The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) of the Hong Kong Police Force will expand its scheme of “Upstream Scam Intervention” starting tomorrow (January 2) to include sending SMS messages to potential scam victims as a means to provide timely alerts and advice.
The ADCC has registered with the Office of the Communications Authority’s “Short Message Service (SMS) Sender Registration Scheme”, and its “Registered SMS Sender ID” is “#ADCC18222”. The SMS messages aim to send alerts and provide ways for verification and seeking assistance. The ADCC seizes this opportunity to remind members of the public that phishing or malicious messages often contain hyperlinks, QR codes or attachments for installing malicious software on victims’ devices to access sensitive information. Members of the public are urged to be cautious.
In response to the evolving landscape of deception and the imperative need for proactive countermeasures, the ADCC launched the scheme of “Upstream Scam Intervention” in May 2023 in collaboration with 12 retail banks to enhance the efficacy of preventing deception and mitigating losses incurred by scam victims. By analysing suspicious bank accounts, the scheme identifies individuals who may be at risk of falling victim to scams. Through coordinated efforts between the banks and Police, in addition to contacting these potential victims via phone calls or police visits, the ADCC will expand its prevention efforts to include sending SMS alerts to provide timely warnings. During the interactions, the ADCC officers or bank personnel will provide the potential victims with the needed information, such as details of the implicated bank accounts that they have transacted with, to facilitate their verification and assessment. As of the end of November 2023, 579 ongoing deception cases were intervened under the scheme.
Police reiterate that officers and bank personnel will never, under any circumstances, request the disclosure of personal information or banking credentials, nor the transfer of funds to any accounts during these interactions. To verify callers’ identities, the public can contact their respective banks or the ADCC directly via designated contact numbers. Individuals are encouraged to utilise Scameter on the CyberDefender website (https://cyberdefender.hk/en-us/scameter/) or the mobile application Scameter+ to check if the recipient bank accounts are associated with any reported scams in order to verify whether their transaction counterparts are suspicious or high-risk.
The scheme of “Upstream Scam Intervention” exemplifies the commitment of the ADCC and the banking sector to combating deception and minimising its impact on individuals and society, thereby fostering a more secure and resilient financial environment. The ADCC and the participating banks dedicate their efforts to ensuring that all engagements are conducted with the utmost professionalism and with the sole purpose of protecting individuals from scams. Members of the public shall remain vigilant against scams at all times and exercise circumspection in their financial dealings.
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