HKMA and HKAB Join Forces to Combat Fraudulent Calls

  The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) jointly launched new measures on the 31st to prevent bank-related telephone fraud. These measures include the establishment of dedicated bank hotlines for the public to verify the identity of callers, and the cessation of authorizing intermediary companies to refer loan applications.

　　HKMA Deputy Chief Executive Arthur Yuen stated that in addition to the aforementioned measures, the authority has also requested banks to strengthen relevant publicity. If members of the public receive calls from individuals claiming to be bank representatives, they should not provide sensitive information, such as their date of birth or credit card numbers, and should verify the caller's identity first.

　　Acting Chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, Peter Wong, stated that when conducting telemarketing, banks will not ask customers to disclose sensitive information. Bank staff will address customers by their full name and provide their own name and the name of the bank. He reminded the public not to use phone numbers provided by the caller or those shown on caller ID for identity verification, but instead to use the hotlines provided by the banks themselves. These hotline numbers have been uploaded to the websites of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, the HKMA, and the respective banks.

　　Peter Wong noted that while banks do not have the authority to prevent customers from transferring large sums of money, they will remind bank staff to remain vigilant. For instance, in cases where elderly customers wish to make large remittances, bank staff may ask additional questions to alert the customer, thereby helping to prevent potential fraud.

　　The Hong Kong Association of Banks pointed out that the launch of these new measures has received support from the vast majority of its retail bank members, including 21 banks. The Association, together with the HKMA and the police, will work in concert to prevent fraud involving impersonation of bank representatives.