Preventing credit card fraud | Cyber security and fraud

Credit card fraud happens in a variety of ways. And you don't want to be a victim of that! Simply put, credit card fraud is the unauthorised use of a credit card, and fraudsters trying to purchase goods or steal money from someone else's credit. This could involve lost and stolen credit cards, fraudulent applications and card-not-present transactions like online payments and mail orders.

To help protect you, we've enhanced our fraud detection system which will actively alert you when things seem suspicious.

Protect yourself with Credit Card Fraud Alert

Credit Card Fraud Alert is our way of verifying with customers whenever we detect a suspicious transaction on HSBC credit cards.

Once you receive a notification via the HSBC HK App or SMS, start by carefully verifying all the merchant details, payment amount, currency, as well as the date and time of the transaction. Then simply let us know if you're the one who made the transaction.

How does Credit Card Fraud Alert work?

With push notifications turned on, you will be able to receive pop-up notifications telling you if we detected a suspicious transaction.

Once you tap on it, you'll be directed to the HSBC HK App where you'll see transaction details after logging on. Before responding if the transaction is genuine, you should carefully check and verify the merchant details, payment amount and currency, as well as the date and time of the transaction.

Select 'Yes' if you recognise the transaction

Then check whether the transaction is successful. On some occasions, payment may be declined due to security reasons. If that happens, you'll need to make the transaction again.

Select 'No' if you do not recognise the transaction or the details are incorrect

We'll decline the transaction and also reach out to you between 9am-10:30pm HKT to understand more about this.

You can help fight fraud too. Get in touch with us immediately via the app after you've responded with 'No'.

With push notifications turned on, you will be able to receive pop-up notifications telling you if we detected a suspicious transaction.

Once you tap on it, you'll be directed to the HSBC HK App where you'll see transaction details after logging on. Before responding if the transaction is genuine, you should carefully check and verify the merchant details, payment amount and currency, as well as the date and time of the transaction.

Select 'Yes' if you recognise the transaction

Then check whether the transaction is successful. On some occasions, payment may be declined due to security reasons. If that happens, you'll need to make the transaction again.

Select 'No' if you do not recognise the transaction or the details are incorrect

We'll decline the transaction and also reach out to you between 9am-10:30pm HKT to understand more about this.

You can help fight fraud too. Get in touch with us immediately via the app after you've responded with 'No'.

We'll send you a 2-way SMS about suspicious transactions if you:

did not respond to us via the HSBC HK App
do not have the HSBC HK App installed or
did not turn on push notifications

Before responding if the transaction is genuine, you should carefully check and verify the merchant details, payment amount and currency, as well as the date and time of the transaction.

Reply with 'Yes' or 'Y' if you recognise the transaction

Then check if the transaction is successful. On some occasions, payment may be declined due to security reasons. If that happens, you'll need to make the transaction again.

Reply with 'No' or 'N' if you do not recognise the transaction or the details are incorrect

We'll decline the transaction and also reach out to you between 9am-10:30pm HKT to understand more about this.

Start by turning on push notifications on the HSBC HK App

If you already have push notifications turned on, then you're all set to receive our fraud alerts. Otherwise, please follow these instructions:

Step 1: Log on to the HSBC HK App

Step 2: Tap bell icon on the top right

Step 3: Select 'Turn on notifications'

Simply follow the rest of the instructions on the app to fully set up your preferences. To understand more about Push Notifications Service Alerts, you can check out our FAQs.

Do not fall for phishing messages

Stay vigilant! Fraudsters might impersonate us and send you messages that look similar. If you're in doubt:

do not disclose any sensitive personal details
do not reply to it or click any embedded links
contact us to verify or report the message

Remember, HSBC will never ask you over SMS or email to provide sensitive personal information such as your identity document number, credit card details (card number, expiry date, card verification value printed on the back of credit card), online banking passwords or one-time passwords (OTP).

More tips to keep your credit card information secure

Keep these extra measures in mind – after all, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Make sure the shopping sites you visit are credible and secure. Website addresses should start with "https" and a padlock icon should show up on the address bar.
Never disclose your sensitive personal information to others. If you need to give up your banking credentials for an offer, this should trigger alarm bells. Remember, fraudsters usually impersonate credible organisations and use phishing SMSes/emails, fake websites and bogus calls to trick you into handing over your sensitive personal information (such as credit card number, CVC/ CVV number, one time passwords, etc.) or clicking a malicious link.
Review your bank statements regularly.
Place a temporary block on your HSBC credit card via HSBC Online Banking or the HSBC HK App if you suspect your card is stolen or lost. You can unblock it if shows up.

If you find suspicious activity or unauthorised transactions on your credit cards, please report them to us immediately.

HSBC Jade customers: (852) 2233 3033

HSBC Premier customers: (852) 2233 3322

Other personal banking customers: (852) 2233 3000

Remarks

You should ensure that your mobile phone and other telecommunications equipment and related services are capable of receiving Push Notification Alerts through push notifications.
Push notification runs on the service provided by Apple Inc. ("Apple") or Google LLC ("Google"), as applicable. Any delay or failure in delivering push notification messages due to Apple's or Google's service is beyond our control.

Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, Touch ID and Face ID are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
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The screen displays are for reference and illustration purposes only.