HKMA Issues Alert on Phishing Messages Related to Ant Bank (Hong Kong) Limited

The
Hong
Kong
Monetary
Authority
(HKMA)
has
issued
a
public
alert
regarding
phishing
instant
messages
that
falsely
claim
to
be
from
Ant
Bank
(Hong
Kong)
Limited.
The
alert,
published
on
June
25,
2024,
highlights
the
increasing
sophistication
of
cyber
threats
targeting
bank
customers.

Details
of
the
Phishing
Scam

According
to
the
HKMA,
the
fraudulent
messages
have
been
reported
by
multiple
recipients.
These
messages
often
contain
embedded
hyperlinks
directing
recipients
to
fake
websites
that
appear
to
belong
to
Ant
Bank.
The
intention
behind
these
phishing
attempts
is
to
extract
sensitive
personal
information
from
unsuspecting
users.

The
HKMA
has
emphasized
that
legitimate
banks,
including
Ant
Bank,
will
never
send
SMS
or
emails
with
embedded
hyperlinks
for
transaction
purposes.
They
also
do
not
request
sensitive
information
such
as
login
passwords
or
One-Time
Passwords
(OTPs)
via
phone,
email,
or
SMS.

Public
Advisory

In
response
to
the
phishing
threat,
the
HKMA
advises
anyone
who
has
received
such
messages
or
provided
personal
information
to
the
scammers
to
immediately
contact
Ant
Bank
using
the
official
contact
details
provided
in
the
bank’s
press
release.
Additionally,
affected
individuals
should
report
the
incident
to
the
Crime
Wing
Information
Centre
of
the
Hong
Kong
Police
Force
at
2860
5012.

Heightened
Vigilance

This
alert
comes
as
part
of
a
broader
effort
by
the
HKMA
to
enhance
public
awareness
about
cybersecurity
threats.
The
authority
regularly
updates
its
website
with
information
on
fraudulent
bank
websites,
phishing
emails,
and
similar
scams.
This
initiative
aims
to
safeguard
the
public
from
the
growing
menace
of
online
fraud.

For
more
detailed
information,
the
official
press
release
can
be
accessed
on
the

HKMA
website.

Hong
Kong
Monetary
Authority
25
June
2024

Image
source:
Shutterstock