Tag Archives: China

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs today (September 14) provided an update on its investigation into the incident earlier in which three beauty parlours under a beauty group had suddenly announced that they were suspending operations.

     As of 8am today, Customs had received a total of 220 complaints regarding the beauty group, involving 171 complainants and beauty contracts amounting to about $9.8 million. The dedicated team of Customs has contacted all complainants to obtain the details of each complaint and to commence investigations.

     Initial investigation revealed that the three beauty parlours involved were under the same beauty group. On September 6 and today, Customs officers interviewed two directors of the beauty group in order to pursue an investigation into the incident. Also, the officers strongly reminded the directors that traders are obligated to properly handle the pre-payment services purchased by their customers under any circumstances, for instance to provide a refund arrangement.

     Customs will closely monitor the development of the incident and will continue to maintain close contact with the Consumer Council as well as Legislative Council members and District Council members who are assisting the affected customers.

     Investigation by Customs is still in progress. Customs officers will probe into whether the trader involved has committed the offence of wrongly accepting payment under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). Should there be any violation of the TDO, Customs will take immediate enforcement action.

     Under the TDO, any trader commits an offence if at the time of acceptance of payment, the trader intends not to supply the product or intends to supply a materially different product, or there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the trader will be able to supply the product within a specified or reasonable period. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO. Consumers are also reminded to procure services at reputable shops and think prudently before making decisions for consumption with prepayment.

     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). read more

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs today (September 14) arrested three staff members of a fitness centre suspected of engaging in aggressive commercial practices in the course of selling fitness services, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs officers earlier received information alleging that staff members of a fitness centre in Kwun Tong requested two customers to sign a document by asking them to fill in a questionnaire. After the customers signed the document, the staff members immediately revealed that the document was actually a fitness services contract and forced them to settle the payment. They were suspected of imposing undue influence and using aggressive commercial practices when selling fitness services to the customers, forcing them to procure the fitness services. 

     After investigation, Customs officers today arrested a man and two women whose ages range between 22 and 25. Investigation is ongoing.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops. Before making any purchase decision, consumers should be cautious in providing their identity cards or credit cards to a salesperson. Consumers should firmly refuse to sign any document if they do not clearly know the content and price of the service to be provided, or have no intention to purchase the service.

     Under the TDO, any trader commits an offence of engaging in aggressive commercial practices if harassment, coercion or undue influence is used to impair a consumer’s freedom of choice or conduct, causing the consumer to make a transactional decision. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Stressing its priority given to consumer rights protection and zero tolerance for unfair trade practices by fitness centres, Customs pledges that it will continue its stringent enforcement action against unscrupulous traders.

     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). read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (September 14) that a sample of prepackaged bamboo fungi was found to contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative which is allowed to be used in certain foods, but the functional class and name of the additive were not declared on the food label. Members of the public should not consume the affected product. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected product immediately if they possess it.

     Product details are as follows:
     
Product name: (Not available in English)
Brand: On Kee Dry Seafood Co., Ltd.
Place of origin: China
Net weight: 75 grams per pack
Best-before date: December 28, 2022

     “The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample of bamboo fungi from an online shop for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide. Although the sulphur dioxide level is below the maximum permitted level under the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap 132BD), the functional class and name of the additive were not declared on the food label of the sample,” a CFS spokesman said.

     “The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity, and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batch of product. The vendor concerned has initiated a recall according to the CFS’ instructions. Members of the public may call its hotline at 2588 4600 during office hours for enquiries about the recall. ” the spokesman added.

     Sulphur dioxide is a preservative which can be used in a variety of foods including dried vegetables, dried fruits, pickled vegetables and salted fish products. Sulphur dioxide is water soluble, and most of it can be removed through washing and cooking. However, susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties, headache and nausea after consumption.

     The spokesman reminded the food trade that the use of preservatives in food must comply with the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap 132BD). Furthermore, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap 132W) require that for all prepackaged food for sale in Hong Kong containing sulphite in a concentration of 10 ppm or more, the functional class of the sulphite and its name shall be specified in the list of ingredients. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon conviction.

     The CFS will alert the trade, continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. Investigation is ongoing. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) released today (September 14) the key analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund at the end of August 2021.
      
     Foreign assets, representing the external assets of the Exchange Fund, increased during the month by HK$22.7 billion to HK$4,061.6 billion.
      
     The Monetary Base, comprising Certificates of Indebtedness, Government-issued currency notes and coins in circulation, the balance of the banking system and Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued, amounted to HK$2,114.5 billion.
      
     Claims on the private sector in Hong Kong amounted to HK$234.8 billion.
      
     Foreign liabilities, representing mainly obligations under repurchase agreements, amounted to HK$3.1 billion.
      
     The analytical accounts of the Exchange Fund are released in accordance with the International Monetary Fund’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) and are referred to as the Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank under SDDS (Annex).
      
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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund’s data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund’s SDDS. The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund’s Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA’s policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of September 2021, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by The Bank of East Asia, Limited relating to fraudulent mobile applications (Apps), which has been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or e-mails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or One-Time Password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the Apps concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. read more