HKMA Issues Alert on Fraudulent Social Media Account and Phishing Messages

The
Hong
Kong
Monetary
Authority
(HKMA)
has
issued
a
public
alert
regarding
a
fraudulent
social
media
account
and
phishing
instant
messages
linked
to
Bank
of
Singapore
Limited,
according
to
the
HKMA’s
official
website.
The
scam
involves
deceptive
messages
and
a
fake
social
media
profile
aiming
to
obtain
sensitive
information
from
the
bank’s
customers.

Details
of
the
Fraudulent
Activity

The
HKMA
highlights
that
the
fraudulent
activities
have
been
reported
to
them
by
Bank
of
Singapore
Limited.
The
fake
social
media
account
and
phishing
messages
attempt
to
mislead
customers
into
providing
personal
information
such
as
login
credentials
and
One-Time
Passwords
(OTPs).
The
HKMA
emphasizes
that
banks
do
not
send
emails
or
SMS
messages
with
embedded
hyperlinks
for
transactions
or
to
request
sensitive
information.

Public
Advisory

The
HKMA
strongly
advises
the
public
to
be
cautious
of
any
unsolicited
communications
that
request
personal
information
or
direct
them
to
unknown
websites.
Customers
are
reminded
to
verify
the
authenticity
of
any
message
purportedly
from
their
bank
by
contacting
the
bank
directly
using
official
contact
information.

Moreover,
the
HKMA
urges
anyone
who
has
disclosed
personal
information
or
conducted
any
financial
transactions
in
response
to
these
fraudulent
messages
to
contact
Bank
of
Singapore
immediately
and
report
the
incident
to
the
Hong
Kong
Police
Force’s
Crime
Wing
Information
Centre
at
2860
5012.

Further
Actions
and
Recommendations

The
HKMA
continues
to
monitor
the
situation
closely
and
collaborates
with
relevant
authorities
to
protect
consumers
from
such
fraudulent
activities.
The
public
is
encouraged
to
stay
informed
about
the
latest
scams
and
refer
to
the
HKMA’s
website
for
updates.

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

HKMA
website.

Hong
Kong
Monetary
Authority
20
August
2024

Image
source:
Shutterstock