28 April 2017
In connection with recent cases related to phone scams, the Immigration Department (ImmD) remains very concerned and has been in close contact with the Hong Kong Police Force. It is understood that in some cases victims received calls from scammers posing as immigration officers. Such calls were subsequently transferred to another scammer posing as a non-local law enforcement officer who then accused the call recipient or his/her relatives or friends of breaking the law, and then asked the call recipient to provide sensitive information, such as bank account numbers and passwords, in order to help clear any suspicions surrounding them.
An ImmD spokesman has again reminded members of the public that the ImmD will not transfer calls to other non-local authorities and will not ask the call recipient to provide information such as bank account numbers and passwords in order to prove his/her innocence. In addition, the public should not simply rely on the incoming call display to establish the true identity of a caller, as the scammers can deliberately falsify the caller ID by means of caller ID spoofing. Furthermore, the ImmD does not make any pre-recorded voice calls to any members of the public.
The public should remain vigilant and verify the identity of a caller when contacted by phone, and should not disclose personal information to others arbitrarily. If there is any doubt, members of the public should call the ImmD's enquiry hotline on 2824 6111 or email enquiry@immd.gov.hk.
Anyone suspecting a scam should immediately report it to the Police.