Some members of public might raise suspicion when receiving SMS messages from the government departments with a prefix +852 in sender ID.
Is SMS with a prefix +852 suspicious?
Some members of public might raise suspicion when receiving SMS messages from the government departments with a prefix +852 in sender ID. Are these messages genuine?
We have conducted simple tests. Results revealed that the latest Apple iOS system will insert a prefix +852 to local sender ID which is out of contact list, except incoming calls. On the contrary, the recent Android systems will not. In other words, if you are Apple users, it is normal to receive SMS with a prefix +852, but you should be alert to possible phone scams when receive local +852 incoming calls.
If the SMS sender displays “HKSARG”, does it mean that it is sent from the authority?
Not always. Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS allows senders to set their own IDs with a maximum of 11 alphabetic characters (i.e. Customized sender ID) to facilitate commercial activities.
In Hong Kong, Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance requires senders of commercial electronic messages to provide clear and accurate sender information in the message, but does not require a registration system for customized sender ID in place to filter junk messages. Therefore, overseas fraudsters could exploit these loopholes to send phishing SMS impersonating staff of banks, postal services, etc.
If in doubt, you are advised to verify with the corresponding organisations through official channels.
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