Members of public reminded to stay alert to suspected fraudulent phone calls purporting to be made by OFCA
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     The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) today (May 17) reminded members of the public to stay alert to suspected fraudulent calls purporting to be made by OFCA.

     A spokesperson for OFCA said, "OFCA received reports from members of the public today on their receipt of suspected fraudulent calls purporting to be made by OFCA. According to the information provided by the members of the public who received the calls, most of the callers spoke Putonghua and were able to tell the called parties' personal information, such as their full Chinese name, identity card number and date of birth. Some callers also alleged that the called parties had engaged in illegal activities through the use of their telephone numbers.

     "We wish to stress that OFCA never made the above phone calls. In addition, calling numbers with a '+' sign as a prefix displayed on mobile phones indicate that the calls originate from outside Hong Kong even though the calling numbers may be masqueraded as Hong Kong phone numbers," the spokesperson said.
      
     "We urge members of the public to stay alert and report any suspected fraudulent calls to the Police, irrespective of whether a '+' sign is displayed as a prefix to the calling numbers. Under no circumstances should they disclose their personal information over the phone," the spokesperson added.

Ends/Friday, May 17, 2019
Issued at HKT 16:30

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