Hong Kong Customs conducted an enforcement action in early June this year and arrested a male director, a female tutor and a female salesperson of a tutorial centre in Kowloon City suspected of having made false claims on the tutorial services they provided, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). Customs officers yesterday (August 12) further arrested a female tutor of the tutorial centre for suspected contravention of the TDO.
During a follow-up investigation into the aforementioned case, Customs officers discovered that a false claim had been applied to a batch of promotion materials of that tutorial centre, saying that another female tutor had obtained a specified outstanding result in a public examination, which was contrary to the fact.
Customs officers subsequently arrested a 21-year-old female tutor yesterday. An investigation is ongoing and the arrested woman has been released on bail pending further investigation.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO. Consumers should also procure services at reputable traders and inquire about the service details before making a transactional decision.
Under the TDO, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied to a consumer commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Friday, August 13, 2021