Important Notice: Beware of Fraudulent Messages Impersonating uSMART or Using Similar Names and False Associations, and Preventing Unauthorized Trading Risks
Thank you for your continued support and trust in uSMART. In view of the recent rise in unauthorized trading incidents involving securities accounts in the market, and as our Company has recently received reports from clients that fraudsters are impersonating our Company to conduct scams, we would like to remind clients to stay vigilant and take proactive measures to safeguard their personal information and account security.
Such fraudsters may contact clients through instant messaging applications, text messages or phone calls, using our Company’s name, trademarks or logo, or impersonating our staff. They may falsely claim that a client’s account is involved in money laundering, abnormal trading, police filing, regulatory investigation or other compliance or risk control issues, with a view to creating panic and inducing the client to reply immediately, call back, disclose personal information, or even make transfers or take other actions. Clients are strongly urged to remain cautious and not to trust such communications lightly.
Our Company has also recently noted that certain third parties may use names that are identical to, similar to, or likely to cause confusion with the name of our Company/Group (such as “uSmart/Yingli Group” or “uSmart/Yingli Capital”), and claim to have associations, cooperation, authorization, recognition, consent or other relationships with our Company/Group, for the purposes of promotion, marketing, solicitation, publication, research, training, case sharing or other activities.
Our Company hereby clarifies that neither our Company nor our Group has provided any consent, authorization or endorsement to any third party to use our Company’s/Group’s name or any similar name (such as “uSmart/Yingli Group” or “uSmart/Yingli Capital”), or to use any case materials, information, brand or logo of our Company/Group for promotion, publication, solicitation, research, training or any other purposes.
Please pay attention to the following:
1. Beware of Fraudulent Messages Impersonating Our Company
Fraudsters may pretend to be our staff and claim to be a “manager”, “customer service officer”, “compliance staff”, “risk control staff” or other related personnel. They may also use our Company’s name, logo, profile image, job title or forged identity to appear credible. Clients should not assume that the communication is genuine merely because it displays our Company’s logo or name, or because the sender appears to know certain information.
2. Our Company Will Not Use Suspicious Instant Messaging Accounts or Unfamiliar Phone Numbers to Ask Clients to Deal with Alleged Money Laundering Matters
Our Company will not use WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, SMS or any other instant messaging tools to notify clients, in an intimidating, pressuring or urgent manner, that their accounts are allegedly involved in money laundering, criminal cases, police filing or regulatory investigation, nor will we ask clients to reply immediately, call back, provide passwords, one-time passwords (OTP), identity documents, bank information, or carry out any transfer, withdrawal or account unfreezing action. If clients receive any suspicious message claiming to be from our Company, they should remain highly alert.
3. Stay Alert to Suspicious Messages, Calls and Links
4. Beware of Similar Names, False Associations, Fabricated Authorizations and Activities Conducted Under the Guise of Books, Publications or Presentations
Clients and members of the public should be aware that fraudsters or third parties may use names that are identical to, similar to, or likely to cause confusion with the name, brand, business or group concept of our Company/Group (such as “uSmart/Yingli Group” or “uSmart/Yingli Capital”), and claim to have cooperation, association, authorization, recognition, consent, case study involvement or other relationships with our Company/Group in order to enhance credibility.
Such persons may also purport to act under the guise of books, journals, publications, research reports, presentations, seminars, sharing sessions, training materials, case studies or other forms of dissemination or publication, and claim that they have obtained the consent, authorization, confirmation, support or participation of our Company/Group.
Please note that any representation that our Company/Group has granted consent, authorization or confirmation, or has agreed to be included in any books, publications, presentation materials, research, case studies or other published or presented content, should not be regarded as true.
If you are approached in any of the above manners, you should not rely on such representations and should immediately verify through our Company’s official channels.
5. Do Not Disclose Sensitive Information to Any Third Party
6. Regularly Monitor Account Activity
7. Contact Us Immediately to Prevent Further Loss
8. Report Suspicious Activities to the Police
9. Make Use of Government Anti-Fraud Tools: “Scameter” and “Scameter+ App”
10. Enhance Fraud Awareness
The following links are trustworthy anti-fraud and investment safety information. Clients are encouraged to visit and make use of these resources to improve their cybersecurity awareness:
- Cyber Defender: https://www.cyberdefender.hk
- Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC): https://www.ifec.org.hk/web/tc/index.page
- Investor and Financial Education Council (IFEC): https://www.ifec.org.hk
- SFC Alert List: https://www.sfc.hk/TC/alert-list
Safeguarding your account security starts with you and us. uSMART is here to prevent fraud and protect every dollar of your assets.
