Beware of Phishing Scammers Impersonating Banks

2023-08-16

Defrauding Tricks

Recently, scammers impersonating bank staff delivered phishing attacks in the form of bogus emails, websites and social media pages, etc. and asked the public to click on the unknown hyperlinks embedded to access fraudulent websites or download fraudulent mobile applications, for the purpose of eliciting the public’s personal bank accounts, credit card details and passwords, etc. 

There were members of the public who received fraudulent bank emails notifying them of a suspicious Faster Payment System (FPS) transaction with large amount, requiring them to click on the embedded link to cancel the transaction. By clicking the link, they were directed to a fraudulent bank website where they were asked to provide their personal information, credit card details and one-time passwords.

In addition, some fraudulent bank pages lured the public to click on hyperlinks and enter their personal and bank account details, offering rewards as baits.

Our Advice

• Do not connect to any suspicious websites via hyperlinks embedded in emails;

• Do not input your personal information, credit card details, security codes or one-time passwords into unknown websites;

• You should download mobile applications through official application stores instead of unknown links;

• The Hong Kong Monetary Authority wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks). Please visit the “Protect your Personal Digital Keys; Beware of Fraudulent Links” website for more important messages against phishing scams;

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

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