Text messages by 23 Hong Kong mobile service providers to carry ‘#’ prefix from next Thursday under anti-phishing drive
- Office of the Communications Authority says first round of networks will be able to register numbers with watchdog and get hashtag to verify sender identities
- ‘Other SMS messages with sender ID containing # but not sent by registered senders will be blocked by the telecommunication networks,’ watchdog adds
Text messages sent by more than 20 Hong Kong mobile service providers will carry the “#” prefix from next Thursday as part of a watchdog-led effort to combat phishing scams.
The Office of the Communications Authority announced the launch of the “SMS Sender Registration Scheme” on Wednesday, with the first round of 23 network providers able to register their official numbers with the industry watchdog to receive dedicated sender IDs.
“Other SMS messages with sender IDs containing ‘#’ but not sent by registered senders will be blocked by the telecommunication networks,” said Sidney Tsan Siu-yan, the authority’s assistant director.
Under the scheme, messages from major providers such as SmarTone, 3HK and 1010 will incorporate a hashtag as part of their sender IDs from December 28. The symbol is exclusive to registered parties.
Tsan said operators would have a four-month transition period to identify and fix any technical issues. Users could expect messages from providers that used or omitted the hashtag over the trial period, he added.
