Cross-Border Remittance Service for Elderly Recipients of Portable Cash Assistance

Cross-border remittance service for elderly recipients of portable cash assistance

The Social Welfare Department (SWD) announced today (July 6) that Hong Kong elderly persons applying for or receiving portable cash assistance (including the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) under the Portable CSSA Scheme, and the Old Age Living Allowance and the Old Age Allowance under the Guangdong Scheme and the Fujian Scheme of the Social Security Allowance Scheme) may, from today onwards, choose to receive their assistance payments in Hong Kong dollars (HKD) remitted by the SWD directly into their HKD accounts at designated Mainland banks free of charge. The cross-border remittance service is a measure proposed in the 2025 Policy Address to improve disbursement arrangements for portable cash assistance.

A spokesman for the SWD added that the aforementioned designated Mainland bank accounts must be HKD accounts ("Type I accounts") opened by the elderly recipients at the branches of the Bank of China or the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Guangdong Province or Fujian Province. Elderly recipients who wish to apply for this cross-border remittance service should provide documentary proof of their accounts opened at designated Mainland banks during the application process.

Details of the cross-border remittance service are available on the SWD website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/socsecu/comprehens/portableco/crossborder_re/). For enquiries, please contact the relevant Social Security Field Unit during office hours, or SWD's appointed agents, namely the New Home Association for Guangdong Province on 2815 7399 or the International Social Service Hong Kong Branch for Fujian Province on 2755 6800.

The Social Welfare Department, Photo source: reference image

HKICL alerts public of fraudulent website

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited (HKICL) has recently noted two fraudulent websites at hxxps[:]//hkiclv[.]bw2026[.]top and hxxps[:]//fpspayme[.]com purported to be from the HKICL. The fraudulent websites imitate as "Buyer Online Protection" to provide services including 1) refund to buyer, 2) unauthorised online transaction reporting, and 3) online transaction support, for online transaction over FPS payment. They intend to trick user into giving away personal document number and ID photo together with phone number for real name verification in order to get cash reward. In addition, they also trick user into providing bank name, bank account holder's number and bank account holder's name to top up and withdraw money from its platform's virtual wallet via FPS. Further, they direct user to a fraudster impersonating as customer service personnel.

The HKICL advises that such fraudulent websites have no affiliation with the HKICL, or any business of the HKICL. The HKICL will not directly provide FPS service to individual members of the public or contact individual members of the public proactively under usual circumstance. The genuine official website addresses of the HKICL are www.hkicl.com.hk and fps.hkicl.com.hk.

The HKICL urges the public to beware of suspicious calls, websites or other communications, and to remain vigilant in protecting personal information. If members of the public receive any suspicious communication purportedly from the HKICL, please call the HKICL's general line at 2533 1111 to verify. Members of the public who suspect that theyhave become the victim of fraudulent acts should report promptly to the Police.

Source: AI-found images