Hundreds Scammed Over Face Mask, Sanitiser Sales

The Consumer Council on Wednesday warned that hundreds of thousands of dollars are being scammed out of people trying to buy face masks and hand rubs online, while tests it carried out found six samples of sanitisers on the market contain traces of toxic methanol.

The council received more than 760 complaints in the first three months of this year regarding the sales of protective gear and most of them were related to online sales.

The complaint involving the highest amount was from someone who paid HK$200,000 for face masks the person wanted to send to the mainland. But the products were never delivered.

The highest amount linked to sanitisers was HK$27,800, after a customer tried to buy 200 boxes of disinfectant wipes. The goods delivered were substandard, the buyer complained.

Another case involved a person paying HK$300 through a QR code on social media in February for Japanese face masks. The complainant never received the masks and later found that the social media page in question had been deleted.

The council's chief executive Gilly Wong said it has been difficult to seek redress in some cases because the payments were made to a personal bank account, and she reminded people to be vigilant when buying things online.

“The consumer has to be really smart and empower themselves and stay rational about who you’re going to make the transaction with. If it is a proper merchant, they would provide all the information and terms and conditions that you need as a reference in making the purchase," said Wong.

The council also tested 24 different alcohol rubs on the market and found six samples contained methanol traces.

"Methanol is a toxic organic solvent that can enter the body through skin and cause poisoning," said Consumer Council spokeswoman Nora Tam.

"Although the concentration of methanol detected this time was not sufficient enough to cause acute poisoning ... there may be chances of alcohol entering through the body directly [through a wound]."

The survey also found that 75 percent of the samples had a lower alcohol concentration than claimed on the label.

Tam urged consumers to read labels and packaging carefully. She also noted that a product having a higher alcohol content does not necessarily mean it would be more effective in killing germs.

She said the relevant test results have been passed on to the Customs and Excise Department for possible follow-up action.