The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today (December 30) announced that starting from tomorrow (December 31), local mobile service providers will send voice alerts to local mobile and fixed services users for calls made from newly activated local prepaid SIM cards to further assist the public in staying vigilant against suspicious calls.
"Under the new measure, when local mobile and fixed services users answer calls made from newly activated local pre-paid SIM cards, mobile service providers will first play a voice alert message stating, 'This call is made from a new pre-paid SIM card,' before the call is connected, to raise users' awareness of suspicious calls. The alert message service is provided by mobile service providers free of charge. Users are not required to register in advance, install any mobile apps, or make any settings to their mobile phones or fixed-line phones," a spokesman for OFCA said.
To safeguard the integrity of telecommunications services and the security of communications networks, OFCA has been working closely with telecommunications service providers and law enforcement agencies to devise and implement a series of measures to tackle the problem at its source. These include the full implementation of the Real-name Registration Programme for SIM Cards, the introduction and expansion of the SMS Sender Registration Scheme, the provision of voice or text alert service for incoming calls from outside Hong Kong with caller numbers prefixed with "+852", the blocking of suspected fraudulent phone numbers and websites based on the information provided by the Police, and requiring telecommunications service providers to continuously optimise their network management and promptly suspend the service of suspicious phone numbers, in order to comprehensively combat fraudulent calls and messages.
The spokesman reminded members of the public to always stay vigilant when using telecommunications services. They should not answer unknown calls casually, and should not disclose personal information or transfer money to unknown callers whose identities have not been verified to prevent potential losses.
OFCA will continue to collaborate with the telecommunications industry and law enforcement agencies in implementing various measures to combat phone and SMS scams, as well as to strengthen public education and publicity efforts to more comprehensively disseminate anti-deception messages to all members of the public. To enhance public understanding of the new voice alert service, OFCA has launched a new series of television and radio announcements in the public interest to promote the measure. The public may also visit OFCA's thematic website for more information on preventing phone scams.
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