Be Vigilant against Fraudulent Donation Confirmations Scammers Posing as SAR Government Have Sent Phishing SMSs

2025-12-03

Recently, scammers posing as the SAR Government have sent phishing SMSs, claiming that members of the public have made donations to the so-called “Red Cross Trust Fund” and that sums will be deducted from their bank accounts soon.  These SMSs contain a suspicious telephone number.  In order to obtain sensitive information such as personal data, online banking usernames and passwords, scammers allure the public to call such number.

The Police have marked such number “high risk” on Scameter and Scameter+, the mobile app of Scameter, and stress again that the SAR Government will never send similar SMSs, and will never ask the public to provide personal or banking information, or make donations by transfer.  If the public receive similar SMSs, please stay alert and do not rashly believe or respond to them to avoid falling prey to scams.

The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre specially reminds the public:

• Not to click on the fraudulent links embedded in suspicious “fundraising” SMSs or transfer money to unknown bank accounts;

• Not to fill in unsolicited victim registration forms;

• Not to rashly scan QR codes;

• Not to rashly believe fundraising posts on the internet.  If you come across unsolicited fundraising promotions, you should verify them with relevant organisations.  If you receive calls made by people claiming that they are staff members of relevant organisations, you should verity the identities of the callers with such organisations;

• Not to disclose your personal data, including name, identity card number, bank account numbers, online banking usernames, passwords and verification codes, to strangers;

• That if you want to lend a helping hand to the victims, please make donations through official and reliable channels;

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