Hong Kong warns of scam sites posing as Canada, UK, US and Thailand e-visa portals
Privacy watchdog says fake sites often use URLs with spelling mistakes, extra letters or numbers
Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has warned of suspected fraudulent e-visa application websites, including for the UK and US, which request personal data from unsuspecting applicants, with victims suffering losses of up to HK$1,700 (US$216).
“The [office] urges members of the public to remain vigilant and verify the authenticity of e-visa websites before applying and providing any personal data, so as to safeguard their privacy,” a spokesman said.
The complainants told the watchdog that they had mistakenly clicked on fraudulent sites from search engine results while applying for online visas, electronic travel authorisations or arrival cards.
They submitted personal data including names, gender, nationality, passport numbers and dates of birth, and paid the relevant fees before realising they could have been scammed.
Individual financial losses ranged from HK$300 to more than HK$1,700, according to the spokesman.