8 arrested in Hong Kong over illegal tours, cross-border shopping services
Individuals from mainland China had acted as guides in the city, helping locals shop and deliver goods across the border
Hong Kong police arrested eight mainland Chinese visitors in the past week for working in the city illegally as tour guides or cross-border shopping couriers.
Immigration Department deputy commander Leung Tsz-chung said on Tuesday that the arrests, which were made between January 13 and Monday, involved officers posing as customers and reaching out to suspected illegal service providers through social media.
“Our team had been closely monitoring social media platforms and identified a group of suspicious service providers from the mainland offering illegal cross-border services, including ‘reverse purchasing’ and acting as tour guides,” Leung said.
He explained that reverse purchasing involved mainland individuals being hired by Hongkongers to buy food, groceries and other daily necessities at stores, supermarkets and restaurants across the border, and then physically carrying the items back to the city for a fee.
Illegal tour guide services involved showing fellow mainlanders around Hong Kong, introducing them to local attractions and helping them take photos for a fee.
“These illegal workers charged anywhere between HK$100 [US$13] and HK$300 per hour for tour guide services and from HK$100 to HK$200 per transaction for reverse purchasing,” Leung said.
