Beware of Phishing SMS Messages Purportedly from “HKSARG”

2022-05-06

Defrauding Tricks

ADCC was informed by members of the public that scammers impersonated Hong Kong government personnel and sent phishing SMS messages in the name of “HKSARG” to the public, claiming that there was overlap in the activities of recipients and confirmed cases and thus they were required to undergo compulsory quarantine. Telephone numbers 5915 4725 and 4637 7206 were provided for making enquiries. During the calls, the recipients found that Putonghua-speaking scammers, impersonating staff from the Department of Health (DH), asked for their personal information.

Our Advice

Be careful and seek confirmation even when you receive SMS messages with “HKSARG” as sender’s name because scammers can set any display names of sender using applications;

Do not disclose your personal information to strangers, including your name, HKID number, address, bank account numbers, online banking accounts and PIN codes;

For relevant information, please visit the website of the Centre for Health Protection of the DH or COVID-19 Thematic Website - Together, We Fight the Virus;

You can call the hotlines of the Centre for Health Protection (2125 1111/2125 1122) to verify the identity of authorised officers if necessary;

DH will provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties if they need to contact you;

DH will not ask you for any sensitive personal information such as bank account details and PIN codes;

Remind your relatives and friends to stay vigilant against deception;