HONG KONG: A mainland tourist was allegedly cheated out of HK$50,000 after purchasing two bottles of medicine that actually cost HK$60, according to Hong Kong Customs.
The amount was more than 800 times the price the victim was originally told, according to a customs source with knowledge of the investigation.
The woman, who arrived from Guangdong province last week for a sightseeing trip, lodged a complaint that led customs officers to arrest three employees of a drug store in Mong Kok on Sunday night.
The three Hongkongers could face prosecution under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a HK$500,000 fine, according to the source.
The suspects, aged between 19 and 22, were released on bail yesterday pending further investigation.
“Initial investigation showed that the shop was also involved in at least two other complaints over similar malpractice,” the source said.
He said one of the complaints was filed by another mainland woman in September and the other was lodged by a Taiwanese man earlier this month. No one had been arrested in connection with the two cases.
The latest case happened when the woman, in her 50s, had joined a mainland tour group to visit the city and gone shopping in Mong Kok on Sunday afternoon.
She was conned when she entered a shop on Sai Yeung Choi Street South to buy two bottles of Ricqles peppermint cure. She claimed she was told the two bottles cost HK$60 in total.
“After the victim handed over her credit card for payment, it was charged for HK$50,000,” the source said.
When she questioned the extortionate payment, she was told that it was the right price and the employees refused a refund and ordered her to leave the shop, according to the source.
The woman filed a report with police, who referred the case to Customs and Excise.
Describing the case as a “robbery”, the source said: “It’s the highest charge I’ve come across since the [Customs] unfair trade practice investigation group was set up.”
In July 2013, the trade descriptions law expanded its coverage to include service. The Customs and Excise Department set up the unfair trade investigation group last year.
