The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued an alert to the public after receiving reports of phishing instant messages related to Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited, and pointed readers to the bank’s press release via a hyperlink on the HKMA website. The HKMA reiterated that banks will not send SMS or emails containing embedded hyperlinks directing customers to bank websites to carry out transactions, and will not request sensitive personal information such as login passwords or One-Time Passwords by phone, email or SMS. Individuals who provided personal information or conducted financial transactions in response to the messages were advised to contact the bank using the details in the bank’s press release and report the matter to the Police.