Fortune teller held for lying about qualifications

A female fortune teller has been arrested for allegedly making false claims that her qualifications have been recognized by the government.

The woman, 32, is the owner of a Kwun Tong workshop which offers astrology and personality consultation to help customers understand their personality traits for life and career planning.

She has been released on bail pending further investigation.

The Customs and Excise Department said yesterday that it received a report in June suspecting a female numerology consultant who claimed her academic qualifications had been approved by a relevant statutory body during the sale of numerology consultation services.

Upon investigation and verification with the relevant government departments, the claim was found to be untrue as the numerology consultation services provided by the consultant had not been accredited by the relevant statutory body, officers said yesterday.

During yesterday's operation, officers went to the fortune teller's office in Kwun Tong as undercover customers and arrested the woman for contravening the Trade Description Ordinance on suspicions of applying a false trade description to numerology consultation services.

Roger Chow Kin-chi, senior investigator from customs intellectual property investigation bureau unfair trade practice investigation division 1, said there are no victims so far.

Noting that the woman offers a consultation service called "human design," Chow said the service claims to be able to analyze suitable jobs for and the love lives of clients through their name, date of birth and place of birth.

It is understood that the consultant provides the service for HK$800 per half an hour at her office in Kwun Tong.

Chow said his department had asked the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications about the "human design" discipline and found that it has yet to have official certification of the relevant qualifications.

But he did not say whether the false claims that the consultant had made were printed on any documents.

He also reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the Trade Description Ordinance.

"Consumers should also procure services at reputable traders and inquire about the service details before making a transactional decision," he said.

Under the ordinance, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied to a consumer commits an offence and faces up to HK$500,000 in fines and five years in prison if convicted.