Measures to Combat Phone and SMS Scams
A
A
A
OFCA has been working closely with telecommunications service providers and law enforcement agencies to study and implement practical technical measures, with a view to reducing the number of suspicious calls reaching telecommunications service users, and help you identify suspicious calls and verify the identity of SMS senders more easily. These measures include:
- Calling number display prefixed with a "+" sign indicates that the call originates from outside Hong Kong. You should stay vigilant when choosing to answer the call.
- Suspicious calls from outside Hong Kong prefixed with "+852" will be blocked.
- For other calls prefixed with "+852", mobile service users will receive a voice alert or a text alert before connecting to the call, reminding them that the call originates from outside Hong Kong. You should stay vigilant if you continue to answer the call.
- If the call pattern of a local telephone number is suspected to be involved in fraudulent activities, telecommunications service providers shall suspend the services of the concerned number.
- Telecommunications service providers shall block or suspend the services of the telephone numbers suspected to be involved in scam cases based on the information provided by the Police, and block users' access to suspicious fraudulent websites.
- When receiving SMS in Hong Kong, you can easily identify whether the SMS is from a Registered Sender by looking at the prefix "#" in the SMS Sender ID.
Due to the huge number of calls and SMS transmitted through telecommunications networks (including Internet), telecommunications service providers cannot block all fraudulent calls and SMS solely by calling source, calling pattern or SMS Sender ID. Therefore, you should stay highly vigilant to avoid falling victim to deception.
To Know More, Watch the Short Videos
