The Department of Health (DH) today (April 16) appealed to members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent phone calls and emails purporting to be made by the DH. The DH recently received a number of public enquiries about receiving phone calls from +852 2961 8989, which is the same number as the DH's enquiry hotline (2961 8989). The public also expressed that they received emails from a sender who claimed to be "dh.gov.hk", a name which is similar to the DH's enquiry email (enquiries@dh.gov.hk).

     The concerned members of the public pointed out that the caller claimed to be a DH staff member and instructed the called party to go to a quarantine centre in some cases. The contents of the fraudulent emails are related to an electronic refund form. Both the calls and the emails asked the members of the public concerned for personal information.

     A spokesman for the DH clarified, "We have not made the calls nor sent the emails in question. If DH staff need to contact members of the public through the hotline or email, we will provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties, but will not request the public to provide sensitive personal information. The DH has reported these matters to the Police."

     The spokesman reminded members of the public that the Centre for Health Protection, through its hotlines (2125 1111/2125 1122), allows members of the public to verify the identity of authorised officers if necessary. The public should stay alert and should not follow the caller's instructions if they receive suspected fraudulent calls. If they have any doubts, they should report the matter to the Police.

Ends/Friday, April 16, 2021
Issued at HKT 19:44

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