Phone Scammers Impersonating PayMe Staff

2022-06-13

Defrauding Tricks

Between January and June this year, the Police received around 130 reports about scammers duping people out of money by claiming themselves to be staff of PayMe, an e-payment platform. The amount of money defrauded ranged from HK$40 to HK$40,000.

The scammers called the victims, claiming that their PayMe accounts needed to be updated or had been hacked. Some of the scammers were even able to tell the full name as well as the HKID card number of the victims. The victims were tricked into believing the scammers and provided them with such information as their one-time passcode (OTP) and transaction code. The scammers then hijacked their accounts and drained the deposits.

Our Advice

• If you receive calls purportedly from staff of PayMe, ask for their staff number and contact the customer service team directly for verification;

• Even if the callers are able to tell your personal information, it does not necessarily mean that they are genuine bank staff. Scammers can obtain the personal information of the public through open access, security loopholes and even illegal sources;

• Contact the corresponding offices to verify the callers’ identity;

• Do not disclose to strangers any “OTP” or “transaction code” of your e-wallet;

• Change the transaction code of your e-payment platforms regularly;

• Remind your relatives and friends to stay vigilant against deception;

• If in doubt, please call the “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222” for advice.