BUSINESS owners in Mold have a chance to get expert advice on protecting themselves against commercial identify fraud at a talk by a former high-level member of the Greater Manchester Police fraud squad.

The event on Thursday 19 November is being organised by Mold Business Forum and will be held at 6pm at HSBC Bank on High Street in Mold.

Speaker will be commercial fraud expert Mike Field, a former instructor on the National Fraud Course who trained detectives to identify fraudulent practices and track down culprits. He was with Greater Manchester Police fraud squad for 12 years.

Mike, who now runs his own consultancy advising companies on ways to prevent themselves becoming victims of fraud, will enlighten business owners about the various methods used by fraudsters, what to look out for, ways of avoiding commercial fraud and what actions to take if targeted.

“Commercial fraud is one of the most prevalent kinds of fraud and in a world where businesses are more and more dependent on websites and new technology, it is important that company owners and managers familiarise themselves with what to look out for to protect both themselves and their customers,” he says.

The 40-minute talk entitled ‘Business Fraud – your essential steps to prevent and detect’ will be followed by a question and answer session.

Tickets are £15, including light refreshments of canapés and wine. To help calculate catering requirements anyone wishing to attend should book their place before November 2 by phoning the Chester and North Wales Chamber of Commerce on 01244 669988. The chamber is administering the event on behalf of the forum.

Mold Business Forum, which aims to represent the interests of large and small businesses in and around the town, was relaunched in July to provide a platform for them to speak with a single voice on local and topical issues.

Annual membership starts from £80. For more details contact its chairman Martin Jones, of Vaughan Davies Menswear, on 01352 752632 or email info@moldbusinessforum.org.uk