Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued notices to two brokers, instructing them to freeze a client account suspected of market manipulation and account hacking.

Interactive Brokers LLC and Interactive Brokers Hong Kong Limited were prohibited from dealing with or processing instructions for certain assets in a client account, which is suspected of containing the proceeds of fraud from unauthorised internet trades in hacked securities accounts, and market manipulation between 7 and 15 October last year. The two brokers are separate subsidiaries of Interactive Brokers Group.

They are not being investigated by the SFC, and are cooperating with the investigation. They must also notify the SFC if they receive any account instructions from the client.