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'Decoding Commercial Crimes' looks at |
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The situation of counterfeit currencies in Hong Kong is not serious. Most of the counterfeit Hong Kong dollars banknotes are poor quality $50 and $100 denominations. They are printed with "Inkjet" printer while some are double-sided photocopies of authentic banknotes. These counterfeit banknotes have smooth surfaces with no bumpy touches from the embossed pattern or any security feature. They may even share the same serial number. Most counterfeit Chinese Renminbi banknotes were carried into Hong Kong unintentionally by Hong Kong tourists who had their genuine cash swapped at places of entertainment on the Mainland. This money swapping scam is common amongst taxi drivers and restaurant cashiers. In other cases, the staff of entertainment places swapped genuine banknotes with counterfeit ones when the patrons stored their cash in lockers. Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) has taken the initiative to work closely with the banking and retail sectors by issuing crime alerts on the trend of counterfeit currencies and hosting banknotes seminars for their frontline staff to help them prevent and deter the use of counterfeit currencies. CCB also reminds the public not to use any counterfeit banknote if they come across one. They should be handed over to the police or banks. Nowadays, electronic money, for instance payment cards, has become the trend of spending. The most direct way of payment card fraud is using a stolen card. So, one should always keep an eye on one's property. However, card data can be captured even if the card is not physically stolen. Stealing card data is more common than stealing the card itself. The perpetrators will use a handy skimmer to capture the data on credit payment cards when they collect payments from the card owners. Then, the card is returned to the owner who has no idea the accomplices would replicate his card for making purchases elsewhere. For stealing the data on ATM cards, similar modus operandi will be used. The accomplices will secretly install a pinhole camera onto the ATM machine or simply peep over owners' shoulders for their PIN numbers. Again, the data will be transferred onto counterfeit cards for withdrawing cash using the original PIN numbers. Therefore, CCB reminds all card users to keep an eye on their cards whilst making payments and to check their credit card and bank account statements for any unusual activities. For more information and tips regarding counterfeit currencies and payment cards, surf RTHK's website at www.rthk.org.hk for the episode of "Decoding Commercial Crimes" on the "Police Magazine" TV programme. The next topic of the "Decoding Commercial Crimes" series will be "Advanced Fee Fraud". |
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