The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has issued a warning regarding fraudulent messages and documents that have been circulating on WhatsApp and falsely claim to be from the HKMA. These messages and documents attempt to deceive recipients into transferring money to cover charges or taxes in order to recover frozen assets or payments made to scammers. Some of these scams involve references to overseas institutions that have names similar to local representative offices of foreign banks established in Hong Kong.
The HKMA emphasizes that it does not contact the public regarding personal financial matters and does not form groups on instant messaging applications for communication. It also clarifies that the role of local representative offices of overseas banks is limited to customer liaison and they are not authorized to engage in banking or deposit-taking activities. A list of authorized institutions can be found on the HKMA’s website, and individuals can verify the status of an entity by contacting the HKMA’s public enquiry service. The HKMA has reported these fraudulent cases to the Hong Kong Police Force, and individuals who suspect they have been targeted should contact the Commercial and Technology Crime Hotline of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012 for further investigation and appropriate action by the police.
References: https://www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/news-and-media/press-releases/2024/04/20240418-3/