She said the company added measures to boost security on Yihaodian.com, including the addition of account-verification codes.

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The lack of security could have permitted apps on some HTC phones to tap into such information as financial account numbers and access codes.

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Another example of how criminals change tax codes is the 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) initiative.

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In a report earlier this year, Mr. Hunter found that insurers have been pushing some of their risk to consumers by capping how much they will pay to replace a home, for example, or refusing to pay extra to account for higher material costs or to meet modern construction codes.

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Current account holders and people with mortgages should be sent copies of the industry codes - the Banking Code and Mortgage Code every two years.

BBC: Banks 'must speed transfers'

Mr Loureiro believes the way forward for Portugal is to focus on simplifying its corporate and income tax codes and bringing at least part of the non-taxpaying "black economy", estimated to account for more than 20 per cent of total output, into the system.

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It has also shown that national authorities must take risk into account at all levels, including education about hazards in schools, urban planning in coastal zones, modification of building codes and materials, evacuation plans for communities and organization of effective emergency services.

UNESCO: THEMES