Hong Kong brides-to-be lose total of HK$1 million after sudden closure of wedding dress shop in possible case of fraud
- More than 100 future brides claim a Kwun Tong shop is uncontactable weeks after they paid for its services
- Federation of Trade Unions legislator Bill Tang says shop might have engaged in ‘bait advertising’ and urged customs to look into potential fraud
More than 100 brides-to-be in Hong Kong have lost a total of HK$1 million (US$128,000) after a shop they rented wedding dresses from abruptly shut down in a possible case of fraud, the Federation of Trade Unions legislator Bill Tang Ka-piu has said.
Some of the affected customers claimed the Kwun Tung shop had asked them to pay for services weeks before its sudden closure, but said the operators and shop assistants were now nowhere to be found.
Tang said about 110 brides-to-be had been affected by the closure and urged the Customs and Excise Department to investigate a possible case of fraud.
Losses of about HK$1 million were involved, Tang said.
Most of the customers affected by the closure said they had learned about the shop through online ads and word of mouth.
Tang said: “It seems to be a case of bait advertising. The wedding dress shop might have cheated customers into paying when it knew it would not be able to deliver the services when it placed the advertisements online.”