The police's "Cyber Defender" social platform announced that fraudsters have been sending a large number of fake SMS messages impersonating the Water Supplies Department. This month alone (March), the police have identified approximately 250 fake sender names related to the Water Supplies Department, with over 300 phishing links. Almost all fake sender names include "HK WSD," and the fake links often use terms like wsd or gov to deceive recipients.

From March 1, 2026, to today, the police have received over 170 related cases, with total fraud amounts exceeding HKD3.4 million. The largest fraud case this month occurred at the beginning of the month, where a 77-year-old local woman received a fake SMS from the Water Supplies Department, stating that her water bill was overdue and providing a link. The victim, unsuspecting of the scam, entered the fake Water Supplies Department webpage and input her credit card number, expiration date, and CVV security code, resulting in her credit card being fraudulently charged over HKD170,000.

The police remind the public:
(1) The Water Supplies Department does not request water bill payments via SMS hyperlinks;
(2) Water Supplies Department SMS messages have a "#" certification;
(3) If in doubt, visit the official Water Supplies Department website (www.wsd.gov.hk) to check the official email addresses;
(4) Do not click on other unknown links.

If in doubt, visit the Cyber Defender website's "Scameter" or the mobile application "Scameter App" for scam risk assessment. (da/u)

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