Some Standard Chartered credit cardholders on Thursday complained that their card information had been stolen after receiving messages regarding unauthorised transactions, most of them in US dollars.

People flooded the bank's Facebook page with complaints about being unable to log on to its mobile app or get through to its customer service hotline.

Standard Chartered said there was no need for affected customers to call the bank or rush to access their accounts.

It said only 1 percent of its credit cardholders were affected.

A spokesman said the bank has sent text messages to alert them, adding that it will compensate people for any losses incurred.

"So far there is no evidence of personal data leakage. Customers are protected by the charge back mechanism. Once confirmed it is an unauthorised transaction and eligible charge back, the bank will arrange a refund. Cardholders shall not be liable for any unauthorised transactions,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Refunds will be issued from Monday and are expected to be completed within a week.

Francis Fong, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, said banks need to improve their risk management.

"In the future, they may have to be more sensitive. For example, if they see three suspicious transactions on the server side or on the bank side, maybe they should not just send SMS to the customer. They should stop the transactions and call the customer to see if the customer is really doing these transactions, or these are from the hackers," he told RTHK.

Fong urged affected customers to contact their bank or file a police report if they encounter similar issues again.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said it has received 348 complaints about unauthorised transactions so far this year, after getting 329 reports in 2021.

The authority said it has urged Standard Chartered to investigate the matter and strengthen safety measures to protect its customers.
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Last updated: 2022-12-08 HKT 22:34