21.   Heating oil futures, which had traded moderately lower most of the session, also fell sharply in late trade in sympathy with crude, traders said.

22.   Looking ahead, analysts said gasoline futures prices are likely to begin to weaken amid softer autumn demand and heating oil futures to edge higher ahead of the winter.

23.   Pressured by gasoline futures, heating oil futures retreated moderately.

24.   Technical selling accounted for much of the retreat from January heating oil futures, which expire on Friday, and trading volume was thin.

25.   Enquiries revealed staff members made cold calls to overseas companies offering victims the chance of investing in heating oil futures in the New York Mercantile Exchange.