Custom counterfeit student cards for universities in Hong Kong sold online
Legal experts warn both sellers and buyers may be breaking the law, while check by the Post finds cards selling for 40 to 70 yuan each
Tailor-made counterfeit student cards for universities in Hong Kong, including the city’s oldest institution, are being sold on an online platform, the Post has found, with legal experts warning that both sellers and buyers may be breaking the law.
A check by the Post on Monday found at least three shops on a major cross-border e-commerce platform, Pinduoduo, selling counterfeit student cards for around 40 to 70 yuan (US$5.60 to US$9.80) each.
Some of the sellers told the Post that the cards were usually for photo-taking purposes, with one claiming that the fake documents would not bear any legal risks.
However, when the Post checked the platform again on Tuesday, all the products were marked as “sold out”.
Lawyer Albert Luk Wai-hung said that even if a shop carried a disclaimer on the post that sold those counterfeit cards, both sellers and buyers could still be committing forgery.
“If buyers use the counterfeit student cards to gain benefits, both they and the sellers are violating the law,” he said.
Anyone convicted of forgery faces a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.