The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued a public alert pointing to press releases from five banks on scams involving fraudulent websites, internet banking login screens and related phishing activity reported to the HKMA. The affected banks are The Bank of East Asia, Limited; Shanghai Commercial Bank Limited; Chong Hing Bank Limited; OCBC Bank (Hong Kong) Limited; and China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited, with the latter also reporting fraudulent mobile applications. The HKMA reiterated that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks directing customers to bank websites to carry out transactions, and will not request sensitive information such as login passwords or One-Time Passwords by phone, email or SMS. Members of the public who provided personal information or conducted financial transactions in response to these scams are advised to contact the relevant bank as set out in the corresponding bank press release and report the matter to the Hong Kong Police Force.
Hong Kong Monetary Authority 2026-04-13
Hong Kong Monetary Authority alerts public to fraudulent online banking sites and apps reported by five banks
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority issued a public alert on scams involving fraudulent websites, internet banking login screens, phishing activity and, in one case, fraudulent mobile applications targeting customers of five banks. It reiterated that banks do not send embedded hyperlinks for transactions or request sensitive information such as login passwords or One-Time Passwords by phone, email or SMS, and advised affected individuals to contact their bank and report incidents to the Hong Kong Police Force.