SFC highlighted in its circular that it had recently received a number of reports that licensed corporations or their overseas affiliates had received calls from someone who pretended to be SFC staff asking for information about their companies. Therefore, SFC reminds the firms to be vigilant to such calls and take some precautionary steps (e.g. ask the callers to provide more information about themselves or contact SFC directly to clarify).
But what has SFC done to alleviate the concern of market practitioners? From time to time we may be contacted by persons claiming to be SFC staff but we don't have acquaintance with them before.
I suggest the following measures:
- SFC disseminates to each licensed corporation an official list of relationship managers (RM) assigned to that corporation.
- The list should be updated from time to time (e.g. for change of RM). Resigned staff should be immediately removed from the list.
- Display of telephone numbers should be enabled in SFC's calls.
- Enquiry about sensitive information should be made by encrypted emails instead of phone.
While SFC always requires timely notification & all sort of formality from us, shall we expect the same service standard from this organization?
I have tried the following previously when I was asked something in relation to an applicant for licence by one SFC staff I was not familiar with:
ReplyDelete1. Asked him to give me his name
2. Asked which department he represented (I did not ask for his position but I would have had I felt very suspicious)
3. Told hime as I was not familiar with him, I had to contact him later
4. I called the SFC general line and asked whether the person was a SFC staff (in that case yes)
5. I asked the operator to put me through to that person
I believe the above could prevent talking to disguised SFC staff.