Hong Kong woman fears identity theft after winning HSBC banknote draw that she didn't enter
Woman shocked to learn that she had won the right to buy sought-after HK$150 banknotes - even though she did not make an application
A housewife fears she and her husband are the victims of identity theft after HSBC told her she was one of the lucky winners of a hugely popular draw for commemorative banknotes - even though she did not apply.
The woman received a confirmation letter from the bank this week saying her application had been successful and she had been allocated four of the notes, for which collectors are willing to pay thousands of dollars.
This led her to discover her personal information had been used to apply for the banknotes, printed to mark HSBC's 150th anniversary and oversubscribed by up to 64 times.
She said her husband, who did not submit an application either, experienced the same problem. "A short telephone message had been sent to my husband saying his application [for the banknotes] was unsuccessful," the mother of two said. "He thought it was a junk message and did not take it seriously or bother to check."
When her husband contacted the bank on Tuesday, however, he was told his name, identity card number, home address and phone number had been used to apply for the banknotes over the internet.
"The bank also told my husband that its security department had received several similar complaints and he was advised to report the case to police," said the woman, who does not want to be named.
She checked with HSBC on Thursday and was told the confirmation letter was issued by the bank and was genuine. The bank promised it would look into the matter and she is now waiting for a reply.
