The Invisible Thief
Andy is a Computer Science student who likes to study hacking and computer security. One day, he hacked into a company’s computer system, deleted some contents from the company’s website, and copied some clients’ information. What will he do with those clients’ information?
My Wayward Girlfriend’s Punishment
Yee, an unruly girlfriend, is used to scolding her boyfriend whenever she likes. But she did not expect her practice to become an Internet sensation, and did not expect the fierce criticism and teasing that she received. Yee was deeply upset by the incident and set up a group on a social network, asking others to join her to commit suicide…
The Teacher’s Password
Chi Ming, a Form 3 student, has got hold of his teacher’s (Mr. Leung) intranet password by accident. What will Chi Ming do with the password?
Jilted Lover’s bomb
Hoi suspected that his girlfriend was having an affair with someone else. By correctly guessing the password for his girlfriend’s email account, he managed to log in to his girlfriend’s email account and found out the cruel truth. Hoi decided to take revenge…
Illegal e-Life
Him works in a hospital and has a boring life. He likes to download and upload pop music, movies and TV programmes to share with others on the Internet. Him never intended to share the hospital patient’s information with others, but he did it by accident.
Sally likes to shop online and surf around but she seems to be having bad luck. She bought counterfeit product and was cheated by a fake online bidding post. Even making comments on other posts seems to get her into trouble. Is Sally a victim of various crimes?
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If I sell counterfeit goods online, what crime have I committed?
Under Section 7(1)(a)(ii) of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (Chapter 362), it is an offence to supply or offer to supply any goods to which a false trade description is applied, that is, goods that imitate another product but were not made by the manufacturer of the product that has been imitated. This includes offering to supply such goods on the Internet.
Pursuant to Section 7(1)(b) of the same Ordinance, it is also an offence to possess at home for sale via the Internet goods.
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If I find out that goods I bought online are counterfeit, what can I do?
You may lodge a complaint with the Customs and Excise Department by writing or calling its 24 hour hotline at 2545-6182. For more details, please click here.
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What crimes are involved if a customer does not receive their product after ordering it and paying for it over the Internet?
If the seller never had the intention to supply the advertised goods or, having received money from the purchaser decides not to supply the goods, the seller may have committed the offence of theft under Sections 2 and 9 of the Theft Ordinance (Chapter 210). The sum of money paid by the buyer is considered property stolen by the seller, if the seller did not supply the goods. The maximum sentence for the offence is 10 years’ imprisonment.
In addition, the seller may have also committed the offence of “obtaining property by deception” contrary to Section 17 of the Theft Ordinance (Chapter 210). If there never was an intention to supply the goods, the purchaser has been dishonestly deceived into parting with his or her money. This offence carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.