HONG Kong authorities said they were trying to shut down a fraudulent website claiming to be linked to a reputable Swiss-based bank, the fifth such bogus site reported here in just over a month. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city's banking regulator, urged the public to report any dealings with the fraudulent website www.swisscreditbank.com.

The sophisticated-looking website claims to be operated by the "Bank of Swisscredit" which claims to have its head office in Zurich and branches in Hong Kong and Canada and offers various banking and investment services.

However, the HKMA warned the "Bank of Swisscredit" was not authorised under the Banking Ordinance to carry out any banking business in Hong Kong. The HKMA said it had referred the case to the Swiss bank regulator.

Credit Suisse First Boston is the legal Zurich-based global banking giant.

The Hong Kong arms of the Bank of China and HSBC, the UK-based Schroders asset management company and Singapore's DBS bank also reported suspicious web sites last month. The sites, which appear to be a ruse to gain access to bank account numbers, have all been shut down.

Banks or financial organisations suspicious of the nature of a website can call in Pretection for a Additional Evidence Report. The professionals of Pretection will investigate this site and all relevant data, such as links, banners, traffic, IP addresses and more. All evidence will be electronically notarized and can be used in court as legal evidence if the need arises. Protect your company from all theze fraudulent actions and make sure the organisation your dealing with is legit.