HKMA and Police Alert Public to Phishing Scams Disguised as Fund Recovery Services

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Police have issued a public warning, urging vigilance against phishing SMS messages impersonating the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) and the HKMA.

These phishing messages falsely claim to assist recipients in recovering frozen assets or payments lost to scammers. Victims are instructed to contact bogus law firms and provide sensitive financial details such as bank account information or transfer money to designated bank accounts.

The Hong Kong authorities emphasize that officers will not contact individuals regarding personal financial matters, and they will not authorize any law firm to facilitate fraud loss recovery.

The HKMA and the Police caution the public against trusting unsolicited messages, social media pages, or advertisements offering fraud loss recovery services. Individuals seeking professional assistance should thoroughly verify credentials and qualifications before engaging with any service providers.

To help distinguish legitimate messages, authorities clarify that the ADCC’s “Registered SMS Sender ID” is “#ADCC18222”. The official SMS messages do not contain hyperlinks and solely provide the “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222”.