HKMA reminds public about bogus phone calls purported to be from banks

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today (August 28) wishes to remind members of the public to stay vigilant to bogus phone calls purported to be from banks. These calls may lure members of the public to open investment accounts, transfer funds to the accounts designated by the callers, provide sensitive personal information or follow callers' other instructions by claiming seemingly legitimate reasons (for example, irregularities detected in their bank or credit card accounts, promoting products that they are interested in with attractive offers).   
 
     The HKMA urges members of the public to take precautionary steps to authenticate the calls with the relevant banks rather than just take the word of the callers without verifying their identity. Since 2015, a list of all retail banks' hotline numbers for such verification purpose has been posted at the dedicated webpages of the HKMA (www.hkma.gov.hk/media/eng/doc/other-information/Bank_hotline_for_verify_caller_identity_ENG.pdf) and the Hong Kong Association of Banks (www.hkab.org.hk/DisplayArticleAction.do?sid=5&ss=14). These hotline numbers have been conveniently and effectively used by the public for verifying the identity of callers. In view of the continued occurrence of bogus phone calls, members of the public should continue to use the relevant hotlines to verify the authenticity of the calls.
 
     Any member of the public who has fallen to, or suspects that he/she has fallen to, similar scams should immediately contact the bank concerned and report such cases to any Police Station or the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.