Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2012 September 13

= September 13 =

Flag of la Francophonie
Why are there five colors? Do the specific colors they chose mean anything? --168.7.237.221 (talk) 06:29, 13 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Interesting, looking at it seems like the Olympic Flag if all the circles combined which made me think seeing as they have members on 5 continents it may be representing that. I did find this to confirm this deduction . Marketdiamond (talk) 08:21, 13 September 2012 (UTC)
 * This page has a reasonable sounding explanation: "The circular form of the flag of La Francophonie conveys the idea of coming together. The five interconnected segments represent the idea of cooperation across the five continents where the members of La Francophonie are located. The five colours represent the various colours found on the flags of the participating countries and governments." (That is, similar to the Olympic rings, the colours are chosen because each nation or body represented by the organisation will find at least one of the colours on its flag depicted in the Francophonie logo.) - Cucumber Mike (talk) 11:17, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Finance Company withdrawing money from people's Bank Accounts without their knowledge - allegedly.
Last night, I watched a TV programme - in the UK - called Watchdog. It's a regular programme hosted by Ann Robinson that alerts viewers to commercial malpractices across a wide range of business models. Last night, one of the topics covered a Loan Company called "Wonga" that advertises its services as including making almost instantaneous loans to suitable applicants who are then reportedly charged "exorbitant" rates of interest over a very short timescale. Many complainers to "Watchdog" asserted that despite having had no dealings with "Wonga", they were discovering to their horror that the Company had withdrawn money from the complainers' accounts. My question surrounds the logic of these complaints. For example, if I want to apply for a loan -from "Wonga" or anyone else, but I don't want to give my own personal and Bank Details, but instead, use someone else's - say someone whose details I have cloned as part of an Identity Theft Scam - then surely, if "Wonga" do even a very quick check on those details and find them acceptable, the subsequent loan must surely then be deposited in the other person's Bank Account - and not mine. So how do I - the fraudster - get my hands on the money? I would even need a Cash Machine Card and a Password belonging to the person whose Bank Details I was using to make that fraudulent transaction? I just don't get it. Maybe someone here can steer me through the Fog. Thanks 82.41.229.241 (talk) 13:20, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * There doesn't appear to have been a great deal of press coverage of this matter, but I have found an article which discusses the fraud. In particular, it says: "It is not exactly clear how fraudsters are getting money out of Wonga, but it seems that one way is for them to take out a loan and have it paid into a bank account which they then delete from the Wonga system. The fraudster will then enter stolen bank card details, so when Wonga collects the loan repayment it takes it from that account, something that comes as a surprise to victims who have had no connection to the original loan."
 * I hope you understand that it would be remiss of us to answer the question "So how do I - the fraudster - get my hands on the money?" in more detail. Whilst we can direct you to reliable sources and articles describing instances of fraud, we should not provide a manual for committing crime. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 14:25, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Yes, I take the latter point on board - it had actually occurred to me after I had posted the question. I trust you will accept that my question was a figurative and rhetorical one, and not a request on how to perpetrate such a fraud. After having worked most of my life in the Criminal Justice System, I have no desire to become a guest of Her Majesty. But thanks for the rest of your response. I suspect, without knowing, that the 40 or so complainers identified by "Watchdog" may not be as fastidious as they should be in checking their accounts online much more frequently than perhaps they do. Thanks again. 82.41.229.241 (talk) 15:07, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * No problem. I completely understand that your question was asked in good faith, I just wanted to explain why I was only answering half of it. Like you say, it seems that part of the problem is people not realising quickly enough that they have been a victim of credit/debit card theft or identity fraud, although the article seems to suggest that Wonga's security policies don't help matters. - Cucumber Mike (talk) 15:15, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

Personally I would have NOTHING to do with Wonga or any other loan company, but I do find it valuable to check out my bank account every day and did find that someone had cloned by wife's credit card and spent £700.00 one afternoon. The bank repaid it the same day.85.211.136.133 (talk) 07:07, 14 September 2012 (UTC)
 * There is another, admittedly slightly more radical, solution to ensuring that never happens again: divorce your wife. --  ♬  Jack of Oz  ♬  [your turn]  13:29, 14 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I just unhatted this discussion - it wasn't a request for legal advice. The OP just wondered how a particular scam worked, since there wasn't an obvious way that the scammers would get their money. 209.131.76.183 (talk) 18:44, 14 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Please see the discussion at talk. Please note that neither thisismoney.co.uk nor its editor Andrew Oxlade are reliable sources, and no other refs have been given.  Please consider WP:SOAPBOX, and please note WP:BLP covers this.  μηδείς (talk) 19:27, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Prunes
In South East Asia, particularly China, Hong Kong and Japan, you can buy these 'dried preserved prunes' in plastic packets ready for consumption. Is there a Wikipedia page on this, and if not, what are the traditional names of these products? Thank you! --CverilMineralResources (talk) 17:03, 13 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Do you mean like these? Theu are widely availible in the U.S. too.  I don't know that Wikipedia has a specific page on prunes in that exact type of packaging, there usually isn't enough information availible to write a good article on something like that.  There is a Wikipedia article about Prunes in general, but it isn't very detailed on how various companies market and package their fruit, nor would I really expect it to be.  -- Jayron  32  17:18, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * You're not talking about Umeboshi, are you? - Ka renjc 17:28, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * Sorry, they might actually be plums. They look like this but they have a large pip/rock in the middle that you spit out. Just can't find the chinese (?) name. --CverilMineralResources (talk) 19:08, 13 September 2012 (UTC)
 * Is it maybe Li hing mui? -- Jayron  32  19:19, 13 September 2012 (UTC)


 * I think that might be it. Thanks. --CverilMineralResources (talk) 20:25, 13 September 2012 (UTC)