LOOKS can be deceiving, as some consumers here found out after buying Chinese New Year sweets from some stores at the Chinatown bazaar.

Like this plastic container of goodies. While the bottle appears to be full of candy, there's actually a plastic cone inserted in the container which fills up half the space.

Stomp contributor Chua Soon Teck, 44, was furious when he opened the container to find it half-filled. He had paid $11 for three such containers.

Mr Chua told my paper: "This is outright cheating!" He couldn't spot the difference "because a piece of paper was put at the base (of the container)".

He added: "Many people buy such goodies and don't open them until New Year's day and by the time they realise this, the stall would be gone already."

Mr Seah Seng Choon, executive director of the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), said: "If the stall holder claims that the container is filled with the items the consumer paid for and hid the fact that the amount is less, he is in breach of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act."

In a similar case, Stomp contributor Claudio was left seething after she was ripped off by a stall owner selling 'muah chee'. She had paid $15 more for jellies that she did not pick.

"There were 30 pieces of jellies in the bag and 20 pieces were not part of my selection," she said.

When contacted, Spring Singapore's Weights and Measures Office said 10 test purchases and 28 spot checks were made on festive goodies during this period and so far, no one has been caught.

The penalty for selling goods that are not weighted or measured accurately is a fine of up to $5,000. Offenders can also be jailed up to three months.