The Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Schemes Authority on Sunday said it's stopped the use of a digital login process to register for its new centralised platform which allows MPF holders to check and manage their accounts.

Last month, suspected criminals circumvented the process, known as "electronic Know Your Customer", or eKYC, to steal some HK$1.8 million dollars through the centralised electronic MPF platform.

The authority's chair, Ayesha Lau, said there's no room for error as far as protecting the MPF contributions of residents is concerned.

Therefore, she said the public can now register for the platform through the government's iamSmart app for identification purposes, after the app recently adopted tighter cybersecurity checks.

Lau noted that 80 percent of those who have registered for the new platform did so through the app.

"Ensuring system and information security is the most important principle of eMPF, therefore introducing extra identity verification measures are necessary to safeguard account security," she wrote in an online blog.

Lau noted that for residents who cannot use iAMSmart at the moment, they can do so with the help of authority staff at eMPF service centres around Hong Kong starting on February 2.

Residents will need to bring their ID cards to register through self service stations there.

Lau went on to say that two major MPF scheme operators would join the electronic platform, marking a major milestone as more than 90 percent of workers will now be able to manage their MPF contributions through the platform.

She noted that in the coming months, the last two schemes that are industry-oriented will also be added to the e-platform.