HKMA says 111 bank customers hit by phishing attacks in first half of 2021

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said in the first half of 2021, 111 bank customers were affected by phishing attacks, involving an aggregate amount of HK$22 million.

No such cases were reported in 2020, according to the Authority.

The HKMA also pointed out that phishing frauds have increased significantly recently.

Based on official statistics, banks detected 169 cases of suspicious websites, mobile applications, and phishing SMS and emails in the first six months of 2021, up 145 percent from 69 in the first half of 2020.

Meanwhile, the Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks today jointly launched a series of promotional messages via the Internet and social media platforms to raise public awareness of phishing attacks.

The messages aim to inform the public to properly safeguard their banking login credentials and remind them to think twice before clicking any hyperlinks purportedly sent by banks.