Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority tightens eMPF withdrawal authentication after abuse of early MPF claims

The Hong Kong Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, in a blog post by Chairwoman Ayesha Macpherson Lau, said the eMPF Platform will introduce a new verification arrangement at the end of July to strengthen protection for MPF withdrawal applications. The change follows isolated abuse cases involving false declarations, unlawful inducement to make early-withdrawal claims and illegal withdrawals for members aged 65 using counterfeit identity cards. Under the new arrangement, all members submitting MPF withdrawal applications through eMPF, including claims after reaching age 65, will have to complete step-up authentication through iAM Smart and real-time facial identification, except for withdrawals on the grounds of small balance of HKD 5,000 or below and death. Members who already completed identity authentication through iAM Smart when registering with eMPF will still need to complete the additional authentication step when making a withdrawal application. They must then submit supporting documents through eMPF, and trustees will release MPF benefits after vetting those documents. The post also said some cases will continue to fall outside the platform's standardized workflow, particularly special claims requiring trustees' professional assessment and judgment. Where trustees need more information, eMPF will follow up with members and monitor the process, and these cases may take longer because they require more extensive verification and assessment.