Hong Kong fortune-teller arrested in undercover sting operation after being accused of breaking trade descriptions law
- Woman who ran HK$800 numerology consultancy service had claimed her academic qualifications were recognised by the government
- Customs officer posed as a client after department received a complaint in June
A Hong Kong fortune-teller who charged HK$800 for her services was arrested by an undercover customs officer in a sting operation on Tuesday, after she claimed her professional and academic qualifications were recognised by the government.
The 32-year-old, surnamed Li, was detained after providing a numerology consultancy service – a type of fortune-telling based on numbers – to the undercover agent in her office in a Kwun Tong industrial building shortly before midday.
Senior investigator Roger Chow Kin-chi, of the Customs and Excise Department’s unfair trade practice investigation group, said the woman was arrested on suspicion of applying a false trade description to a service.
He said that broke the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, and was punishable by up to five years in jail and a HK$500,000 fine. The woman has been bailed pending further investigation.
Customs officers began investigating after receiving a complaint in June, accusing the woman of making a false claim over her recognised qualification.
After establishing that she was lying, the undercover officer posed as a customer on Tuesday morning, and arrested her. Officers were still looking into how long the woman had been offering her services.
