With scams on the rise in the city, a new wave of fraudulent SMS messages impersonating the Transport Department regarding the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme(PTFSS) has resurfaced.
According to the latest post on the police's CyberDefender Facebook page, these phishing messages spoof the name of the Transport Department to deceive the public into logging into a hyperlink within three days to claim their subsidies.
Once victims click the suspicious link, they will be directed to a fraudulent website that requests personal information, such as their name and ID number.
Despite the information provided, the site incorrectly displays unclaimed eligible subsidies and falsely claims that the AlipayHK system is under maintenance, leading victims to select credit card payment for the subsidy.
As victims enter their credit card details—including the cardholder's name, credit card number, expiration date, and CVV code—their information falls into the hands of the scammers.
Recently, the police revealed that one victim suffered losses amounting to €3,000 (approximately HK$27,000) due to credit card misuse.
The police emphasized that the Transport Department has issued three warnings about related scams from late July to August, urging the public to remain vigilant against these phishing messages.
To protect citizens' financial information, police clarified that personal information is not required during the subsidy application process, and no credit card account information is needed.
Additionally, the public is advised not to click on any suspicious links or download any unknown attachments.
If credit card information is unfortunately leaked, victims are urged to promptly contact their bank's official customer service for follow-up.
Citizens with any inquiries are encouraged to visit the PTFSS official website or call the Octopus and AlipayHK hotlines.
