CA to beef up efforts to tackle phone scams
The Communications Authority on Wednesday said it will beef up efforts to tackle phone scams by expanding a scheme to combat dodgy text messages.  At a media gathering, Director-General of Communications Chaucer Leung said the authority will work with political parties and district councillors to educate the public on fraud. Asked about the effectiveness of sending alerts for suspicious incoming overseas calls, he said officials  blocked more than two million calls from last May until the end of 2023.    Leung added that the authority is looking to invite government departments and other organisations to join a scheme that combats SMS scams, with legitimate text messages recognisable thanks to a # sign proceeding the sender's ID.  Police joined the scheme earlier this month, while the banking sector will join on January 28.  The regulator also announced plans to enhance 5G network capacity in public event venues such as the Hong Kong Coliseum and AsiaWorld-Expo, starting from the second quarter of this year.