Hong Kong’s regulator has warned the public to be on guard against fraudulent websites purporting to be those of Wells Fargo, National Association (Wells Fargo) and Bank of China (Hong Kong), adding to a number of recent alerts about internet scammers and fake emails.

Hong Kong’s regulator has warned the public to be on guard against fraudulent websites purporting to be those of Wells Fargo, National Association (Wells Fargo) and Bank of China (Hong Kong), adding to a number of recent alerts about internet scammers and fake emails.

At a time when the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has been busy alerting the public about temporary closures to some bank branches amid the pro-democracy clashes in the city, it has also had to continue warning about internet fraudsters.

Wells Fargo and BOCHK have both stated they have no connections with the websites, the regulator said in a statement yesterday.

There have been a number of cases of such frauds, part of a pattern of cyber crime that can affect the banking and wealth management industry in Asia and elsewhere. In June, for example, the HKMA warned members of the public to be on alert for a fraudulent email purporting to be from a number of banks that is trying to trick people into giving away their personal details. The banks in question included Bank of China, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank. All the banks had clarified that they have not sent these emails to customers and had no connection with the fraudulent websites.

Separately, the HKMA said two branches of two banks were temporarily closed yesterday amid the pro-democracy demonstrations that have taken place in parts of the city. As reported yesterday, banks in the jurisdiction have warned that further disruption will damage its reputation as a leading financial centre.