This has been facilitated by the increased international co-operation over the years, which is essential given internet has no boundaries. The SFC currently has co-operative arrangements with regulators in 19 countries. But there is a limit to what regulators can do to protect investors from those who use the internet for fraud. Investors must also take care to protect their own interests. Investors should always take care in investing in any scheme including understanding what the scheme entails, who is behind it and, if an intermediary is involved, that it is properly licensed or authorised in the jurisdiction where it operates.
Many regulators offer investor access to their list of licensed intermediaries.
Moreover, investors should take great care when considering investing based on unconfirmed information that may be available on the internet, in particular, through chat rooms and on bulletin boards. Any investment decision should be based on information that can be verified. The public are invited to report any suspicious activities they come across, whether it be identified in advertisements, web sites, chat rooms or bulletin boards, pertaining to the securities and futures market in Hong Kong. All such reports will be treated with the utmost confidence.