I've been inHK for 3 years. Have a tourist visa.
When I came here 3 years ago I got a credit card from HSBC and proceeded to spend the full limit, HK$70,000 thinking that I would return to the UK and never need to pay it! However, I'm still here and everytime I come in and out of HK I"m worried that immigration will have a record of this as I gave my passport as ID for the credit card.
Anyone got any ideas on the possibility of getting caught and what would happen?!
I agree with FOTH. A pity it doesn't work that way. I believe it's a civil case rather than a criminal case. But whether HSBC can serve a letter of demand to someone in the UK based only on a passport number is another story.
Oh boy, how can anybody THINK of doing such a thing!
This certainly could happen..we suggest that you hire us to contact and negotiate with HSBC re settling for an amount less.....meet us and we will coordinate..
My understanding is that the immigration dept. cannot prevent you from leaving HK with a debt.
However, if you owe the government money, they can prevent you coming back in until you have paid it - your situation is a civil one and therefore the immigration dept. would have no record of it until you are charged with a criminal offence - then they would probably get a bit upset with you.
That was a pretty dishonest thing to do - do you do it in every country you visit?
Anybody who leaves a country without paying debt or breaks signed contracts ruins it for the ones who abide by the rules.
Make effort to pay the money back, I am ensure that the bank will assist you if you approach them first, but if they find you then no doubt they will try to reclaim the full amount plus interest and costs. HSBC is not small bank either, so your debt could follow you to other countries.
I'm in a similar situation too, with a debt of 65k to HSBC for about 2 years but I have no idea how to solve it.
I've few questions.
a) For about how much may I expect to settle the debt of 65k and what kind of deal?
b) How much does your company charge for it?
c) How would that be possible for me to ever hold a credit card in HK?
Its a CRIME "proceeded to spend the full limit, HK$70,000 thinking that I would return to the UK and never need to pay it!" he took the card and spent the limit thinking he did not have to pay that is "Deception" when he applied for the card as if the HSBC knew he had no intention to repay tehy would not have issued teh card to him.
I don't believe that OP has an HSBC Hong Kong credit card. HSBC policy is to only issue credit cards to people with HKID. In fact, I think that is a HK Monetary Authority policy.