Customs received a report from the client in May, saying that he went to the agency in Tsim Sha Tsui earlier this year looking for parents he hadn't heard from for years.

The agency charged a service fee of several thousand Hong Kong dollars and promised a refund if it failed to locate the parents.

The client, however, did not get any updates about the search. Neither did he get a refund. He ended up complaining to the customs department.

He then turned to another non-profit agency that provides free family tracing services and eventually managed to get his parents' information after two months.

After investigation, the customs went to the agency in Tsim Sha Tsui on Thursday and arrested a 37-year-old man in charge for violating the Trade Descriptions Ordinance for its sales practice.

It was understood that the agency was officially registered and had operated for many years.

Customs said that it will further investigate whether there are more people involved in the agency's operation and sales of related services.

The customs called on the public to think twice before paying for such services and report to the department immediately if any fraud or violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance was suspected.

The department also suggested the public consider seeking non-profit organizations to avoid being cheated.