Calls from newly-activated prepaid SIM cards will come with a voice alert from Tuesday, Hong Kong’s communications watchdog has announced in a move aimed to notify the public of suspicious calls.
A man taking a phone call. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Under the new measure, a voice alert message will play, stating, “This call is made from a new pre-paid SIM card,” before the call is connected, the Office of the Communications Authority said in a statement on Monday.
The alert system is operated by mobile service providers free of charge, and users are not required to register in advance, install any mobile apps, or change any settings on their phones, the statement said.
“OFCA will continue to collaborate with the telecommunications industry and law enforcement agencies in implementing various measures to combat phone and SMS scams, as well as to strengthen public education and publicity efforts to more comprehensively disseminate anti-deception messages to all members of the public,” the statement read.
Existing measures
Existing measures against suspected fraudulent phone numbers include the real-name registration programme and the SMS Sender Registration Scheme, under which bodies such as government departments, banks, and telecommunications providers are identified by a hash symbol.
OFCA conducts market surveillance on real-name registration for SIM cards. Photo: GovHK.
Voice or text alerts are also enabled for calls from numbers prefixed with “+852” – an indicator that the person on the other end of the line is masquerading as a local caller through a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) system.
Despite the implementation of the real-name registration system – which took effect in February 2023 and required users to register their full name, date of birth, and identity card – the city has seen an increase of telephone deception cases, according to official data.
To enhance public understanding of the new voice alert service, OFCA has also launched television and radio announcements to promote the measure.
“The spokesman reminded members of the public to always stay vigilant when using telecommunications services. They should not answer unknown calls casually, and should not disclose personal information or transfer money to unknown callers whose identities have not been verified to prevent potential losses,” OFCA said.
