Fraudulent email purporting to be related to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members
of the public in Hong Kong to e-mails purporting to be sent from
the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC). The
e-mails invite customers to use an embedded hyperlink (for example,
"http://commercial.hsbc.hk.verification.online-services-2whgr964x.serversecuriryupd.com/securities-services.htm?/launchpad/LOGIN=s3x4la2o")
to connect to a fraudulent website, where a malicious programme is
embedded. The fraudulent website looks similar to HSBC's Business
Internet Banking logon webpage. HSBC has issued a press release
today (Tuesday) to clarify that the bank has not sent these e-mails
to its customers and has no connection with the fraudulent
website.

HSBC has already reported the case to the Hong Kong Police Force
for investigation. Anyone who has provided his or her personal
information to the website, or has conducted any financial
transactions through the website should contact HSBC at 2748 8288
for Business Internet Banking users or 2233 3000 for Personal
Internet Banking customers and any local Police Station or the
Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860
5012.

Members of the public should be alert to the possibility of
similar fraudulent emails and should always exercise care in giving
out personal or account information.

For further enquiries, please contact:
Thomas Chan, Communications Chief, at 2878 1480 or
Peggy Lo, Manager (Communications), at 2878 1687

Hong Kong Monetary Authority
17 February 2009