Hong Kong clearing house warns public of fraudulent refund website
Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Ltd has warned of a scam website impersonating its official site. The fake site offers fake refund and security services to trick users into providing personal and bank details. The clearing house said it never contacts the public directly.
Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Ltd (HKICL) on 7 October warned the public about a fraudulent website, refundrequesthk.online, that impersonates the company's official website. The scam site poses as a “Buyer Online Security Guarantee” service, offering FPS online transaction security services including refunds, reporting unauthorised transactions and online transaction support.
The fake website attempts to trick users into providing personal identification numbers, copies of identity cards and phone numbers for “real-name verification” in exchange for cash rewards. It also tries to induce users to disclose their bank name, bank account number and account holder name, so that the scammers can top up and withdraw funds from a virtual wallet on the platform. Victims are further directed to chat with fake customer service staff via WhatsApp.
HKICL clarified that the fraudulent website has no connection whatsoever with the clearing house or any of its operations. Under normal circumstances, HKICL does not provide FPS services directly to individual members of the public, nor does it proactively contact individuals. The genuine official websites are www.hkicl.com.hk and fps.hkicl.com.hk.
The clearing house urged the public to be wary of suspicious phone calls, websites or other communications and to protect their personal data carefully. Anyone who receives suspicious communications claiming to be from an HKICL member should verify by calling HKICL on 2533 1111. If members of the public suspect they have been defrauded, they should report the matter to the police as soon as possible.