â€‹The Transport Department (TD) today (January 21) alerted members of the public to fraudulent SMS messages purportedly issued by the HKeToll. The SMS messages spoof the name of "HKeToll" and provide hyperlinks (HK.PCeToll[.]xyz and PC-HKeToll[.]com) to a fake HKeToll website, which seek to deceive recipients into making payments and obtain their credit card information. 

     The TD clarifies that the SMS messages were not issued by the HKeToll and has referred the case to the Police for follow-up. Members of the public are reminded that the HKeToll will not send SMS messages or emails to vehicle owners with hyperlinks which direct them to websites to carry out transactions. If a vehicle owner wishes to pay an outstanding toll online, they must log in to the HKeToll website (hketoll.gov.hk) or mobile app.

     Members of the public should stay alert when receiving unidentified messages. They should not visit suspicious websites and disclose any personal information. Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the websites concerned should contact the Police. For enquiries about the HKeToll, please call 3853 7333.

     The Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) of the Hong Kong Police Force held the "CyberDefenders’ Carnival 2024" at HarbourChill, Wan Chai today (January 20) to educate the public about cyber threats and digital security through entertaining performances and interactive game booths, attracting 8,000 participants.
      
     Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, said that the surging cybercrime has posed a global challenge in recent years. He quoted that Hong Kong recorded 31 467 cases of technology crimes with a total loss of $5 billion in the first 11 months of last year. Of them, 80 per cent were online scams. To enhance public awareness of fraud prevention and digital literacy, the Police launched the "All-round CyberDefence 2024", a citywide cyber security campaign, through online and offline publicity activities calling for joint efforts from all sectors of the community, to make fraud prevention and digital security a part of people’s daily lives. He called on members of the public to take note of the recently launched High Risk Alert on the "Faster Payment System" and "SMS Sender Registration Scheme", and to remain vigilant in order to identify fraud traps.
      
     Also officiating at the ceremony were the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Chow Yat-ming; the Director of Crime and Security, Mr Yip Wan-lung, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ms Chung Wing-man; the Chief Superintendent of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, Mr Lam Cheuk- ho; and the Deputy Director of the Judiciary Police of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Sou Sio-keong.
      
     The carnival featured 28 performing groups singing and dancing, including DI CODAR’s debut performance of "No No", the theme song of the "All-round CyberDefence 2024", as well as a light show in the evening, in which as many as 800 drones presented a story based on the theme of cybersecurity to promote the message on fraud prevention.
      
     The "Greater Bay Area Youth Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security Challenge" organised by the CSTCB also held its final and award presentation ceremony during the carnival. The challenge, which aimed to raise the awareness of cyber security and digital literacy among young people, attracted more than 1 000 secondary school students from Hong Kong, Macao and cities in the Greater Bay Area. Participants were asked to design artificial intelligence solutions to improve the quality of life of the public and safeguard cyber security. The ultimate champion of the competition was a joint team composed of Cheung Chuk Shan College, Carmel Divine Grace Foundation Secondary School, and Church of Christ in China Mong Man Wai College. The champions of Guangdong Province and Macao were joint teams composed of Fok Ying Tung High School, Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School, and Alcanta International College of Guangzhou, as well as Pui Ching Middle School (Macau), Saint Paul School Macau, and Guang Da Middle School, Macao.
      
     In addition, Mr Siu presented souvenirs to representatives of 29 public and private organisations in recognition of their contribution to the event.
      
     The "CyberDefenders’ Carnival" is a flagship event of the "All-round CyberDefence" campaign. For details of the campaign, please visit the designated website of “CyberDefender” (cyberdefender.hk).
     

              

     â€‹In response to recent media reports and online discussions concerning the material of designated bags for municipal solid waste (MSW) charging, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has made the following response:

     All plastics claimed to be "degradable" require specific environments and temperatures to be completely degraded, such as exposure to ultraviolet light or high temperature. However, these conditions are absent in the anaerobic environment of the landfills in Hong Kong and therefore it takes a long time for plastics to decompose in the landfills.

     Some "degradable" plastics, particularly oxo-degradable plastics, will fragment into microplastics when they break down in natural environment such as the ocean, which exacerbates the harmfulness to the natural environment and hinders recycling. In fact they are less environmental-friendly. The use of oxo-degradable plastics has been banned in places like the European Union. In Hong Kong, the manufacturing and sale of oxo-degradable plastic products will also be banned starting from April 22 this year.

     When selecting the material for the designated bags for MSW charging, taking into consideration the durability of the bags and the principle of environmental protection, the EPD has required the use of at least 20 per cent recycled plastic in the designated bags in order to reduce the use of raw plastic.

     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, will depart for London, the United Kingdom (UK), tomorrow (January 21) to attend the British Educational Training and Technology (BETT) Show. She will then visit Helsinki, Finland, and attend the Educa, an education exhibition.
 
     Dr Choi will speak at a panel session at the BETT Show and give support to Hong Kong teachers and students who will participate in the show.
 
     Dr Choi will begin her visit to Finland on January 26 and attend a topical discussion at the Educa to discuss the role of education for the future with representatives from other regions.
 
     During her trips to the UK and Finland, Dr Choi will visit a number of education units to learn about the local education developments, and meet education experts and Hong Kong students in both places.
 
     Dr Choi will conclude her visits and return to Hong Kong on January 28. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Education, Mr Sze Chun-fai, will be the Acting Secretary for Education.

     About 20 children from grassroots families today (January 20) visited the Tuen Mun Public Riding School in the company of civil service volunteers to sample the fun of horse riding and learn about the environment of horses at the stables.
 
     The volunteers today came from different grades of the Water Supplies Department (WSD), including Engineers, Waterworks Inspectors and Technical Officers. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Tony Yau, also participated to express support for the event.
 
     Mrs Yeung said, "The children taking part in the event today have never been around horses. They were very excited to be able to have close contact with the horses under the good care of the volunteers and the patient guidance from staff. Seeing the bright smiles and excitement of the children riding on the back of the horses is the best reward for the volunteers."
 
     This marks the first volunteer activity fostered by the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) and jointly organised by civil service volunteer teams, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and district organisations. It also received sponsorship from the HKJC. The CSB will continue to work with the HKJC to enable more civil service volunteer teams to actively promote volunteer services and serve the community through liaison and collaboration with social welfare organisations in different districts.
 
     Mrs Yeung said, "The CSB has been encouraging civil servants to participate in volunteer services. Apart from showing civil servants' care for those in need, volunteerism can bolster the solidarity of the civil service and deepen colleagues' understanding of public needs. In this way, they can provide public service in their respective posts which are more targeted and can better meet the needs of the people. We will continue to support volunteer teams of various bureaux/departments (B/Ds) in organising volunteer activities and providing more diversified volunteer services by joining hands with the community so that their co-operation can achieve greater synergy."
 
     At present, 70 volunteer teams have been formed by different B/Ds to provide volunteer services of diversified categories and formats from time to time. Among them, the WSD volunteer team established in 2002 has been consistently participating in community services.