The Commercial Crime Bureau conducted a seminar for about 70 representatives of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on January 22 at the Hong Kong Chinese Importers' and Exporters' Association.

The seminar covered three sessions. The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre alerted the audience of the common tactics of telephone deception and email scam targeting SMEs. Officers gave tips to the attendees to prevent them from falling prey to culprits, and advised them to tell their business associates to call the "Anti-Scam Helpline 18222" to report suspicious fraud attempts. On the other hand, the Corporate Governance Focus Group reminded the audience to pay attention to corporate governance because a slackening of internal control might result in embezzlement of corporate funds. Lastly, the Money Laundering Focus Group cautioned that making remittance through unlicensed Money Services Operators (MSO) may constitute a crime.

The seminar enhanced the attendees' knowledge of prudent management, as well as their awareness of the prevention of email and telephone fraud, and the risks of money laundering in connection with unlicensed MSO.