Wherever you travel around the world, you are bound to come across scams, and make no mistake, some off these will be incredibly smart and hard to detect, put together by crafty individuals who know what they’re doing. This practice almost ranks as an unofficial “career”, and some practitioners are consummate experts when it comes to defrauding the innocent. What should you do to avoid being the next victim?
Remain alert and aware at all times.
Always hold in mind that wise old adage that tells us, “If it seems to too good to be true, it probably is.”
If in any doubt, simply walk away, because this makes it impossible to end up out of pocket.
Allow me to start this article with a definition of the word “scam”.
Scam: a fraudulent business scheme; a
swindle; a deceptive act to
embezzle an innocent victim.
I doubt there is a person on the planet who hasn’t suffered a scam of some sort, and these usually strike when we are least expecting them to. Scams here in China are no exception. You need to be on guard, particularly if you are a foreigner with little knowledge of different cultures - or your surroundings.
The Top 5 Scams in China to Watch Out For
The Internet has revolutionized the way we do business and enjoy our leisure time. It is also quite useful if you want to conduct some research before you travel or relocate, or even after you’ve arrived at your new home country. Search selectively, and all the new schemes will pop up. Embassies are obliged to look after the interests of their respective citizens when they travel abroad. Warnings can be as harsh as “absolutely essential travel only” advisories, or placid announcements of statistical trends imploring you to use your common sense.
This article will examine five of the most common scams (no set order) you’re likely to run into in China right now. It’s not my intention to scare you senseless - you might live in the country for years and never run into one of these - but I do hope this article helps educate you about some of the things less scrupulous people get up to that you’ll want to keep an eye out for.
Here they are - the top 5 scams in China right now:
The Art School Scam
The plot: strangers claiming to be enthusiastic art students approach you in the street. Their English is quite convincing, and they simply want to invite you to visit their studio and view their artwork (or, sometimes, their antique store, and they are dealers in rare Chinese antiquities).
Once you are there and enticed, they will put emotional pressure on you to buy one of their masterpieces. Needless-to-say, the price is outrageous. Although you are not interested, you may feel obliged to go through with the deal simply because these young artists (often good-looking females) have won you over.
And won’t you feel silly when you later see that same pricey picture
you picked up from these “art students” being sold for pocket change,
along with a number of other prints, at a souvenir street vendor
downtown a little later.
A simple “no thank you” is all that is required to thwart this somewhat common practice in Xi’an, Shanghai, and Beijing.
The Bogus Taxi Ride
Be vigilant and attentive when taking a ride in a taxi – sometimes the vehicle looks like a taxi but is a private car. Unofficial taxi drivers are commonplace in most every country, and China is no exception. Potential customers are simply trying to get from point A to point B, and when they flag down a willing “taxi”, they are grateful simply to complete their journey as quickly as possible.
The problem starts when fare-paying passengers enter the cab and note that the meter is not running, or is allegedly faulty. If this happens to you, order the driver to stop and drop you off as soon as safe and practical. Note the vehicle details, such as registration and vehicle type, and, if you ended up paying and felt the sum was much more than it should’ve been, report the incident to the police as soon as possible. Take a picture on your mobile if you can.
Real Beijing Taxis - Yellow
with Blue, Red, or Green
Taxis in the major cities of China are clearly marked, with private car illegal taxis only marked by a red light hanging inside the top of their windshields to mimic the red “available” lights that Chinese taxis use. In smaller cities, though, even marked taxis may want to negotiate on fare and not use the meter, and if all of them are doing this, you may not have many options other than to negotiate. You will have no trouble finding meter-using taxis in large Chinese cities like Shanghai and Beijing, however, as the rules are enforced much more strictly here.
Legitimate Shanghai Taxi -
Silver and Teal
Before entering a cab, if you notice the meter is not being used, always ask the driver what the cost of getting you to your destination is likely to be, and then make sure that the metered cost of the trip is the same and not more. Sometimes, opportunistic fake (or sometimes, less commonly, legitimate) taxi drivers will try to create the impression that they are going about their normal business, and before you know it, you find that you are paying double or even triple the regular fare, after a long tour of the scenic route. This practice is particularly prevalent around busy airports with unsuspecting foreigners and Chinese visiting from other parts of the country. The short story here is to wait at the official taxi rank, because this guarantees a ride in a real taxi.
Tea House Scam
This normally takes the form of a young Chinese student, or two or three, offering to show you around personally. It’s their way of improving their English, which they just happen to be studying. They will also sometimes say they are visiting from Taiwan and are tourists themselves (to further take you off guard - surely a fellow traveler wouldn’t be in on a scam?).
It all begins with an invitation to join them for tea at a convenient restaurant close by. They may say they discovered the place the other day, and that it’s a great little place.
When the bill arrives, your “host” suddenly ducks, leaving you to face the music. There’s little or no point in arguing with the non-English speaking restaurant staff. The sheer size of these burly debt collectors will soon have you reaching for your purse and settling “your bill”, which often will be five or ten or more times the price you expected based on the menu you ordered from (if you even saw a menu at all in the first place).
Like the art student scammers, these individuals are very disarming and seemingly genuine. Your radar will probably not be going off. It isn’t like the movies, where the scammer is some obviously sleazy person. Instead, she’s just a normal, approachable, pleasant girl, inviting you to have some tea. If you’re really curious, simply counter with another venue instead and see how much she protests about going to that one special place she really wants you to try out.
In Beijing, this one is quite common in and around Tiananmen Square
and the Forbidden City, so keep that in mind if you go touring and
meet some friendly, unassuming strangers.
Counterfeit Money
Many of us prefer to use our charge cards for purchases, but not all the merchants here - especially not the smaller ones - accept them. That is why it is advisable to have some local currency handy. The notes will not be familiar to you on first arrival, but that doesn’t stop the “money artists” from rolling out some seriously good imitation notes.
Fortunately, while this was very common a few years back, this has become increasingly rare in China, thanks to the serious penalties any would-be counterfeiter will face when caught. Another one of those occasions of using good old-fashioned common sense, and exchanging smaller denomination notes for goods purchased. This way, you’ll minimize the risk of burning a serious hole in your pocket should you end up with a “lookalike” note representing a large sum of cash.
Getting your money directly from the ATM or from a bank is always a safe bet for getting legitimate notes. Most of the fake bills here are ¥100, the largest denomination (but there are also fake ¥50, ¥20, and ¥10 bills), which you’ll only get if someone is paying you for something - if you decide to sell furniture or electronics when changing apartments, for instance, this is one where you'll want to be more careful, and check for the strip inside the bill and make certain the material feels right.
Typical Shopping Scams
Beware of a sudden approach from a friendly stranger, who has it firmly in mind to assist you in any number of ways. For example, it could be to help you with transportation and then shopping. In exchange, they will offer to teach you basic Chinese while you help them expand their English vocabulary. These are often accomplished scam artists, and quite commonly they are good-looking young ladies ready to help you in any way.
Invariably, they are on the take and hiding their real intentions behind an incredibly friendly and talented façade - such as pushing you to buy more expensively-priced but ultimately almost worthless counterfeit goods. If you suspect this is about to happen to you, report the matter to the police immediately. You probably won’t see these cons for their dust! Most of us love to shop in privacy anyway, so there should be no need for an assisted shopping experience just because you are in China.
Mind the Gap
On many of the world’s subway systems, you’ll encounter warnings of “Mind the Gap” on entering or leaving a train. If that message doesn’t register, you may fall in or get stuck, and that could be ugly! The same applies to scams; by using common sense and staying alert, you can track what’s happening from a long way off. Here are some of the more practical measures you can use to avoid a scam:
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Before you purchase any goods, pay for accommodation or accept services, agree on the price. Keep your proof of payment handy at all times
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Avoid answering inquisitive questions posed by strangers – such as “which hotel are you staying at?” if traveling
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When traveling in a group, swap notes regularly with your companions – in other words, keep them informed about your plans
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Never flash cash in public; keep it discrete and out of sight
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Don’t fall for “never to be repeated” deals; here today, gone tomorrow is more likely
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Treat any stranger who’s keen to show you something special but strictly on your own with suspicion. They could be trying to move you out of your familiar surroundings in preparation for a scam
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Keep your identity confidential. For example, luggage labels, identity tags, travel documents, tickets or anything that could reveal your name to strangers should be concealed
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Be firm and reprimand persistent strangers who may chose to ignore your request to go away
Last, but by no means least, avoid going out on your own, especially when you’re new in town or visiting a city you’re unfamiliar with. Two minds are always better than one. Any scammers wanting to entice you are going to find it far more difficult if you travel in a group. In this case, two is company and more is even better!
Knowing the scams common in China in the area you live in or are
visiting should be on
the checklist of each and every expatriate and traveler. Preparing for
trip involves
more than just arranging the visa, air ticket, passport, accommodations
and land travel arrangements! Most Chinese are very decent people, but
around the tourist areas and airports (mostly), you can run into a
handful of individuals more interested in easy money than honest.
Scams in China are no more sinister than those in any other country; just being aware of them is half the battle won.
Safe exploring!
Sincerely,
Cerise Bai
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