Travel Scams in Hong Kong

1. Chinese medicine shop unit-pricing scam

A shop assistant quotes a herbal medicine (often ginseng or similar) at what sounds like a reasonable price, staying vague about the pricing unit despite the customer's questions. Only after the medicine is ground into powder — making it unreturnable — is the price revealed to be per mace rather than per catty; in a case prosecuted by Hong Kong Customs, a Mong Kok shop presented a mainland visitor with a HK$22,400 bill, 160 times what he expected, and pressured him into buying half. The salesman was convicted under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance for misleading omission.

Warning signs

• Assistant evasive about whether the price is per catty, per tael or per mace
• Rush to grind or slice the product before confirming the total
• Store near tourist shopping areas such as Mong Kok or Tsim Sha Tsui
• Bill far higher than the discussed figure, with pressure that the goods are already processed

How to avoid it

• Get the exact pricing unit and total price in writing before any grinding or slicing
• Buy Chinese medicine only from established chains or shops displaying clear unit prices
• Never pay under pressure because goods were processed without your confirmed order
• Report the shop to Hong Kong Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 — Customs runs a Quick Response Team for short-haul visitor complaints

2. Black-taxi overcharging in tourist areas

Drivers working tourist-heavy spots — the government names rural and tourist areas such as the Peak and Sai Kung — refuse the meter, quote flat fares around double the metered rate, cherry-pick passengers, refuse hires, or take circuitous routes. In one police crackdown, undercover officers arrested drivers who had collected roughly twice the original fare; the Hong Kong government tracks these offences under its Taxi-Driver-Offence Points system and has legislated higher penalties for drivers who deceive tourists.

Warning signs

• Driver quotes a flat fare instead of starting the meter
• Taxi waiting at a tourist stand with 'not accepting passengers' displayed until a tourist appears
• Meter indicator or driver licence not properly displayed
• Route visibly diverging from the map for no reason

How to avoid it

• Insist on the meter — fares are regulated and posted — or leave the cab
• Use the Transport Department's fare leaflets (distributed at the airport and border crossings) to know reference fares
• Record the driver name, plate, time and location and report to police (999) or the Transport Complaints Unit
• Consider the MTR, buses or Uber for tourist legs like the Peak instead of hailed taxis

3. Drink spiking in nightlife areas

The UK Foreign Office warns that personal attacks, including sexual assault, occur in Hong Kong through drink spiking — a drug slipped into an unattended or stranger-offered drink leaves the victim incapacitated and vulnerable to robbery or assault. Women travelling alone or in small groups are flagged as facing greater risk.

Warning signs

• Drink left unattended on a bar or table
• Strangers offering to buy or hand you drinks
• Sudden disorientation disproportionate to what you drank
• Being steered away from your group by a new acquaintance

How to avoid it

• Keep your drink in hand and in sight at all times
• Decline drinks offered by strangers
• Stay with people you know in Wan Chai and Lan Kwai Fong late at night
• Seek venue staff or police (999) immediately if you feel suddenly unwell

4. Jade and jewellery misrepresentation

Shops sell chemically treated, resin-impregnated jade while claiming it is natural 'Type A' jade — in a case prosecuted by Hong Kong Customs, a test-buy confirmed pendants sold as natural were in fact treated Type B jade, and the proprietor was convicted and fined under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. Customs has also moved against counterfeit jewellery displayed at trade events, and tourists buying from small tourist-area shops have no easy way to verify grading claims on the spot.

Warning signs

• 'Natural jade' claims with no independent certificate
• Hard-sell in small jewellery shops in tourist shopping areas
• Prices that seem like bargains for supposedly high-grade jade
• Reluctance to put grading claims in writing on the receipt

How to avoid it

• Buy jade only from reputable jewellers that provide recognized lab certification
• Have any written description of the stone included on the receipt
• Be sceptical of deep discounts on 'Type A' jade
• Report false claims to Hong Kong Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182

Practical safety briefing

• Airport arrival: The Airport Express train into the city is fast and scam-free; if taking a taxi, use the official ranks and pick the correct colour cab (red for urban areas), checking the Transport Department's posted reference fares before you get in.
• Trusted transport: The MTR with an Octopus card is the local default; red urban taxis are metered by law, and Uber and HKTaxi are the common booking apps.
• Money & payments: Use bank ATMs and keep every receipt — Hong Kong Customs advises checking the total and unit price carefully before paying, since receipts are the basis for any Trade Descriptions Ordinance complaint. Be exact about pricing units (per catty vs per tael/mace) at medicine and dried-goods shops.

Official travel advisories

• UK FCDO — Warns that pickpocketing and street crime occur in crowded areas and that personal attacks, including sexual assault, happen via drink spiking.
• Australia Smartraveller — Flags severe penalties for possession of drugs, CBD products and e-cigarettes — enforced even on passengers transiting through Hong Kong airport.

Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.