partnerships.
So what else is there to do?
Our philosophy from the outset has been total engagement with our members. That means not just putting on seminars and technology introduction workshops, valuable activities in themselves, but also getting out into members’ offices and working on real projects, setting up the technology within their working environment, even lending them the necessary hardware.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: Some members could now be described as pioneers; real leaders in the use of dynamic modelling tools applied to building systems design. Others have had a go, but things have fallen by the wayside, because in adopting the technology they did not adopt an integrated process to go with it. The focus was all on the tool, rather than on how modelling would fit into the overall design process. Starting up an airline is more than just deciding which aircraft to fly. Likewise, there is a lot more to consider in establishing building energy modelling than just which particular software package to go for. That is why, in this issue of HotNews, we are focussing on Quality Assurance (see article “Quality Assurance process for building modelling”). We want members to take a step back and look at how they are using their modelling tools. A good starting point would be to conduct an audit. And where to turn to for help with that? SESG of course! Even if you think you don’t have a problem, a half day of free, on-site consultancy could give you the reassurance you need. If you want to use modelling tools to develop Part L compliant designs, your modelling capabilities will be mission critical (in Scotland it will be Section 6, and a different route to compliance is being developed). We will continue to support this core service (we call it Supported Technology Deployment) with seminars on topical subjects (see the events section) which are often followed up by a technology introduction workshop that allows members to try out various computational approaches for themselves, and even to explore solutions to real live projects, with on-hand support from SESG staff. We will always seek to involve the “pioneers” in such events; they can relate the practicalities of reconciling business-as-usual with new ways of doing things. The usual pattern is that after attending a seminar, say on renewable technologies, a member sees benefits in being able to model, for example, building integrated renewables, and so attends a technology introduction workshop, led by an expert in the field. The next step is for the member to invite SESG staff to come to their office, help with installation of the software, ensure that quality assurance issues are dealt with, and leave the member up and running with a new capability, with occasional follow up sessions as required.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: If you are a Scotland based building design practitioner, installer or manufacturer, no matter how small your organisation might be, you can benefit from this service. How? Very simply, by becoming a member. A simple audit of your current process or evaluation of your needs will start you off, and we will further support you as you move to adopt your chosen packages and integrate their use into your practice. If your needs could be met through a development effort, we may be able to do that for you too. If you would like to have a chat about joining, please contact us at: Jeremy@sesg.strath.ac.uk,
0141 548 5765.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: Dynamic computer modelling and simulation tools obviously could have a part to play, but where to start? What computational tool to use? What about hardware requirements, recruitment, training? Thus the Scottish Energy Systems Group was established, with funding from The Scottish Executive and Strathclyde European Partnership, to provide guidance and support to the industry. The objective was to give the Scottish building design community a head start in producing a better quality of building design, incorporating more innovation and new ideas, and with confidence that the solution would work as intended.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: Four years on, and a whole new set of regulations are being introduced, with target carbon emissions the only route to compliance. Now computer modelling is an almost indispensable tool for design evaluation, and indeed is becoming an integral part of the route to compliance (see article on New Building Regulations). Most of our members are using one of the various packages available, or at least have explored the possibilities via consultancy partnerships.
So what else is there to do?
Our philosophy from the outset has been total engagement with our members. That means not just putting on seminars and technology introduction workshops, valuable activities in themselves, but also getting out into members’ offices and working on real projects, setting up the technology within their working environment, even lending them the necessary hardware.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: Some members could now be described as pioneers; real leaders in the use of dynamic modelling tools applied to building systems design. Others have had a go, but things have fallen by the wayside, because in adopting the technology they did not adopt an integrated process to go with it. The focus was all on the tool, rather than on how modelling would fit into the overall design process. Starting up an airline is more than just deciding which aircraft to fly. Likewise, there is a lot more to consider in establishing building energy modelling than just which particular software package to go for. That is why, in this issue of HotNews, we are focussing on Quality Assurance (see article “Quality Assurance process for building modelling”). We want members to take a step back and look at how they are using their modelling tools. A good starting point would be to conduct an audit. And where to turn to for help with that? SESG of course! Even if you think you don’t have a problem, a half day of free, on-site consultancy could give you the reassurance you need. If you want to use modelling tools to develop Part L compliant designs, your modelling capabilities will be mission critical (in Scotland it will be Section 6, and a different route to compliance is being developed). We will continue to support this core service (we call it Supported Technology Deployment) with seminars on topical subjects (see the events section) which are often followed up by a technology introduction workshop that allows members to try out various computational approaches for themselves, and even to explore solutions to real live projects, with on-hand support from SESG staff. We will always seek to involve the “pioneers” in such events; they can relate the practicalities of reconciling business-as-usual with new ways of doing things. The usual pattern is that after attending a seminar, say on renewable technologies, a member sees benefits in being able to model, for example, building integrated renewables, and so attends a technology introduction workshop, led by an expert in the field. The next step is for the member to invite SESG staff to come to their office, help with installation of the software, ensure that quality assurance issues are dealt with, and leave the member up and running with a new capability, with occasional follow up sessions as required.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Scottish Energy Systems Group: If you are a Scotland based building design practitioner, installer or manufacturer, no matter how small your organisation might be, you can benefit from this service. How? Very simply, by becoming a member. A simple audit of your current process or evaluation of your needs will start you off, and we will further support you as you move to adopt your chosen packages and integrate their use into your practice. If your needs could be met through a development effort, we may be able to do that for you too. If you would like to have a chat about joining, please contact us at: Jeremy@sesg.strath.ac.uk,
0141 548 5765.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University and Associates: New Faces at SESG
We have seen big changes at SESG over the past few months. Meet the new team!
Strathclyde University and Associates: Dr Jeremy Cockroft took over as director of SESG at the beginning of April 2006. He is supported by Dr Jon Hand and Dr Aizaz Samuel. We have a vacancy that we hope to fill soon. Here is a brief resume of the people now in the group: Jon has had experience as a practicing architect specializing in low energy buildings and alternative construction techniques. He is a simulation consultant in several continents, a software developer, and a mentor to companies embedding computational support for the design process. He possesses a particular aptitude for identifying simulation quality assurance weaknesses and developing improvement programmes for building design practitioners.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Aizaz has a background in advanced energy conservation measures. He is also an expert on modelling contaminant distribution in the indoor air quality field, using both network airflow and computational fluid dynamic modelling techniques. Jeremy was deeply involved in the early years of energy and air flow modelling, subsequently was a product development manager and business unit leader in the building controls industry, before returning to academia to support energy related consultancy services within the ESRU group. On taking over as Director of SESG, Jeremy said “When I think back to the pioneering days of building energy modelling and simulation, not so many years ago, the idea of building design practitioners using modeling software on a routine basis was a distant dream. Now we see these tools being used as an integral step in achieving building regulation compliance, which is an extraordinary achievement for the modelling community and those building designers who pioneered the use of these tools in their practice. But we have to keep moving forward; the modelling challenges are always with us. Now we face the need to look beyond just the building fabric and plant systems, and consider how energy flows interact at a community level, with increasing integration of renewable energy generation and interactions between fluctuating supplies and demands to manage the overall energy system balance. Scotland is ideally positioned as a renewable energy powerhouse, surrounded as we are with wind, wave and hydro resources to exploit, so we see our supporting role continuing to add value to the Scottish building design community as they develop new performance assessment services based on computational modeling technologies. Whilst we will continue to promote our seminar programme, I will be putting much more emphasis on direct engagement; getting out there and providing member with one-to-one support in achieving their goals. And I hope members won’t be slow in coming forward when they want us to assist them; after all, it is all free!”
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Dr Jeremy Cockroft took over as director of SESG at the beginning of April 2006. He is supported by Dr Jon Hand and Dr Aizaz Samuel. We have a vacancy that we hope to fill soon. Here is a brief resume of the people now in the group: Jon has had experience as a practicing architect specializing in low energy buildings and alternative construction techniques. He is a simulation consultant in several continents, a software developer, and a mentor to companies embedding computational support for the design process. He possesses a particular aptitude for identifying simulation quality assurance weaknesses and developing improvement programmes for building design practitioners.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Aizaz has a background in advanced energy conservation measures. He is also an expert on modelling contaminant distribution in the indoor air quality field, using both network airflow and computational fluid dynamic modelling techniques. Jeremy was deeply involved in the early years of energy and air flow modelling, subsequently was a product development manager and business unit leader in the building controls industry, before returning to academia to support energy related consultancy services within the ESRU group. On taking over as Director of SESG, Jeremy said “When I think back to the pioneering days of building energy modelling and simulation, not so many years ago, the idea of building design practitioners using modeling software on a routine basis was a distant dream. Now we see these tools being used as an integral step in achieving building regulation compliance, which is an extraordinary achievement for the modelling community and those building designers who pioneered the use of these tools in their practice. But we have to keep moving forward; the modelling challenges are always with us. Now we face the need to look beyond just the building fabric and plant systems, and consider how energy flows interact at a community level, with increasing integration of renewable energy generation and interactions between fluctuating supplies and demands to manage the overall energy system balance. Scotland is ideally positioned as a renewable energy powerhouse, surrounded as we are with wind, wave and hydro resources to exploit, so we see our supporting role continuing to add value to the Scottish building design community as they develop new performance assessment services based on computational modeling technologies. Whilst we will continue to promote our seminar programme, I will be putting much more emphasis on direct engagement; getting out there and providing member with one-to-one support in achieving their goals. And I hope members won’t be slow in coming forward when they want us to assist them; after all, it is all free!”
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Virus Scam Warnings And Other Hoaxes
If you receive a 'virus or a scam warning' in your email, the first and only action you should take is to forward it to the Helpdesk, maybe copy the message to your Departmental Computing Officer, and await advice. We will check it out, and let you know if it is a genuine threat, whether anyone in the University is at risk, and whether we need to issue a general alert.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Guidelines For Dealing With Virus Warnings And Other Hoaxes - Do not forward it to everyone you know. If this warning did not come from your recognised IT support people (IT Services or your Departmental Computing Officer), then the chances are extremely high that it is a hoax. This is especially likely to be true if the mail was forwarded by a friend, even if they "know about these things".
Spotting Virus Hoaxes
Virus hoaxes are actually fairly easy to spot, once you've seen a few of them. They all use pretty much the same sort of language, lots of use of CAPITALS, usually mention some major IT company you've heard of (e.g., IBM, Microsoft, AOL) or some government, and almost always advise you to "pass it on to AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU KNOW". They often refer to dire consequences such as the destruction of "EVERYTHING on your hard drive". You can find out more about the characteristics of virus hoaxes at:
Strathclyde University and Associates: Guidelines For Dealing With Virus Warnings And Other Hoaxes - CIAC Internet Hoax Information: How To Identify A Hoax
Unless you're extremely unlucky, they first people who will receive information about new, real viruses are the virus vendors and the various organisations concerned with Internet security. These are the people who will send out alerts to relevant mailing lists, and put information about the viruses on their web pages. They won't mail "everyone on the Internet" to inform them about the virus. If you've asked to be kept informed about virus threats by registering on an email distribution list, then you will probably receive mail from them. If you haven't, and you receive mail about a virus purporting to be from an anti-virus software vendor, and it hasn't been forwarded by a friend or associate, then be extremely suspicious.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Guidelines For Dealing With Virus Warnings And Other Hoaxes - Other Hoaxes: More commonly seen now are other types of hoaxes; so-called 'phishing' attempts (messages from a bank or other financial site, asking you to confirm your identity and login details) and 419 scams (messages on behalf of the relatives of dead but rich people, often in unstable African states, who need assistance in transferring money out of their country).
Strathclyde University and Associates: Guidelines For Dealing With Virus Warnings And Other Hoaxes - Do not forward it to everyone you know. If this warning did not come from your recognised IT support people (IT Services or your Departmental Computing Officer), then the chances are extremely high that it is a hoax. This is especially likely to be true if the mail was forwarded by a friend, even if they "know about these things".
Spotting Virus Hoaxes
Virus hoaxes are actually fairly easy to spot, once you've seen a few of them. They all use pretty much the same sort of language, lots of use of CAPITALS, usually mention some major IT company you've heard of (e.g., IBM, Microsoft, AOL) or some government, and almost always advise you to "pass it on to AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU KNOW". They often refer to dire consequences such as the destruction of "EVERYTHING on your hard drive". You can find out more about the characteristics of virus hoaxes at:
Strathclyde University and Associates: Guidelines For Dealing With Virus Warnings And Other Hoaxes - CIAC Internet Hoax Information: How To Identify A Hoax
Unless you're extremely unlucky, they first people who will receive information about new, real viruses are the virus vendors and the various organisations concerned with Internet security. These are the people who will send out alerts to relevant mailing lists, and put information about the viruses on their web pages. They won't mail "everyone on the Internet" to inform them about the virus. If you've asked to be kept informed about virus threats by registering on an email distribution list, then you will probably receive mail from them. If you haven't, and you receive mail about a virus purporting to be from an anti-virus software vendor, and it hasn't been forwarded by a friend or associate, then be extremely suspicious.
Strathclyde University and Associates: Guidelines For Dealing With Virus Warnings And Other Hoaxes - Other Hoaxes: More commonly seen now are other types of hoaxes; so-called 'phishing' attempts (messages from a bank or other financial site, asking you to confirm your identity and login details) and 419 scams (messages on behalf of the relatives of dead but rich people, often in unstable African states, who need assistance in transferring money out of their country).
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
boiler room strathclyde police associates scam awareness
Strathclyde Police Warning on Identity Theft Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
By: Strathclyde Police and Associates|2011-01-21|National, state, local
Your identity value and how to protect your details against identity theft. As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from strathclyde associates police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give you advice about how to avoid being a victim. Identity theft is a growing problem.
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Strathclyde Police Warning on Social Networking and Other Internet Scams
By: Strathclyde Police and Associates|2011-01-28|Technology
Sites like Bebo, MySpace and Facebook are part of an internet phenomenon known as ‘social networking’ or other related bookmarking associates. They can be great fun to use and are an important part of many young people’s social lives. But, like any internet tool, they can be used for harmful or criminal purposes. Strathclyde police and associates Warning and Benefits, Other Risks Social networking sites create a feeling of community. This can be positive or negative depending on the nature of the community created.
Tags: boiler room strathclyde police associates scam awareness | boiler room
By: Strathclyde Police and Associates|2011-01-21|National, state, local
Your identity value and how to protect your details against identity theft. As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from strathclyde associates police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give you advice about how to avoid being a victim. Identity theft is a growing problem.
Tags: boiler room strathclyde police associates scam awareness | boiler room
Strathclyde Police Warning on Social Networking and Other Internet Scams
By: Strathclyde Police and Associates|2011-01-28|Technology
Sites like Bebo, MySpace and Facebook are part of an internet phenomenon known as ‘social networking’ or other related bookmarking associates. They can be great fun to use and are an important part of many young people’s social lives. But, like any internet tool, they can be used for harmful or criminal purposes. Strathclyde police and associates Warning and Benefits, Other Risks Social networking sites create a feeling of community. This can be positive or negative depending on the nature of the community created.
Tags: boiler room strathclyde police associates scam awareness | boiler room
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Strathclyde Police Internet Auction Warning on Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
By Strathclyde Police and Associates on January 20, 2011 - As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give... [+]
you advice about how to avoid being a victim. Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several... Read more
Archived in: strathclyde police associates strathclyde report crime strathclyde associates scam fraud theft boiler room strathclyde polic safety publications boiler room
Strathclyde Police Internet Auction Warning on Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
By Strathclyde Police and Associates on January 20, 2011 - As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give... [+]
you advice about how to avoid being a victim. Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several... Read more
Archived in: strathclyde police associates strathclyde report crime strathclyde associates scam fraud theft boiler room strathclyde polic safety publications boiler room
Strathclyde Police Internet Auction Warning on Fraud, Scam and Boiler Room Associates
As technology advances, fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated. The following pages from Strathclyde Associates Police highlight some recent types of fraud which are causing concern and give you advice about how to avoid being a victim.
Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several thousand would-be traders falling victim every year.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on How internet auction sites work
These sites work as facilitators for transactions between sellers and buyers. Sellers post items for sale with terms and conditions set, and potential buyers make ‘bids’. The person who makes the highest offer within an allotted time wins. Arrangements are then made between the two parties for payment and delivery of the goods.
Payment is often arranged through an escrow service. These services hold the buyer’s payment in trust until the goods have been received and checked. The buyer then authorises the escrow service to release the payment to the seller.
How internet fraudsters operate
Internet fraudsters operate in a variety of ways including the following:
‘Invisible goods' fraud
The buyer sends the payment, but no goods are delivered and inevitably, the seller cannot be contacted, as false details were originally given. Using a legitimate escrow service can help protect the buyer from this type of fraud.
Non-Payment fraud
Buyers can also fail to pay. This can happen where the seller agrees to payment after delivery. It can also occur if a stolen credit card is used to make payment to an escrow service, and this is not discovered until after the goods are sent.
Please bear in mind that this is different from the case where there is no payment made as a result of a dispute between buyer and seller. This is a civil matter.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on online escrow fraud
Unfortunately, a number of fraudsters have created apparently genuine websites offering escrow services in order to defraud would-be customers.
The seller follows instructions on how to pay his money to the escrow site, usually by means of a cash transfer system such as Western Union. The escrow site then fails to pass the money on to the seller, and can no longer be contacted by either party.
These fraudsters also use a number of other methods to maximise their gain from such a website. Escrow fraudsters can commit invisible goods frauds or can contact the losing bidders for genuine auctions, claiming to be the seller with a similar product for sale. In both cases, the fraudster insists that payment is made through their fraudulent escrow service, with the same result as before.
In addition, escrow fraudsters can ensure winning bids on genuine auctions for high-value goods, again insisting that payment is made through them. When the seller checks the escrow service, he sees that payment has been made by the buyer and sends off the goods (usually to a foreign address). The seller thereafter loses contact with the buyer and the escrow service, and does not receive the promised payment.
Don’t Be Caught Out
There are a number of steps that can be taken to minimise the risks associated with carrying out business on the internet.
• Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the auction site terms and conditions.
• Get to know the seller/buyer - if possible, check the auction website for feedback on this person. Find out details, such as a permanent address and landline telephone number. Carry out online checks to verify that information.
• Ask questions about the goods. Try to verify that a seller has the items in front of him Consider the payment arrangements requested. Fraudsters will often insist on high-risk payment methods such as cash, cheque, wire transfer or cash transfer systems such as Western Union or Nocheques.
• Consider the seller/buyer's location. Very few internet auction frauds occur with the buyer and seller in the same police force area. Although these fraudsters do operate within the UK, they often prefer to commit their frauds in foreign countries, playing on the difficulties of international crime investigation.
• Check out escrow services - especially if the other party insists on using a particular service. These sites are often well presented and appear genuine, but fraudulent sites may have a number of spelling and grammar mistakes.
If you do find yourself a victim of internet auction fraud, report the fraudulent transaction to the internet auction site itself. You should then contact your local police office.
Internet auction sites like eBay and Yahoo provide a useful service for the public. However, like other areas of business, they have become the targets of fraudsters, with several thousand would-be traders falling victim every year.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on How internet auction sites work
These sites work as facilitators for transactions between sellers and buyers. Sellers post items for sale with terms and conditions set, and potential buyers make ‘bids’. The person who makes the highest offer within an allotted time wins. Arrangements are then made between the two parties for payment and delivery of the goods.
Payment is often arranged through an escrow service. These services hold the buyer’s payment in trust until the goods have been received and checked. The buyer then authorises the escrow service to release the payment to the seller.
How internet fraudsters operate
Internet fraudsters operate in a variety of ways including the following:
‘Invisible goods' fraud
The buyer sends the payment, but no goods are delivered and inevitably, the seller cannot be contacted, as false details were originally given. Using a legitimate escrow service can help protect the buyer from this type of fraud.
Non-Payment fraud
Buyers can also fail to pay. This can happen where the seller agrees to payment after delivery. It can also occur if a stolen credit card is used to make payment to an escrow service, and this is not discovered until after the goods are sent.
Please bear in mind that this is different from the case where there is no payment made as a result of a dispute between buyer and seller. This is a civil matter.
Strathclyde Associates Police highlights on online escrow fraud
Unfortunately, a number of fraudsters have created apparently genuine websites offering escrow services in order to defraud would-be customers.
The seller follows instructions on how to pay his money to the escrow site, usually by means of a cash transfer system such as Western Union. The escrow site then fails to pass the money on to the seller, and can no longer be contacted by either party.
These fraudsters also use a number of other methods to maximise their gain from such a website. Escrow fraudsters can commit invisible goods frauds or can contact the losing bidders for genuine auctions, claiming to be the seller with a similar product for sale. In both cases, the fraudster insists that payment is made through their fraudulent escrow service, with the same result as before.
In addition, escrow fraudsters can ensure winning bids on genuine auctions for high-value goods, again insisting that payment is made through them. When the seller checks the escrow service, he sees that payment has been made by the buyer and sends off the goods (usually to a foreign address). The seller thereafter loses contact with the buyer and the escrow service, and does not receive the promised payment.
Don’t Be Caught Out
There are a number of steps that can be taken to minimise the risks associated with carrying out business on the internet.
• Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the auction site terms and conditions.
• Get to know the seller/buyer - if possible, check the auction website for feedback on this person. Find out details, such as a permanent address and landline telephone number. Carry out online checks to verify that information.
• Ask questions about the goods. Try to verify that a seller has the items in front of him Consider the payment arrangements requested. Fraudsters will often insist on high-risk payment methods such as cash, cheque, wire transfer or cash transfer systems such as Western Union or Nocheques.
• Consider the seller/buyer's location. Very few internet auction frauds occur with the buyer and seller in the same police force area. Although these fraudsters do operate within the UK, they often prefer to commit their frauds in foreign countries, playing on the difficulties of international crime investigation.
• Check out escrow services - especially if the other party insists on using a particular service. These sites are often well presented and appear genuine, but fraudulent sites may have a number of spelling and grammar mistakes.
If you do find yourself a victim of internet auction fraud, report the fraudulent transaction to the internet auction site itself. You should then contact your local police office.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Prof George Tesar: Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates
Prof George Tesar. University of Umea, Sweden. Umeå School of Business, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå.
Current position / Job Summary Professor of Marketing and International BusinessTeaching Area Marketing Management, Strategic Marketing, Product Development and Management, Business Research Methods, Marketing Theory, International Marketing, Research in Marketing, and Marketing Theory.Research Area Internationalization of smaller manufacturing firms, executive education in science and business management, technology transfer, and new product management.Awards / Honours 2004 Product Development and Management Association's Execellence Award; Life Member, Western Society of Engineers; Past Board member, Society of Automotive Analysts and Product Development and Management Association; Past member, Wisconsin International Trade Council.Other Merits Chair, Academic Board, Brno International Business School, Czech Republic. Visiting Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark; Brno Technical University, Czech Republic; Czech Management Center, Czech Republic; and Helsinki School of Economics, Finland. Seminars and lectures, University of Oulu, Finland; University of St. Gallen, Switzerland; University of Turku, Finland; University of Vaasa, Finland; University of Veszprem, Hungary; Arnhem Business School, Netherlands; Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki, Finland; University of Calgary, Canada.
The University is right at the heart of Glasgow - Scotland's biggest and most cosmopolitan city. The city centre has a vibrant arts scene, cutting-edge music, legendary nightlife, an exciting selection of places to eat out and much more. So studying at Strathclyde goes hand-in-hand with having a great time.
Inter-campus bus service. There's a regular shuttle bus between the John Anderson Campus and the Jordanhill Campus.
Seeing more of Glasgow. There's a lot to see in and around Glasgow - stately homes and museums like the Burrell Collection and Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum are unmissable. And with Loch Lomond just half an hour away there's plenty of breathtaking scenery to enjoy too. Glasgow also has great shopping and inspiring architecture - why not take a look at www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk and www.scotcities.com to get some ideas?
As the biggest city in Scotland and the third biggest in Britain, Glasgow has excellent national and international transport links. And it's easy to get around once you're here too. This section gives you all the information you need to find us - and some hints on what visitors should see in Glasgow.
Live music. Glasgow is home to many bands that are now international names and there's loads of new talent coming out of the city's live music venues. So whether you are into rock or indie, punk or even country music, there's a place where you can give your eardrums a treat.
High culture. As well as its thriving street culture, Glasgow has more than its fair share of high culture, with a year-round programme of arts and music. There are over 20 museums and galleries, and the city is home to Scottish Opera, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Royal Ballet.
Green spaces. People visiting Glasgow for the first time are often surprised at the amount of green space in the city centre - all the 19th-century landscaped parks and gardens are the perfect balance to the urban pace of life.
Sporting highlights. With a keenly contested rivalry between the country's two top football teams - Rangers and Celtic - an international stadium at Hampden and hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Glasgow has a rightful claim to be Scotland's sporting capital.
The Highlands and Islands. With so much to do in the city centre, it's a wonder anyone finds time to venture out further - but with the highlands and islands less than an hour away, it's too tempting to resist.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Current position / Job Summary Professor of Marketing and International BusinessTeaching Area Marketing Management, Strategic Marketing, Product Development and Management, Business Research Methods, Marketing Theory, International Marketing, Research in Marketing, and Marketing Theory.Research Area Internationalization of smaller manufacturing firms, executive education in science and business management, technology transfer, and new product management.Awards / Honours 2004 Product Development and Management Association's Execellence Award; Life Member, Western Society of Engineers; Past Board member, Society of Automotive Analysts and Product Development and Management Association; Past member, Wisconsin International Trade Council.Other Merits Chair, Academic Board, Brno International Business School, Czech Republic. Visiting Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark; Brno Technical University, Czech Republic; Czech Management Center, Czech Republic; and Helsinki School of Economics, Finland. Seminars and lectures, University of Oulu, Finland; University of St. Gallen, Switzerland; University of Turku, Finland; University of Vaasa, Finland; University of Veszprem, Hungary; Arnhem Business School, Netherlands; Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsinki, Finland; University of Calgary, Canada.
The University is right at the heart of Glasgow - Scotland's biggest and most cosmopolitan city. The city centre has a vibrant arts scene, cutting-edge music, legendary nightlife, an exciting selection of places to eat out and much more. So studying at Strathclyde goes hand-in-hand with having a great time.
Inter-campus bus service. There's a regular shuttle bus between the John Anderson Campus and the Jordanhill Campus.
Seeing more of Glasgow. There's a lot to see in and around Glasgow - stately homes and museums like the Burrell Collection and Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum are unmissable. And with Loch Lomond just half an hour away there's plenty of breathtaking scenery to enjoy too. Glasgow also has great shopping and inspiring architecture - why not take a look at www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk and www.scotcities.com to get some ideas?
As the biggest city in Scotland and the third biggest in Britain, Glasgow has excellent national and international transport links. And it's easy to get around once you're here too. This section gives you all the information you need to find us - and some hints on what visitors should see in Glasgow.
Live music. Glasgow is home to many bands that are now international names and there's loads of new talent coming out of the city's live music venues. So whether you are into rock or indie, punk or even country music, there's a place where you can give your eardrums a treat.
High culture. As well as its thriving street culture, Glasgow has more than its fair share of high culture, with a year-round programme of arts and music. There are over 20 museums and galleries, and the city is home to Scottish Opera, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Scottish Royal Ballet.
Green spaces. People visiting Glasgow for the first time are often surprised at the amount of green space in the city centre - all the 19th-century landscaped parks and gardens are the perfect balance to the urban pace of life.
Sporting highlights. With a keenly contested rivalry between the country's two top football teams - Rangers and Celtic - an international stadium at Hampden and hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014, Glasgow has a rightful claim to be Scotland's sporting capital.
The Highlands and Islands. With so much to do in the city centre, it's a wonder anyone finds time to venture out further - but with the highlands and islands less than an hour away, it's too tempting to resist.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Prof Peter Liesch : Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates Prof Peter Liesch. University of Queensland.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : Professor Liesch researches the processes and nature of the internationalisation of the firm, both large and small firms. He also investigates the nature of international business operations abroad, from export through to wholly-owned subsidiaries. The manner in which interfirm and intrafirm exchange is undertaken through these international operations is part of his research.
Peter Liesch is Professor of International Business and Leader of the Enterprise and International Business Cluster. He joined The University of Queensland in 1999 after several years at The University of Tasmania where he was Professor of Management in International Business and Head of the School of Management. At The University of Queensland, he has served as Head of the previous, pre-merger School of Management and Director of the MBA Program.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : His Ph.D in Economics, written on the topic of government mandated-countertrade, was awarded by The University of Queensland. He has a book by this title. He has published many book chapters, and widely in the academic journals which include: Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Management Studies, Management International Review, International Journal of Human Resource Management, International Journal of Technology Management, Prometheus, Industrial Marketing Management, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Innovation Management, International Marketing Review and others. Professor Liesch serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of International Business Studies and the Journal of International Management.
He is a Professional Member of the Economic Society of Australia (Qld. Inc) and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. His primary research interests include: internationalisation of the firm (particularly the smaller firm), alternative systems of inter-firm exchange, and international business operations in their diversity, both their strategies and organisational forms. He has interests in research methodology. Professor Liesch is a CI on a current ARC Discovery Grant researching the early and rapid internationalisation of the firm, the so-called born global phenomenon. Professor Liesch has served on many university committees, and is a current member of The University of Queensland Standing Committee of its Academic Board.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Peter Liesch is Professor of International Business and Leader of the Enterprise and International Business Cluster. He joined The University of Queensland in 1999 after several years at The University of Tasmania where he was Professor of Management in International Business and Head of the School of Management. At The University of Queensland, he has served as Head of the previous, pre-merger School of Management and Director of the MBA Program.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : His Ph.D in Economics, written on the topic of government mandated-countertrade, was awarded by The University of Queensland. He has a book by this title. He has published many book chapters, and widely in the academic journals which include: Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Operations Management, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Management Studies, Management International Review, International Journal of Human Resource Management, International Journal of Technology Management, Prometheus, Industrial Marketing Management, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Innovation Management, International Marketing Review and others. Professor Liesch serves on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of International Business Studies and the Journal of International Management.
He is a Professional Member of the Economic Society of Australia (Qld. Inc) and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. His primary research interests include: internationalisation of the firm (particularly the smaller firm), alternative systems of inter-firm exchange, and international business operations in their diversity, both their strategies and organisational forms. He has interests in research methodology. Professor Liesch is a CI on a current ARC Discovery Grant researching the early and rapid internationalisation of the firm, the so-called born global phenomenon. Professor Liesch has served on many university committees, and is a current member of The University of Queensland Standing Committee of its Academic Board.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates
Prof Joseph Francois. Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, and Senior Research Fellow, Department of Economics, Strathclyde Business School.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : I am professor of economics (with a chair in economic theory) with the Johannes Kepler Universität Linz. I am also a fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (London) and the Tinbergen Institute (Amsterdam/Rotterdam), director of the European Trade Study Group and the Institute for International and Development Economics, research fellow with the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, and a board member of the Global Trade Analysis Project. I serve on the editorial board of the Review of Development Economics, and the World Trade Review. I am also a member of the policy advisory group TradePartnership. Past professional incarnations have included professor of economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, research economist for the World Trade Organization, and chief of research and acting director of economics for the U.S. International Trade Commission. I studied economics at the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates: My current research interests are somewhat scattered. They include: trade linkages to recession and growth; globalization and in equality trends: trade in services; open economy competition policy and the regulation of firm behavior; financial market integration; open economy growth and development; economic integration (like EU enlargement and American hemisphere integration schemes); the multilateral trading system (including China’s accession); trade and investment policy under imperfect competition (including the location of industry); uncertainty in computable general equilibrium; the labor market impact of globalization; the role of the service sector (finance, margin and intermediate services, etc.) in trade and development; competition in the service sectors; computational partial and general equilibrium modeling; income distribution in general equilibrium models of trade and competition; and estimation and inference within nonlinear systems (like large scale, multi-sector general equilibrium econometric models).
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : Working papers & publications
You can find links to most of the papers listed below (published and unpublished) on the right. REPEC has the most complete collection of links. If you are looking for a book chapter of something of the sort, let me know and I will try to post it.
Recent working papers: Market Structure and Market Access, Francois, J. and I. Wooton, fothcoming inWorld Economy. Services Trade and Policy , Francois, J. and B. Hoekman, this version 2009, forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Literature. Trading Profiles and Developing Country Participation in the WTO Dispute Settlement System, Francois, J., H.Horn and N. Kaunitz, this version 2008. Heterogeneous Firms, the Structure of Industry & Trade under Oligopoly, Bekkers, E. and J. Francois, this version 2008. Dynamic Factor Price Equalization and International Convergence, J. Francois and C. Shiells, this version 2008. Equity and International Trade, J. Francois and H. Rojas-Romagosa, 2008. Economic perspectives for Central America after CAFTA, J. Francois, L. Rivera, and H. Rojas-Romagosa, this version 2008. Reassessing the relationship between inequality and development, J. Francois & H.Rojas-Romagosa, this version 2008. Cross-Border Trade and FDI in Services, C. Fillat-Castejon, J. Francois, and J. Woerz, this version 2008. Endogenous Protection in General Equilibrium: estimating political weights in the EU, Francois, J., D. Nelson and A, Balaoing, this version 2008. Institutions, Infrastructure, and Trade, Francois J and M. Manchin, this version 2007.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : I am professor of economics (with a chair in economic theory) with the Johannes Kepler Universität Linz. I am also a fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (London) and the Tinbergen Institute (Amsterdam/Rotterdam), director of the European Trade Study Group and the Institute for International and Development Economics, research fellow with the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, and a board member of the Global Trade Analysis Project. I serve on the editorial board of the Review of Development Economics, and the World Trade Review. I am also a member of the policy advisory group TradePartnership. Past professional incarnations have included professor of economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, research economist for the World Trade Organization, and chief of research and acting director of economics for the U.S. International Trade Commission. I studied economics at the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia.
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates: My current research interests are somewhat scattered. They include: trade linkages to recession and growth; globalization and in equality trends: trade in services; open economy competition policy and the regulation of firm behavior; financial market integration; open economy growth and development; economic integration (like EU enlargement and American hemisphere integration schemes); the multilateral trading system (including China’s accession); trade and investment policy under imperfect competition (including the location of industry); uncertainty in computable general equilibrium; the labor market impact of globalization; the role of the service sector (finance, margin and intermediate services, etc.) in trade and development; competition in the service sectors; computational partial and general equilibrium modeling; income distribution in general equilibrium models of trade and competition; and estimation and inference within nonlinear systems (like large scale, multi-sector general equilibrium econometric models).
Strathclyde University Affiliated Researchers and External Associates : Working papers & publications
You can find links to most of the papers listed below (published and unpublished) on the right. REPEC has the most complete collection of links. If you are looking for a book chapter of something of the sort, let me know and I will try to post it.
Recent working papers: Market Structure and Market Access, Francois, J. and I. Wooton, fothcoming inWorld Economy. Services Trade and Policy , Francois, J. and B. Hoekman, this version 2009, forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Literature. Trading Profiles and Developing Country Participation in the WTO Dispute Settlement System, Francois, J., H.Horn and N. Kaunitz, this version 2008. Heterogeneous Firms, the Structure of Industry & Trade under Oligopoly, Bekkers, E. and J. Francois, this version 2008. Dynamic Factor Price Equalization and International Convergence, J. Francois and C. Shiells, this version 2008. Equity and International Trade, J. Francois and H. Rojas-Romagosa, 2008. Economic perspectives for Central America after CAFTA, J. Francois, L. Rivera, and H. Rojas-Romagosa, this version 2008. Reassessing the relationship between inequality and development, J. Francois & H.Rojas-Romagosa, this version 2008. Cross-Border Trade and FDI in Services, C. Fillat-Castejon, J. Francois, and J. Woerz, this version 2008. Endogenous Protection in General Equilibrium: estimating political weights in the EU, Francois, J., D. Nelson and A, Balaoing, this version 2008. Institutions, Infrastructure, and Trade, Francois J and M. Manchin, this version 2007.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Strathclyde University SCER Associates Part 2
Professor Ewart Keep. ESRC Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE). Professor Ewart Keep’s research interests include the links between skills and economic performance (broadly defined), the education and training policy formation process, employers’ perceptions of training and the factors that influence their willingness to invest in skills, 14-19 vocational education and training, higher education policy and the graduate labour market, lifelong learning, and the linkages between skills and people management issues.
Dr Scott Hurrell. University of Stirling. Scott Hurrell has recently been appointed to a lectureship in Work and Employment Studies in the Institute of Socio- Management at the University of Stirling, having previously worked in SCER and latterly at Aston University. One of Scott's main research interests is in the area of skills and work organisation with his PhD thesis examining soft skills deficits in Scotland, why these occurred and how employers responded to these. Scott also has interests in recruitment and selection, job quality and in organisations in the interactive service, public and non-profit sectors. Scott has worked with policy and public sector bodies including Futureskills Scotland, The Scottish Government, The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Equal Opportunities Commission (Scotland).
Dr Henrietta Huzzell. University of Karlstad. Professor Jeff Hyman. University of Aberdeen. Professor Jeff Hyman has a long-standing research interest in the ways in which employees participate in decisions made at work and the effects of their involvement in terms of employee satisfaction, relations with managers and performance. Employee share schemes have provided a focus for this interest. In the past few years, he has also been involved in research exploring new directions in work, exploring concepts and practice of work-life balance in sectors such as finance, software and in call centres with a particular emphasis on developments in Scotland where these sectors have become dominant areas for employment and for the local economy.
Professor Csaba Mako. Hungarian Academy of Sciences . Csaba Makó is specialized in organizational changes (innovations), learning organisation and in their institutional (eg labour relations) contexts in an international perspective. He received Academic Doctors’ Title in Sociology (1983). Presently, he has a position as a Research Director at the Institute of Sociology – Hungarian Academy of Sciences and involved in numerous national and international projects. Some of the recent international projects:
Beside research responsibilities, Csaba Makó has full time professorship at the Debrecen University – Department of Economics and is a head of the Ph.D. School in Economics (since: 2004).
Dr Steve Paton. University of Strathclyde. Steve’s research addresses the nature of contemporary work focusing on the areas of knowledge in work and the management of the knowledge resources of the firm. Current activity is primarily focused on the generation of operational strategies of organizations and their attempts to create competitive advantage by increasing their activity in the areas of creative work and innovation and expanding their service provision and therefore moving up the value chain. Steve has published in the areas of change management and the management of knowledge work.
Dr Diane van de Broek. University of Sydney. Diane van den Broek's research and publishing interests relate to management and labour process issues within the service economy, most recently this has involved the changing relationships around technology, professionalism and deskilling within call centres. She has also been involved in an international study, in collaboration with researchers in Scotland and Sweden researchers on aesthetic labour in the retail industry. Two other projects Diane is working on include the matching of graduate attributes with employability, and variations around occupational identity.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Dr Scott Hurrell. University of Stirling. Scott Hurrell has recently been appointed to a lectureship in Work and Employment Studies in the Institute of Socio- Management at the University of Stirling, having previously worked in SCER and latterly at Aston University. One of Scott's main research interests is in the area of skills and work organisation with his PhD thesis examining soft skills deficits in Scotland, why these occurred and how employers responded to these. Scott also has interests in recruitment and selection, job quality and in organisations in the interactive service, public and non-profit sectors. Scott has worked with policy and public sector bodies including Futureskills Scotland, The Scottish Government, The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Equal Opportunities Commission (Scotland).
Dr Henrietta Huzzell. University of Karlstad. Professor Jeff Hyman. University of Aberdeen. Professor Jeff Hyman has a long-standing research interest in the ways in which employees participate in decisions made at work and the effects of their involvement in terms of employee satisfaction, relations with managers and performance. Employee share schemes have provided a focus for this interest. In the past few years, he has also been involved in research exploring new directions in work, exploring concepts and practice of work-life balance in sectors such as finance, software and in call centres with a particular emphasis on developments in Scotland where these sectors have become dominant areas for employment and for the local economy.
Professor Csaba Mako. Hungarian Academy of Sciences . Csaba Makó is specialized in organizational changes (innovations), learning organisation and in their institutional (eg labour relations) contexts in an international perspective. He received Academic Doctors’ Title in Sociology (1983). Presently, he has a position as a Research Director at the Institute of Sociology – Hungarian Academy of Sciences and involved in numerous national and international projects. Some of the recent international projects:
Beside research responsibilities, Csaba Makó has full time professorship at the Debrecen University – Department of Economics and is a head of the Ph.D. School in Economics (since: 2004).
Dr Steve Paton. University of Strathclyde. Steve’s research addresses the nature of contemporary work focusing on the areas of knowledge in work and the management of the knowledge resources of the firm. Current activity is primarily focused on the generation of operational strategies of organizations and their attempts to create competitive advantage by increasing their activity in the areas of creative work and innovation and expanding their service provision and therefore moving up the value chain. Steve has published in the areas of change management and the management of knowledge work.
Dr Diane van de Broek. University of Sydney. Diane van den Broek's research and publishing interests relate to management and labour process issues within the service economy, most recently this has involved the changing relationships around technology, professionalism and deskilling within call centres. She has also been involved in an international study, in collaboration with researchers in Scotland and Sweden researchers on aesthetic labour in the retail industry. Two other projects Diane is working on include the matching of graduate attributes with employability, and variations around occupational identity.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University SCER Associates Part 1
Professor Tom Baum. University of Strathclyde. Tom Baum's research focuses on people and work in low skills service industries, notably the hospitality and tourism sectors. His work considers HR themes both from a macro perspective in terms of planning and structural dimensions and in terms of the inter-face between employyes and customers at the level of the individual enterprise. Tom's work is internationally focused and includes research in a range of European, Asian, African and Pacific region contexts. He has published widely in the field with seven books and over 150 academic papers. He has also consulted with governments, international donor agencies and the private sector and appeared as an expert witness in international arbitration courts.
Professor Sharon Bolton: University of Strathclyde. Sharon C Bolton is Professor of Organisational Analysis at Strathclyde University Business School, Glasgow, UK. Her research interests include emotion in organisations, public sector management, nursing and teaching, gender and the professions, dignity in and at work, the human in human resource management. She is currently working on comparative research on dignity at work in Europe, with a focus on Greece and the UK and also gender, education and knowledge transfer across international boundaries. Sharon continues to be interested in developing more nuanced understandings of emotion at work, and the labour and skill involved in the emotional labour process. Research is published widely in leading international sociology and management journals such as Work, Employment and Society; Sociology; Journal of Management Studies; Gender, Work and Organisation, Sociologia Del Trabajo, Economia & Management and practitioner periodicals such as People Management and Personnel Today. A sole authored book ‘Emotion Management in the Workplace’ was published by Palgrave in 2005 followed by two edited collections in 2007: ‘Searching for the Human in Human Resource Management’ (with Maeve Houlihan) (Palgrave) and ‘Dimensions of Dignity at Work’ (Elsevier) and a new edited collection ‘Work Matters’ (with Maeve Houlihan) published by Palgrave in April 2009.
Dr John Buchanan. University of Sydney.
Dr Asaf Darr. University of Haifa. Asaf Darr studied Organizational Behaviour at the School of Industrial and Labour Relations, Cornell University. He is currently a senior lecturer in Organization Studies at the University of Haifa, and the Head of the Organization Studies program. In addition to many articles, he is the author of Selling Technology: The Changing Shape of Sales in an Information Economy, published in 2006 by Cornell University Press. His current research is on the social fabric of mass markets and on sales work and sales workers.
Doris Eikhof. University of Stirling. Doris Ruth Eikhof is Lecturer in Organization Studies at the Department of Management, University of Stirling, and Research Associate at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria. Her research interests include creative industries, changing forms of work and organization, organizational boundaries, organizations and lifestyles and social theories in organization studies. She has published in international and German academic books and journals, including Journal of Organizational Behavior, Creativity and Innovation Management and edited volumes to be published by Palgrave and Routledge. Recent collaboration with SCeR has included joint publications and editorships, the organization of conference streams for EGOS and ILPC and a comparative project on European football as an employment system.
Dr Richard Hall. University of Sydney. Professor Axel Haunschild. University of Trier. Axel Haunschild is Professor of Work, Employment and Organisation at the University of Trier, Germany. He is also Guest Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and at the School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London. His research interests focus on changing forms of work and organisation, employment systems in the creative industries, the institutional embeddedness of work and employment, and the boundaries between work and life. He has published in journals such as Human Relations, British Journal of Industrial Relations, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Creativity and Innovation Management and Journal of Organizational Behavior. Recent work with SCER has included the organisation of conference streams (ILPC, EGOS), joint publications and editorships as well a comparative project on national employment systems in professional football
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Professor Sharon Bolton: University of Strathclyde. Sharon C Bolton is Professor of Organisational Analysis at Strathclyde University Business School, Glasgow, UK. Her research interests include emotion in organisations, public sector management, nursing and teaching, gender and the professions, dignity in and at work, the human in human resource management. She is currently working on comparative research on dignity at work in Europe, with a focus on Greece and the UK and also gender, education and knowledge transfer across international boundaries. Sharon continues to be interested in developing more nuanced understandings of emotion at work, and the labour and skill involved in the emotional labour process. Research is published widely in leading international sociology and management journals such as Work, Employment and Society; Sociology; Journal of Management Studies; Gender, Work and Organisation, Sociologia Del Trabajo, Economia & Management and practitioner periodicals such as People Management and Personnel Today. A sole authored book ‘Emotion Management in the Workplace’ was published by Palgrave in 2005 followed by two edited collections in 2007: ‘Searching for the Human in Human Resource Management’ (with Maeve Houlihan) (Palgrave) and ‘Dimensions of Dignity at Work’ (Elsevier) and a new edited collection ‘Work Matters’ (with Maeve Houlihan) published by Palgrave in April 2009.
Dr John Buchanan. University of Sydney.
Dr Asaf Darr. University of Haifa. Asaf Darr studied Organizational Behaviour at the School of Industrial and Labour Relations, Cornell University. He is currently a senior lecturer in Organization Studies at the University of Haifa, and the Head of the Organization Studies program. In addition to many articles, he is the author of Selling Technology: The Changing Shape of Sales in an Information Economy, published in 2006 by Cornell University Press. His current research is on the social fabric of mass markets and on sales work and sales workers.
Doris Eikhof. University of Stirling. Doris Ruth Eikhof is Lecturer in Organization Studies at the Department of Management, University of Stirling, and Research Associate at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria. Her research interests include creative industries, changing forms of work and organization, organizational boundaries, organizations and lifestyles and social theories in organization studies. She has published in international and German academic books and journals, including Journal of Organizational Behavior, Creativity and Innovation Management and edited volumes to be published by Palgrave and Routledge. Recent collaboration with SCeR has included joint publications and editorships, the organization of conference streams for EGOS and ILPC and a comparative project on European football as an employment system.
Dr Richard Hall. University of Sydney. Professor Axel Haunschild. University of Trier. Axel Haunschild is Professor of Work, Employment and Organisation at the University of Trier, Germany. He is also Guest Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and at the School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London. His research interests focus on changing forms of work and organisation, employment systems in the creative industries, the institutional embeddedness of work and employment, and the boundaries between work and life. He has published in journals such as Human Relations, British Journal of Industrial Relations, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Creativity and Innovation Management and Journal of Organizational Behavior. Recent work with SCER has included the organisation of conference streams (ILPC, EGOS), joint publications and editorships as well a comparative project on national employment systems in professional football
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Scottish Chambers' Business Survey
The quarterly survey, produced in conjunction with the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, provides aggregated information by area and by sector on the general business and labour market situation of some 3,000 Scottish firms. The survey currently covers Scottish manufacturing, construction, wholesale, retail and tourism. A further report based on a quarterly survey of the Scottish oil and gas related sector, and conducted in collaboration with the Institute, is published by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Customised Research
The Institute has completed a wide range of customised reports for public and private sector organisations within Scotland and beyond. Using a range of economic analysis tools these reports have ranged from reports on the impact of the Foot and Mouth outbreak on Scotland's economy, an impact study of Jersey's economy upon its environment and the impact of the arts and cultural sector in Scotland.
In addition, Institute staff have acted as advisers to both Westminster and Holyrood committees, public bodies and foreign governments.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Raising the Return
The Institute, jointly with the Scottish Council Foundation, has released 'Raising the Return: Scotland's Public Assets'. The report, by economic consultant and Institute Associate Jo Armstrong consists of four short papers and examines the evidence on how effective Scotland's public sector has been in deploying the record-levels of funding it has received. A full press release is available from the media section of the website. Copies of the report, priced fifteen pounds, can be obtained from the Scottish Council Foundation.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Major new addition to thinking on Scotland's future
New Wealth for Old Nations provides a guide to policy priorities in small or regional economies. It will be of interest to policymakers, students, and scholars seeking avenues to improved growth, greater opportunity, and better governance. Some of the world's leading economists combine their research insights with a discussion of the practicalities of implementing structural reforms. Scotland is the ideal case study: the recent devolution of government in the United Kingdom offers a natural experiment in political economy, one whose lessons apply to almost any small, advanced economy.
One fundamental conclusion is that policy can make a big difference to long-term prosperity in small economies open to flows of knowledge, investment, and migrants. Indeed the difficulty in introducing growth-oriented policies lies more in the politics of implementing change than in the theoretical diagnosis. Public sector governance is consequently a key issue in creating a pro-growth consensus. And faster growth must be seen to improve opportunities for the population as a whole. Further, setting out the evidence - as this book does for Scotland - is vital to overcoming entrenched institutional barriers to policy reform. The first chapter is by Jo Armstrong, John McLaren, and the editors; and the subsequent chapters are by Paul Krugman, William Baumol, Edward Glaeser, Paul Hallwood and Ronald MacDonald, James Heckman and Dimitriy Masterov, Heather Joshi and Robert Wright, Nicholas Crafts, and John Bradley.
Diane Coyle is a consultant and member of the United Kingdom's Competition Commission and a Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester's Institute of Political and Economic Governance. Wendy Alexander is a Member of the Scottish Parliament and former Scottish Minister for Enterprise, Transport, and Lifelong Learning. Brian Ashcroft is Professor of Economics and Policy Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy at the University of Strathclyde.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
The quarterly survey, produced in conjunction with the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, provides aggregated information by area and by sector on the general business and labour market situation of some 3,000 Scottish firms. The survey currently covers Scottish manufacturing, construction, wholesale, retail and tourism. A further report based on a quarterly survey of the Scottish oil and gas related sector, and conducted in collaboration with the Institute, is published by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Customised Research
The Institute has completed a wide range of customised reports for public and private sector organisations within Scotland and beyond. Using a range of economic analysis tools these reports have ranged from reports on the impact of the Foot and Mouth outbreak on Scotland's economy, an impact study of Jersey's economy upon its environment and the impact of the arts and cultural sector in Scotland.
In addition, Institute staff have acted as advisers to both Westminster and Holyrood committees, public bodies and foreign governments.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Raising the Return
The Institute, jointly with the Scottish Council Foundation, has released 'Raising the Return: Scotland's Public Assets'. The report, by economic consultant and Institute Associate Jo Armstrong consists of four short papers and examines the evidence on how effective Scotland's public sector has been in deploying the record-levels of funding it has received. A full press release is available from the media section of the website. Copies of the report, priced fifteen pounds, can be obtained from the Scottish Council Foundation.
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Publications: Major new addition to thinking on Scotland's future
New Wealth for Old Nations provides a guide to policy priorities in small or regional economies. It will be of interest to policymakers, students, and scholars seeking avenues to improved growth, greater opportunity, and better governance. Some of the world's leading economists combine their research insights with a discussion of the practicalities of implementing structural reforms. Scotland is the ideal case study: the recent devolution of government in the United Kingdom offers a natural experiment in political economy, one whose lessons apply to almost any small, advanced economy.
One fundamental conclusion is that policy can make a big difference to long-term prosperity in small economies open to flows of knowledge, investment, and migrants. Indeed the difficulty in introducing growth-oriented policies lies more in the politics of implementing change than in the theoretical diagnosis. Public sector governance is consequently a key issue in creating a pro-growth consensus. And faster growth must be seen to improve opportunities for the population as a whole. Further, setting out the evidence - as this book does for Scotland - is vital to overcoming entrenched institutional barriers to policy reform. The first chapter is by Jo Armstrong, John McLaren, and the editors; and the subsequent chapters are by Paul Krugman, William Baumol, Edward Glaeser, Paul Hallwood and Ronald MacDonald, James Heckman and Dimitriy Masterov, Heather Joshi and Robert Wright, Nicholas Crafts, and John Bradley.
Diane Coyle is a consultant and member of the United Kingdom's Competition Commission and a Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester's Institute of Political and Economic Governance. Wendy Alexander is a Member of the Scottish Parliament and former Scottish Minister for Enterprise, Transport, and Lifelong Learning. Brian Ashcroft is Professor of Economics and Policy Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute for Research on the Scottish Economy at the University of Strathclyde.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
University of Strathclyde and Associates: Top Universities
The evolution of the University of Strathclyde is complex. It began in 1796 when John Anderson, Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University, left in his will instructions for 'a place of useful learning', a university open to everyone, regardless of gender or class. His vision was realised and Anderson's University opened its first premises in High Street, Glasgow, in late 1796. It moved to George Street and developed rapidly throughout the nineteenth century. By the 1890s, Anderson's University had become a major technological institution with a wide reputation for research and learning.
Since its foundations over 200 years ago, the University has evolved and expanded, while remaining true to the vision of its founder - to be a place of useful learning for all.
The University of Strathclyde was founded in Scotland as a place of useful learning, to make higher education available to all, and to combine excellence with relevance. In fulfilling this mission in today's world it will Contribute to the advancement of the knowledge society, to social cohesion and to the quality of life in Scotland, and in the wider national and global community;Generate, through excellence in research and scholarship, new ideas, knowledge and skills to create opportunities for individuals and society; Provide high-quality education to all of its students, regardless of background, inspiring them to develop to the full their abilities, and creating outstanding professional and creative people; Offer the opportunities for all staff to develop their full potential, and contribute fully to the achievement of the University's Vision.
Our aim is to convey to our graduates notonly a high level of professional knowledge, but also the ability to think innovatively andcreatively, and to be capable of becoming the entrepreneurs of the next generation. For this we need dedicated staff – which we have in abundance – and improved facilities, including more teaching clusters such as the recently-opened Crawfurd Complex at Jordanhill which is proving to be an enormous success. From this vanguard position we are continuing to develop a unique interactive IT-based teaching environment across both campuses. Our learning and teaching strategy encourages diversity. We believe that a student population drawn from a range of backgrounds, nationalities and ethnic groups enriches the learning experience of all students. We are promoting opportunities for wider access to higher education by building more effective progression routes from further to higher education, and through our commitment to the GOALS initiative (Greater Opportunity of Access and Learning with Schools), a partnership of the West of Scotland universities and schools which inspires pupils to be successful. There are also major changes taking place in Europe, particularly through the Bologna agreement. We have the opportunity to be at the forefront of these through our membership and current chairmanship of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU), a group of like-minded universities to our own. This group has been developing joint Masters’ programmes that will allow students to study at more than one European centre.
Strathclyde University and Associates is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Since its foundations over 200 years ago, the University has evolved and expanded, while remaining true to the vision of its founder - to be a place of useful learning for all.
The University of Strathclyde was founded in Scotland as a place of useful learning, to make higher education available to all, and to combine excellence with relevance. In fulfilling this mission in today's world it will Contribute to the advancement of the knowledge society, to social cohesion and to the quality of life in Scotland, and in the wider national and global community;Generate, through excellence in research and scholarship, new ideas, knowledge and skills to create opportunities for individuals and society; Provide high-quality education to all of its students, regardless of background, inspiring them to develop to the full their abilities, and creating outstanding professional and creative people; Offer the opportunities for all staff to develop their full potential, and contribute fully to the achievement of the University's Vision.
Our aim is to convey to our graduates notonly a high level of professional knowledge, but also the ability to think innovatively andcreatively, and to be capable of becoming the entrepreneurs of the next generation. For this we need dedicated staff – which we have in abundance – and improved facilities, including more teaching clusters such as the recently-opened Crawfurd Complex at Jordanhill which is proving to be an enormous success. From this vanguard position we are continuing to develop a unique interactive IT-based teaching environment across both campuses. Our learning and teaching strategy encourages diversity. We believe that a student population drawn from a range of backgrounds, nationalities and ethnic groups enriches the learning experience of all students. We are promoting opportunities for wider access to higher education by building more effective progression routes from further to higher education, and through our commitment to the GOALS initiative (Greater Opportunity of Access and Learning with Schools), a partnership of the West of Scotland universities and schools which inspires pupils to be successful. There are also major changes taking place in Europe, particularly through the Bologna agreement. We have the opportunity to be at the forefront of these through our membership and current chairmanship of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU), a group of like-minded universities to our own. This group has been developing joint Masters’ programmes that will allow students to study at more than one European centre.
Strathclyde University and Associates is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
Strathclyde University and Associates News: Strathclyde receives $100,000 Gates Foundation grant for innovative global health research
Strathclyde has announced that it has received a US $100,000 (£65,329 approx) Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.
The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Dr Owain Millington and Dr Gail McConnell, for a laser-targeted system to vaccinate against the virulent Leishmania infection.
Dr Millington’s project is one of 78 grants announced by the Gates Foundation in the fourth funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help scientists around the world explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve health in developing countries. The grants were provided to scientists in 18 countries on six continents.
To receive funding, Dr Millington showed in a two-page application how their idea falls outside current scientific paradigms and might lead to significant advances in global health. The initiative is highly competitive, receiving almost 2,700 proposals in this round.
There are two million new cases each year of Leishmania in nearly 90 countries, mainly in Asia, Africa and South America. It is a chronic, disfiguring and potentially fatal infection but many of the treatments used against it have serious side effects and it is often resistant to first-line treatment.
The multi-disciplinary research will combine immunology, parasitology and laser-based imaging to design and build a new vaccination system. It involves using one laser system to create images of Leishmania parasites, subsequently deploying a second laser to kill the parasites within cells. Importantly, the cells which harbour Leishmania also control the induction of an immune response. Hence, the researchers intend not only to directly destroy parasites in these cells, but also to determine whether the treatment brings long-lasting protective immunity against reinfection.
Dr Millington and Dr McConnell are both Research Councils UK Fellows with the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Dr Millington said: "The Leishmania parasite is hugely damaging and one of its worst features is that it manipulates the immune system to prolong its survival. This means there's an urgent need for new drugs to control the diseases it creates, and protect against infection.
"There has been a great deal of research into the development of vaccines but it has had only limited success in preventing infection. Our aim is to work towards creating immunity with new and improved imaging systems to find, target and kill Leishmania parasites in a way which is less invasive and less time-consuming than current methods. We also hope to investigate the possibility of extending it to the treatment of other diseases.
"The multi-disciplinary nature of the work reflects the ethos of the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, where biological, pharmaceutical, chemical and physical scientists work together with the common goal of discovering and developing treatments for the biggest health challenges of the 21st century. The Institute's new building, for which funds are currently being raised, will enable better, swifter and more efficient delivery of these treatments for patients around the world."
“The winners of these grants show the bold thinking we need to tackle some of the world’s greatest health challenges,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program. “I’m excited about their ideas and look forward to seeing some of these exploratory projects turn into life-saving breakthroughs.”
The Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences is currently the subject of an £8 million fundraising campaign for a £36 million new building to expand and enhance its work in developing new medicines for diseases including cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and schizophrenia.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Dr Owain Millington and Dr Gail McConnell, for a laser-targeted system to vaccinate against the virulent Leishmania infection.
Dr Millington’s project is one of 78 grants announced by the Gates Foundation in the fourth funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help scientists around the world explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve health in developing countries. The grants were provided to scientists in 18 countries on six continents.
To receive funding, Dr Millington showed in a two-page application how their idea falls outside current scientific paradigms and might lead to significant advances in global health. The initiative is highly competitive, receiving almost 2,700 proposals in this round.
There are two million new cases each year of Leishmania in nearly 90 countries, mainly in Asia, Africa and South America. It is a chronic, disfiguring and potentially fatal infection but many of the treatments used against it have serious side effects and it is often resistant to first-line treatment.
The multi-disciplinary research will combine immunology, parasitology and laser-based imaging to design and build a new vaccination system. It involves using one laser system to create images of Leishmania parasites, subsequently deploying a second laser to kill the parasites within cells. Importantly, the cells which harbour Leishmania also control the induction of an immune response. Hence, the researchers intend not only to directly destroy parasites in these cells, but also to determine whether the treatment brings long-lasting protective immunity against reinfection.
Dr Millington and Dr McConnell are both Research Councils UK Fellows with the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. Dr Millington said: "The Leishmania parasite is hugely damaging and one of its worst features is that it manipulates the immune system to prolong its survival. This means there's an urgent need for new drugs to control the diseases it creates, and protect against infection.
"There has been a great deal of research into the development of vaccines but it has had only limited success in preventing infection. Our aim is to work towards creating immunity with new and improved imaging systems to find, target and kill Leishmania parasites in a way which is less invasive and less time-consuming than current methods. We also hope to investigate the possibility of extending it to the treatment of other diseases.
"The multi-disciplinary nature of the work reflects the ethos of the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, where biological, pharmaceutical, chemical and physical scientists work together with the common goal of discovering and developing treatments for the biggest health challenges of the 21st century. The Institute's new building, for which funds are currently being raised, will enable better, swifter and more efficient delivery of these treatments for patients around the world."
“The winners of these grants show the bold thinking we need to tackle some of the world’s greatest health challenges,” said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program. “I’m excited about their ideas and look forward to seeing some of these exploratory projects turn into life-saving breakthroughs.”
The Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences is currently the subject of an £8 million fundraising campaign for a £36 million new building to expand and enhance its work in developing new medicines for diseases including cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and schizophrenia.
Strathclyde is a great place to study and enjoy life at the same time. And this is where you can find out everything about us - from how we teach, to what's on in Glasgow and how to get around. We want to help you make the most of your time here, so we hope you'll come back to these pages to get all the latest news about what's happening on campus and in and around the city.
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