Customs officers mounted an anti-piracy operation on December 22 and 23 against four computer shops selling desktop computers with pre-installed infringed computer software. Acting on public complaints, Customs officers disguised as customers and ordered a total of four desktop computers from four computer shops in Shatin and in Tuen Mun on December 22, which claimed that computer software could be pre-installed. Customs officers collected the ordered lot on December 23 and found that the computers had been pre-installed with infringed software.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.unionbankhk.com". The website looks similar to the official website of Bank of Communications Hong Kong Branch. Bank of Communications Hong Kong Branch has clarified that it has no connection with the fraudulent website.

A question on promoting the use of wireless services and technologies raised by the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, in the Legislative Council. The Office of Government Chief Information Officer has formed a Task Force to follow up on the recommendations made by the Working Group on Promotion of Wireless Services and Technology in 2003. The Task Force has been working on eight areas. One of the areas was to encourage and facilitate the continuous development and enhancement of information security technologies and solutions.

To further improve Hong Kong's legislative regime for protecting copyright, the Government released a consultation document on the review of certain provisions of the Copyright Ordinance. The consultation document sets out the main issues related to end-user criminal liability, copyright exemption and a number of other aspects in the Copyright Ordinance which require a review.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.abnfs.com". The website is operated by an alleged "ABN Finance & Securities", which claims that it offers various banking services to members of the public in Hong Kong. The public should be aware that the alleged entity is not authorised under the Banking Ordinance to carry on banking business in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert people to an email purporting to be sent from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The email requests customers to use an embedded hyperlink (for example, http://207.150.192.12/temp/souledou/hg.html) to connect to a fraudulent website and verify their account information by entering their Internet banking account's user name and password. HSBC has clarified that HSBC has not sent these emails to its customers and has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.asiacenturyhongkong.com". The website is operated by an alleged "Asiacentury Bank" but this entity is not authorized under the Banking Ordinance to carry on banking business or the business of taking deposits in Hong Kong.

A four-day training conference was held from November 22 to November 25, 2004 in Hong Kong with the aim to provide comprehensive and advanced training for law enforcement agencies to combat the computer-facilitated crimes against children. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the training conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Tang King-shing, said that international co-operation was one of the keys to success in the fight against child pornography on Internet.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert people to an email purporting to be sent from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The email requests customers to use an embedded hyperlink (for example, http://207.150.192.12/temp/wwwuga/d.html) to connect to a fraudulent website and verify their account information by entering their Internet banking account's user name and password. HSBC has clarified that HSBC has not sent these emails to its customers and has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Immigration Department will host the Third Asia Pacific Discussion Forum on Electronic Identity Documents in Hong Kong from November 30 to December 1, 2004. The Forum is a closed door conference held annually for officials to exchange views on implementation of chip-based identity documents. The Immigration Department has just completed a feasibility study on the integration of biometric data into HKSAR passports and will use the conference to share with other participants the experience of developing electronic identity document.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to an email purporting to be sent from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The email requests customers to use an embedded hyperlink (for example, http://207.150.192.12/temp/divest1/projects/d.html) to connect to a fraudulent website and verify their account information by entering their Internet banking account's user name and password. HSBC has clarified that HSBC has not sent these emails to its customers and has no connection with the fraudulent website.

Over 150 professionals from the information technology and business communities attended the first day of the regional Information Security Summit 2004 held in Hong Kong on 11 November 2004 to obtain the latest updates on information security and its related technologies.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.daxinte.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of The Dah Sing Bank Limited (DSB). DSB has clarified that it has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.icbc-online.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited ("ICBC (Asia)"). ICBC (Asia) has clarified that it has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Consumer Council has conducted a survey on broadband internet service to guage customer satisfaction level. Over 3,000 users were interviewed in each of the two telephone surveys in May and August 2004. The survey has indicated that a large number of respondents (41.6%) have sent confidential information online such as credit card data and personal details despite recurring incidence of scams.

Police have successfully smashed a syndicate which was suspected to have deceived $660,000 from the customers of a local bank via bogus electronic mails (emails). Enquiries revealed that the bogus website was set up and those "phishing" emails were sent to Internet users worldwide. At the same time, accomplices were recruited by the mastermind through ICQ, email and job seeking websites. They were asked to use their own bank accounts to receive the stolen money from the unauthorised transfers via the e-banking of the victims.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to the growing number of reports received from customers, banks and the Police about suspected fraudulent bank websites and emails. The HKMA also draws the public's attention to the announcement by the Hong Kong Police Force about the smashing of a "phishing" syndicate suspected of having deceived customers of a bank in Hong Kong.

In view of the increasing number of fake bank websites and emails reported recently, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has issued a circular to all authorised institutions to reiterate the importance of putting in place appropriate precautionary measures to guard against fraud.

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 160 hours' community service order for possession of child pornography at Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts. A total of 6012 images of child pornography were found in his computer at his home at Hoi Shing Road in Tsuen Wan.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has warned Hong Kong people about an email purporting to be sent from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The email requests customers to use an embedded hyperlink (for example, "http://202.109.79.93/.z/hgk/hk.html") to connect to a fraudulent website and verify their account information by entering their Internet banking account's user name and password. The fraudulent website looks very similar to HSBC's Personal Internet Banking logon webpage.

Officers of the Technology Crime Division of the Commercial Crime Bureau mounted an operation against Internet auction fraud in May this year. Upon analysis on the information gathered in the operation, a 43-year-old man who had engaged in Internet auction fraud was found to have raised the ticket prices of a concert by posing as another auctinoeer to place the bid.

The Commercial Crime Bureau "Technology Crime Division" (TCD) has, in co-operation with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, developed a high-powered system to crack password-protected files. The system, known as "Password Cracking Cluster", consists of 25 high-powered computers. Acting Chief Inspector Collins Leung, who is responsible for the project, said: "This password cracking cluster is a high-powered computation system. The speed of its operation is 30 to 50 times faster than any single computer. It might take about 3,000 days to crack a password with eight characters in length with an ordinary computer, but the new system using a clustering technology can reduce the time to two or three days. "

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert members of the public in Hong Kong to suspected fraudulent emails purporting to be issued by Citizens Bank. These emails requested the recipients to click on a hyperlink to verify their account information. It is not usual for banks to request their customers to disclose their sensitive account information through emails.

Police charged a 46-year-old Nigerian man, suspected to be a senior member of an international Nigerian email fraud syndicate, with money laundering offences. Police enquiries revealed that a resident of the United States of America received email in 2003 which said that he was the subject of a multi-million US dollar inheritance estate and that the money would be released to him via a bank account in Hong Kong. He was told once he paid the relevant stamp duty according to Hong Kong Law, he would receive the inheritance.

A 32-year-old man was sentenced to 240 hours' community service order for possession of child pornography at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts. A total of 3 476 images and six video clips of child pornography were found in his computer at his home at Fung Mo Street in Wong Tai Sin.

Police urge the public to beware of deception when receiving email claiming they have won a lucky draw and are asked to give money before collecting the prize. The appeal was made after Police received a report of deception earlier this month.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the members of the public to an email purporting to be sent from The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The email requests customers to use an embedded hyperlink (for example, http://221.144.12.117/.a/h-hk/online.php) to connect to a fraudulent website and verify their account information by entering their Internet banking account's user name and password. The fraudulent website looks very similar to HSBC's Personal Internet Banking logon webpage. HSBC has clarified that HSBC has not sent these emails to its customers and has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to some emails purporting to be sent from Hang Seng Bank Limited. These emails contain a hyperlink (for example, http://218.30.21.35/
online/hang/ebanklogon.php) connecting to a fraudulent website. The fraudulent website requests customers to verify their account information by entering their Internet banking account's user name and password, and HKID Card Number. The fraudulent website looks very similar to Hang Seng Bank Limited's Personal Internet Banking website. Hang Seng Bank Limited has clarified that it has not sent these emails to its customers and has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.icbcasiachina.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited ("ICBC (Asia)"). ICBC (Asia) has issued a press release to clarify that ICBC (Asia) has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The Intellectual Property Department launched a brand new medium to promote intellectual property messages - an action-packed 3-D computer game. The creative computer game, entitled "Anti Piracy Action Team" (APAT), was developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The idea was to make full use of the latest interactive computer technology to convey copyright protection ideas to young people.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert members of the public to the suspected fraudulent emails purporting to be from U.S. Bank. The recipients of these emails are requested to click on a hyperlink to verify their account information. It is believed that the emails may be used to trick bank customers into revealing sensitive account information.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.ce-bank.com". The website is operated by an alleged "Citi Express Bank", which claims that it offers various banking services to members of the public in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.swissroyalbank.com". The website is operated by an alleged "Swiss Royal Bank", which claims that it offers various banking services to members of the public in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.obc-international.com". The website is operated by an alleged "Overseas Banking Corporation International", which claims that it has an office in Hong Kong and offers various banking services.

The opening speech (English only) delivered by the Deputy Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Stephen Mak Hung-sung, at the 5th Info-Security Conference 2004.

A question on protection of copyright works raised by the the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, in the Legislative Council.

Hong Kong Customs is making every effort to root out copyright piracy activities including software piracy to protect intellectual property rights (IPR), the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Timothy Tong Hin-ming, said. Commissioner Tong made the above statement after Hong Kong Customs successfully smashed a local pirated optical discs syndicate.

Hong Kong Customs will for the first time apply the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO) on intellectual property rights related crime to apply for restraint order to freeze the assets of a syndicate worth nearly $20 million.
In a territory-wide operation codenamed "Spur" following one-year-long investigations, Customs officers rooted out one of the biggest local pirated optical discs syndicates.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public in Hong Kong to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.asiacenturyhk.com". The website is operated by an alleged "Asiacentury Bank", which offers various banking services to members of the public in Hong Kong. The public should be aware that the alleged "Asiacentury Bank" is not authorized under the Banking Ordinance to carry on banking business or the business of taking deposits in Hong Kong, nor does it have the approval to establish a local representative office.

A question on curbing forgery of Hong Kong smart identity cards raised by the Hon Lau Kong-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council.

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority and the Police jointly mounted two successful raiding operations against the sale of unauthorised cable TV decoders on June 23 and 25 in the Shamshuipo area. A total of 163 suspected unauthorised cable TV decoders were seized and 12 persons were taken to the police station to assist in further investigation.

Security researchers warned that there were a large number of websites using Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 been compromised and web surfers visiting these websites may be easily infected with trojans. For more information, please refer to the following links:

URL://isc.sans.org/diary.php?date=2004-06-25&isc=f1d098
6c128fa2b5e046d8ef8fb666cd
URL://news.com.com/Web+site+virus+attack+blunted/2100
-7349_3-5248279.html?tag=cd.lede
URL://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5248279.html
URL://www.securitypipeline.com/news/22102219;jsessionid=
YFQ2Y2U0VRKQYQSNDBCCKHQ
URL://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/download_ject.mspx

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority issued a consultation paper on June 25 to invite public views on proposed measures to contain the problem of unsolicited electronic messages. Commonly known as "junk messages", unsolicited electronic messages are distributed through various electronic means to consumers without their consent. They include but are not limited to emails (or spam), faxes, voice mails, short messaging services and multi-media messaging services. The consultation paper can be downloaded from the Office of the Telecommunications Authority's website: www.ofta.gov.hk.

The Government has launched a four-month consultation to solicit public's views on measures to combat spam, the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, announced. Speaking at an anti-spam forum, Mr Tsang said the consultation would look into unsolicited electronic messages, or junk messages, in general, including emails, faxes, short messaging services and multi-media messaging services.

The transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, to the media after attending the "Dam the Spam" forum.

A Russian anti-virus company, Kaspersky Labs discovered the first worm in smart phones. This worm Cabir, uses the Bluetooth short-range wireless feature of smart phones that run the Symbian operating system to detect other Symbian phones, and then copies itself to another phone. Please refer to the following hyperlinks for more information:

URL://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5234953.html
URL://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/15/symbian_virus/
URL://www.securityfocus.com/news/8909
URL://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040615S0004

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert members of the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.hkiba.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of International Bank of Asia Limited (IBA). IBA has clarified that IBA has no connection with the fraudulent website.

The opening speech (English only) delivered by the Director of Information Technology Services, Mr Alan Wong Chi-kong, at the Information Security Showcase 2004.

The Information Security Showcase 2004, organized by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), was opened on 2 June 2004 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Under the theme of "Information Security: from Detection to Prevention", the three-day event presents the latest security technologies and solutions to Hong Kong companies. The event comprises 39 seminars and an exhibition covering cryptography, public key infrastructure, firewall technology, intrusion detection, bandwidth management, content security, content filtering and anti-virus technology.

A question on smart identity cards provided with e-Cert digital certificate raised by Dr Hon David Li and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, in the Legislative Council.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has issued a public alert about a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.fortizbank.com". The website is operated by an alleged "Fortiz Bank Asia HK", which offers various banking and investment services. The suspected fraudulent website looks similar to the official website of Belgian Bank (formerly known as Fortis Bank Asia HK). The domain name of the suspected fraudulent website also resembles the official website address of Fortis Bank (Hong Kong Branch). Both Belgian Bank and Fortis Bank (Hong Kong Branch) have clarified that they have no connection with the alleged "Fortiz Bank Asia HK" or the suspected fraudulent website.

Following a two-week investigation, officers attached to the Technology Crime Division of the Commercial Crime Bureau arrested nine persons in an operation against illegal online auction activities. These persons were arrested for offences including fraud, criminal damage and access to computer with criminal intent. Police identified a number of online auctioneers suspected to have pushed up the price of the ticket of a concert tickets by posing as other account holders making false bids against genuine bidders.

The Government has been closely monitoring the trend and development of computer-related crime and has launched various measures to curb and prevent such crime. The Director of Information Technology Services, Mr Alan Wong Chi-kong, attended a seminar organised by the Consumer Council on May 22 and discussed with youngsters and representatives from the Police and the online gaming industry the means to prevent crime related to online games.

Many players have apparently no or only a hazy notion of the law that stealing virtual property from an online game account is an act of crime. So is deception such as failing to honour a promise in online trading of game weapons. To some of the players, they may even come to accept it as an harmless innocent part of online gaming. Consequently, many players deem it futile to report online game crimes to the Police. The problem is further aggravated by the apathy of players in strengthening the security of their online game accounts.

A question on currency counterfeiting using domestic computer equipment raised by the Hon Ambrose Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council.

A 30-year-old Nigerian man in connection with an email scam valued at US$26 million was charged with obtaining property by deception, possessing a false instrument, using a false instrument and possessing equipment for making a false instrument. Enquiries revealed that in late March emails were spammed to a large number of recipients telling them that after the death of an African official, a US$26 million fund left unattended was in Hong Kong pending the transfer via a Hong Kong bank account to a foreign bank account.

The Consumer Council announced the launch of a publicity campaign to warn fans of online games the perils of addiction, theft and abuses liable to criminal sanction. In a new initiative, a concern group has been formed to spearhead an awareness drive on the problem among the public and in particular the young. The group is joined, in addition to the Consumer Council, by the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and the Breakthrough organisation. A special report was produced, for publication in the latest (May) issue of CHOICE, dealing comprehensively with the online gaming problem together with a package of recommendations.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks jointly announced the release of the revised customer educational leaflet: "Internet Banking - Keeping your money safe". The leaflet provides up-to-date security tips on using Internet banking. Please refer to the "Download" section of the website for the leaflet.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.ibabankhk.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of International Bank of Asia Limited (IBA). IBA issued a press release to clarify that IBA has no connection with the fraudulent website.

LCQ5: Combatting fake websites or electronic mails
A question on combatting fake websites or electronic mails raised by the Hon Ng Leung-sing and a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council.

Hong Kong Customs is planning to introduce new measures to tighten control on the production of optical discs and to expand co-operation with the Mainland Customs authorities to crack down on cross-boundary copyright infringement activities. To enlist co-operation and support from optical discs manufacturers, Hong Kong Customs has organised a seminar to talk about its plan to roll out a new scheme requiring optical discs manufacturers to submit production records of optical discs with copyrighted work and relating authorisation documents.

A question on combatting computer-related crimes raised by the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council. Progress of the implementation is tabulated in the Annex.

As more consumers are drawn to wireless Internet application, the Consumer Council is concerned that few are in fact aware of the inherent security vulnerability of WLAN (wireless local access network) to hackers' attacks. A recent study has found 70% of WLAN to be without simple security measures in defence of such intrusion and viruses on the home computer system. Consumers are strongly urged to take pro-active preventive measures for enhancing the security of a wireless network. If you want to learn more about wireless LAN security, you may refer to the Secure Your Wireless Network section of this website for more information.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.hkebc.com". The website is operated by an alleged "HKEBC (Hong Kong)", which claims that it offers various banking and investment services. The website looks similar to the official website of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). HSBC has issued a press release to clarify that HSBC has no connection with the alleged "HKEBC (Hong Kong)" and the suspected fraudulent website.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert members of the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.dbsbankhk.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (DBS). DBS has issued a press release to clarify that DBS has no connection with the fraudulent website.

Following extensive investigations, Customs officers from the Anti-Internet Piracy Team found a local auction site they suspected was being used to sell pirated discs of the TV drama series. With the assistance of an Internet service provider, the Customs officer successfully located the suspect. During the operation, the officers raided a target unit in Tuen Mun and arrested a 27-year-old man. They also seized 42 pirated discs of the TV drama series and a set of computers, with a total estimated value of $10,000.

The full text of the opening speech by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, at the 29th APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group (APEC TEL 29) on March 24.

The Legislative Council passed the Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2003 (to be known as the "Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2004" after its enactment) on 24 March 2004, and approved the Copyright (Suspension of Amendments) Ordinance 2001 (Amendment) Notice 2004.

A montion on combating crimes related to automatic teller machine cards and credit cards, which was proposed by Hon LAU kong-wah, was replied by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr. Frederick Ma, in the Legislative Council (Chinese version only).

The Legislative Council would hold a meeting on March 24 at 2.30pm in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on combating crimes relating to automatic teller machine cards and credit cards. The motion, to be proposed by Hon LAU Kong-wah, says: "That, as the numbers of automatic teller machine frauds and credit card thefts are rising continuously and such crimes are committed in many varied ways, dealing a heavy blow to the public's confidence in electronic banking services and to Hong Kong's tourist and retail industries."

More than 250 delegates from the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) economies would attend the 29th APEC Telecommunication and Information Working Group Meeting (APEC TEL 29) in Hong Kong from March 21 to 26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Plenary sessions, workshops and steering group meetings would be held during the week. Delegates would continue the work of previous APEC TEL meetings on pertinent ICT issues, such as broadband development, e-security, mutual recognition arrangements and e-government.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.dasxin.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of The Dah Sing Bank Limited (DSB). DSB has issued a press release to clarify that both DSB and the Dah Sing Financial Group have no connection with the fraudulent website.

A question on technology crimes raised by the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, in the Legislative Council.

The future of e-commerce in Hong Kong looks bright, with over 210,000 Smart ID Card holders already embedding Hongkong Post's e-Cert in their cards. Hongkong Post conducted a briefing for the public about the security features of e-Cert and its applications to facilitate online transactions, in particular in e-banking.

A man, convicted of deception charges, was sentenced to 26 months' imprisonment at the District Court. The man hacked into a number of email accounts from cyber cafes in the Mainland and then used these email accounts to purchase laptop computers and digital cameras through two auction websites in Hong Kong.

Police charged four teenage boys with 10 counts of access to computer with dishonest intent. Police officers from the Technology Crime Division of the Commercial Crime Bureau (TCD/CCB) mounted an operation codenamed "Replicator" in September last year with a view to deterring online game related crimes. The operation turned overt in December when the officers arrested the four teenage boys who were found involving in three reports made to the TCD/CCB in which online game tokens or weapons were stolen.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.asiacentury.net". The website is operated by an alleged "Asiacentury Bank" which claims that its head office is in Hong Kong and it offers various banking services. The public should be aware that the alleged "Asiacentury Bank" is not authorized under the Banking Ordinance to carry on banking business or the business of taking deposits in Hong Kong, nor does it have the approval to establish a local representative office.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public in Hong Kong to a fraudulent website with the domain name "www.onlinebea.com". The website looks very similar to the official website of The Bank of East Asia, Limited (BEA). BEA has issued a press release to clarify that it has no affiliation with the fraudulent website.

A New-Zealand-invested anti-spam and security service provider, MailProve Limited, announced that the company has set up its regional base in Hong Kong. It focuses mainly on providing anti-spam solutions to its customers in the Asia Pacific region.

According to the latest Information Security Survey 2004 jointly conducted by the HKPC, HKCERT, OGCIO and HKPF, about 50% of local companies adopt firewall or advanced security measures against computer attacks. The Information Security Survey, initiated by HKPC in 2000, is conducted annually to evaluate the awareness level of information security among local companies. You may click here for a copy of the survey report.

Opening the Integrated Security Conference and Expo 2004, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Director of Information Technology Services, Mr Alan Wong Chi-kong said safeguarding against security breaches was the key to successful e-business. Computer users should be ready to deal with unexpected cyber attacks while enjoying the convenience of e-business.

Police and the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority seized 95000 pieces of suspected pornographic video compact discs (VCDs) and 117000 pieces of suspected pornographic digital video discs (DVDs) in a joint operation in Mong Kok. The market value of the VCDs and DVDs seized is worth about $6.6 million. Police also arrested eight men for publication of obscene articles.

About 400 young people, teachers and parents attended the awards presentation ceremony of the "Creating a Healthy Cyber World" scheme. Jointly organised by Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority and Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the scheme was launched in October last year to enhance the awareness of young people about the problems of security, privacy, and obscene materials on the Internet, so as to promote healthy browsing in cyberspace.

The Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee endorsed a series of recommendations to further promote the wider adoption of wireless services and technology in Hong Kong. The major recommendations of the working group include enhancing enterprise awareness of business benefits, capabilities (including the security aspects) and service offerings of wireless solutions, and encouraging continuous development of information security technologies solutions and so on.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to alert the public to a suspected fraudulent website with the domain name "www.facbltd.com". The website is operated by an alleged "First Atlantic Chartered Bank Limited" which claims that its head office is in the UK and it offers various banking services in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. The public should be aware that the alleged "First Atlantic Chartered Bank Limited" is not authorised under the Banking Ordinance to carry on banking business or the business of taking deposits in Hong Kong.

The Customs and Excise Department made significant achievements on various fronts in the past year. On the anti-piracy front, the department detected 10,341 copyright cases during the year. In applying new technologies to tackle internet piracy and other computer crime, the Department has established the Computer Forensic Laboratory in August 2002 to process digital evidence gathered from the Internet and other computer-related offences.

A question on curbing ATM-related theft cases raised by Dr the Hon David Chu and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council.

Disposal of Computer Equipment with Sensitive Information

A new topic "Disposal of Computer Equipment with Sensitive Information" is now introduced in the Security Tips section of this website.

Police officers attached to the Kowloon West Region, together with officers from the Immigration Department, Customs & Excise Department, Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority, Office of the Telecommunications Authority, and Labour Department mounted the joint anti-crime operation codenamed "Windpipe" . During the operation, 284 people were arrested for various offences including prostitution, selling of dutiable cigarettes, obscene and pirated video compact discs/digital video discs (VCD/DVD), illegal labour and vice-related activities.

Public stay vigilant when disclosing personal details on Internet

Police remind members of the public to be vigilant when disclosing their personal details on the Internet. The appeal was made after two men were arrested for defacing the website of a credit card company and unlawfully downloading data from the website server.