If you were puzzled on Friday after receiving a text message from the police, don’t fret. It’s the real deal, for once.
Hong Kong police have collaborated with four mobile service providers – SmartTone, 3HK, China Mobile (Hong Kong) and CSL – to send text messages reminding users of the threat of telephone scams.
The text, which is only available in Chinese, translates to:
Police reminder: beware of phone scams! Be suspicious if you receive any calls claiming to be a member of the law enforcement or certain institutions asking for money, personal details, or bank details. If you believe you have been scammed, please contact the police immediately.
“I actually got scared after opening the message, and now I’m worried whether my phone has been hacked,” an Apple Daily reader told the newspaper.
A police statement confirmed the authenticity of the text messages as part of a “multi-pronged publicity and education” initiative. The widely-circulated SMS was meant to highlight the “great importance of combating telephone deception”, the statement says.
The police received 2,371 complaints about telephone fraud between January and July 2015, 378 of which saw the victims hand over money. Typical methods include impersonating couriers who claim a parcel sent by the victim violates Chinese law, and pretending to be mainland Chinese law enforcement officers.
Photo: Myriam Tsen-Kung/Coconuts Media
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