Health Bureau and Hospital Authority alert public to fraudulent SMS messages
****************************************************************************
The HA has recently received enquiries from the public about SMS messages sent under the name of "eHealth" or "HA Go". These fraudulent messages falsely claimed that the trial period of certain medical protection plans subscribed to by the citizens has expired, and that charges will be incurred, in an attempt to deceive the public into calling a telephone number provided in the SMS messages or answering unidentified incoming calls.
The HHB and the HA solemnly clarified that they have never sent the relevant SMS messages and have reported the matter to the Police.
Both eHealth and the HA are registered in the SMS Sender Registration Scheme of the Office of the Communications Authority. All SMS messages issued by the relevant entities will bear the prefix "#" in the SMS Sender ID (i.e. "#eHealth" or "#HA Go"), enabling members of the public to verify the identity of the senders.
Moreover, in cases where the HA requires contact with the public by phone, a staff member will place the call and provide relevant information to verify identity. The HA is gradually adopting 18285 or 18286 as the prefix for its caller ID display numbers, thereby assisting members of the public to identify incoming calls from the HA.
The HHB and the HA again reminded the public not to provide any personal information in response to unidentified and suspicious incoming calls, SMS messages or website links to prevent the leakage of personal data. Anyone who has disclosed his or her personal information via the telephone number provided in the above fraudulent SMS messages or to any other persons should contact the Police immediately.
Ends/Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:38
Issued at HKT 19:38
NNNN