Customs earlier received referrals from relevant organizations and suspected that the performance of several types of masks was inconsistent with their claims.
Customs officers then conducted trial purchases and conducted performance tests on the samples of the masks obtained from the trial purchases. They found that the claims of three types of masks to meet the pressure difference requirements under a certain performance standard were inconsistent with the facts, and the bacteria content of one type exceeded the relevant European standards.
Customs arrested five responsible persons for allegedly selling and supplying masks with suspected false claims of efficacy, in violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
According to customs information, the 4 masks with false efficacy claims belong to Casetify, Goldpro Mask, Hong Kong Mask Technology Co., Ltd., and Gimans Care respectively.
From November 23rd to December 6th, Customs took enforcement actions against 4 mask retailers and a mask manufacturer, and arrested 4 male managers of the retailers and a female manager of the manufacturer (aged 27 to 49 years old), suspected of selling and supplying masks with suspected false claims of efficacy, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
The arrested persons are being released on bail pending further investigation.
The performance of 4 masks is inconsistent with its claims, and one of them contains excessive bacteria
Customs earlier received referrals from relevant organizations and suspected that the performance of several types of masks was inconsistent with their claims.
Customs officers then conducted trial purchases and tested the effectiveness of the mask samples obtained from the trial purchases.
The test results showed that the claims of the three masks to meet the pressure difference requirements under a certain performance standard were inconsistent with the facts.
In addition, a mask that claimed to meet the requirements of the European standard EN14683 on the bacteria content actually exceeded the maximum limit of the relevant European standard, but the test found that the bacteria content of this mask met the requirements of the national standard GB15979.
According to the photo information provided by the Customs, the masks with false efficacy claims are Casetify, Goldpro Mask Korean three-dimensional masks (adult), Hong Kong Mask Technology Co., Ltd. KM99 three-dimensional series masks, Gimans Care's great artist series (Van Gogh Starry Night) ).
During the operation, Customs officers seized about 2,600 masks suspected of violating the Ordinance at one of the retailers.
Customs reminds merchants to abide by the provisions of the "Ordinance", and consumers should patronize reputable merchants.
According to the Ordinance, any person who, in the course of trade or business, applies a false trade description to any goods, or supplies or possesses for sale goods to which a false trade description has been applied, commits an offense and is liable to a maximum penalty of A fine of 500,000 yuan and imprisonment for 5 years.
Members of the public may report suspected violations of the Ordinance to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182, or through the dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
