In a bid to prevent and detect commercial crimes, the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) has established a number of Focus Groups to monitor such crimes. Analysis shows that in recent years, "Long Firm" fraud cases of using bounced post-dated cheques to obtain property by deception were usually committed during the second and the third quarter of the year at industrial areas.

As a prevention measure, CCB recently held a "Long Firm" Fraud Seminar for members of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries prior to the arrival of the second quarter. The audience mainly composed of merchants from all kinds of industrial businesses, including chemical, metallic, building materials, wood products, plastics and printing, etc.

At the seminar, CCB Inspector Mak Wing-yin introduced the nature of "Long Firm" fraud, the latest crime trend, the common modus operandi adopted by the perpetrators as well as the related prevention measures against "Long Firm" fraud.

As the seminar was well received by its members, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries published a report on the seminar and the relevant crime prevention messages in their monthly magazine, "Hong Kong Industrialist", for distribution to other members in Hong Kong as well as the Pearl River Delta area.

Inspector Mak has offered useful advice to members of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries