ARE WE TOO BLINDED BY DOLLAR SIGNS TO SEE THROUGH SCAMS?

Any 31-year-old who makes millions, has the titles 'Dato Seri' and 'Dr' precede his name arouses more than my admiration. It stirs my curiosity big time.

I have worked hard my whole life, lived frugally and now at the ripe old age of 65 have accumulated savings sufficient only to continue living frugally for the rest of my retirement years. After a lifetime of sweat and toil, and years doing community service, I still don't have a title to my name or millions in my bank account.

So, of course, I want to know how this Dato Seri Dr Peter Ong Kean Suan did it. How did he amass so much financial wealth at so young an age that he can play philanthropist to the hilt and not feel the pinch? I am talking about donations amounting to RM690,000. Certainly not an amount to scoff at.

This advertorial in The Star, 19 Nov 2013, got me asking 'Who is this Peter Ong Kean Swan?'  According to the advertorial, he arrived in style at his 31st birthday celebration - in the 'surewin4u self-purchased private helicopter...escorted by police cars and 40 bodyguards'. Wow! But why the need for that many bodyguards? Is he afraid for his life? Why?

Don't you want to learn his secret of generating wealth? Well, I certainly do. I want to learn from this making-money sifu.

Thus began my Google search to find out more about this bigger than life young man who is CEO of Surewin4u. With such a name for a company, how can anyone who invest in it not win? That's probably how this Dato gets folks to place their trust and confidence in him - by convincing them they will make many times more the amount they have invested in Surewin4u.

From Surewin4u website. Impressive enough to win over some folks eager to make money.

Basically, this is how the system works. The company uses the money you have invested (entry point fixed at RM25,000) to gamble on your behalf at the casino. They claim to have devised a system that is guaranteed to beat the odds at the gambling table 100% of the time, and you get a monthly dividend of 8%. They are so confident about their system they even have a refund policy to assure investors they have nothing to lose. This is the carrot that they dangle before potential investors. Those who can see only dollar signs in the carrot and not the beta carotene in it will want to go for it. There's nothing to lose with the guaranteed refund, right?

Intrigued by this 'sure-win-for-you' system, I decided to investigate further. Guess what turned up? This picture below taken from Astro Awani allegedly shows a man who resembles Ong Kean Suan (sans titles) in handcuffs being escorted by the police to the magistrate's court on a charge of impersonating royalty to get room discount at a hotel! The picture is dated 20 March 2013. As far as I know, the company is still operating and still attracting investors, so it could mean the charge has been dropped, or the man has been acquitted.

This looks like a direct translation from Malay in the original post dated 20 March, 2013. Eight months later, this photo below taken from The Star shows Ong celebrating his birthday in grand style. Is this the same Ong Kean Suan of Surewin4u? 

(Photo: The Star, 13 Nov 2013)

So the question you may want to ask me - why am I so interested in this Peter Ong and his mission to help make millionaires out of us ordinary folks? Well, I have good friends who have invested their retirement savings and had their fingers burnt investing in various get-rich schemes. That's why. It pays to be extra careful when parting with your money. A young man can still get a job and work hard to rebuild his lost fortunes. But not for a retiree. He sees his dream of retiring to a comfortable life going up in smoke.

Retirees are a favorite target of agents dealing in pyramid or multilevel get-rich schemes. They have a tidy sum in their retirement funds, and many are looking at ways to make that sum grow.

We have all read about people who have lost their life savings in their desire to make money quickly and easily. Yet they don't seem to have learned their lessons. As is often the case, greed or desperation makes good people throw caution to the wind, and they end up with nothing to show for all the years of hard work and saving. The worst off are those who find themselves in debt because they borrowed money to invest in these schemes. Now life is hell for them as they are hounded daily by Ah Longs or loan sharks.

If you don't have excess money to play around with, if you know next to nothing about investing, if you have no clue how the stock market works, the safest thing to do is to do nothing, and let your money earn interest in the bank or EPF. You won't get much, but your exposure to risks is low. Alternatively, find a financial consultant you can trust and who truly has your interest at heart to manage your money. He must have an excellent track record of good returns on investments.

So, is this one a scam or a legitimate money-making venture? It would interesting to find out from folks who have invested in the company and have reaped profits. Success stories are always inspiring.

It is easy to tell whether a scheme is a scam or not. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, especially if it promises easy money and quick returns. So if your nose tells you there is something fishy about any invitation to make quick easy money, stay away from it. Your retirement savings is meant to see you through your golden years. Make sure you protect it.

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS - ZUNG'S STORY

What better way to kick-start the new year than by sharing this inspiring story of a young Malaysian who followed his dream against all odds. Today he is an internationally acclaimed celebrity photographer.

If the name Zung does not ring a bell, that's only because photography may not be among your interests. But amateur and professional shutterbugs alike hold his name in high respect and awe.

And what better testimonial than to have Donald Trump refer to him as 'the best photographer in the world'. Zung is also Tony Robbins' personal photographer and has been so since 2009, thanks to a helping hand from my daughter. But that's another story for another day.

Zung's journey from a virtual unknown to a high-flying much sought after lensman of worldwide acclaim needs to be told and shared. It is a story that will inspire our young people, our children and grandchildren, one that is made all the more poignant because he is one of us, born and bred here in Malaysia, a true son of the land.



Zung's story is one that will resonate with many of our youths, because he hails from a background that they are familiar with. The only difference perhaps is that while most youths facing the same circumstances would have given up, Zung never called it quits. He soldiered on till he achieved the recognition he was looking for.

Consider the challenges he faced:

• he was born in a rural area, in the small fishing village of Sekinchan
• his father was a fisherman, and his mother a housewife
• he was Chinese-educated, and struggled with English, even to this day
• he dropped out of college due to financial difficulties
• he was a slow learner
• he could not afford professional training
• he was only 18 when he experienced grief from the loss of his elder sister
• he struggled to earn a living in the early years
• he lacked the right connections 

That he has succeeded despite all these obstacles speaks volumes of the kind of person he is - focused, passionate, determined, resilient and tough. 

Today Zung travels the world on assignment. He has photographed some of the world's most famous people, among them the Dalai Lama, Richard Branson and Andrea Bocelli. On the local front, he has taken portraits of royalty and of former prime ministers. One of his photos has even graced the cover of TIME magazine.

Despite his numerous accolades, Zung has remained humble and modest. He is driven not by the money he can make, but by a genuine love for his craft, and for the satisfaction that he gives his clients. His extensive portfolio covers a wide range of subjects, but his favourite remains weddings. That was how he started in the business - as a wedding photographer.

If Zung can do it, so can our young people - our children and grandchildren. Do share the story with them. They will be inspired and motivated never to give up on their dreams.

Here are some copies of photos from our family album taken by Zung. As you can see, he has captured the essence of the moment in these portraits.

My grandchildren Reiya and Max, photo taken at home in 2009

My daughter Belle, photo taken at the Datai, 2007

Me and Reiya in Langkawi, 2007

Zung has some advice for all of us:

Screen-grab from YouTube. (Text added)