Tourist scams in China: how to spot them and what to do

Most trips to China go by without a single problem. Violent crime against tourists is rare, and the people who approach you in the street are usually just curious. But a handful of scams have targeted foreign visitors for years, mostly around famous sights, airports and shopping streets. They all work the same way: someone friendly or helpful steers you away from the normal, official way of doing things. Once you know the patterns, they are easy to avoid.

The tea house and bar scam

This is the best-known one. A friendly young person, often saying they are a student who wants to practise English, chats with you near a big sight and suggests tea, a drink or a “tea ceremony” nearby. The bill comes to hundreds or thousands of yuan, the new friend disappears or pretends to be shocked, and staff pressure you to pay before you can leave. The UK Foreign Office says the same trick is used with bars and massage parlours, and can be followed by threats or card fraud.

• It is most often reported around Beijing’s Wangfujing and Tiananmen area, and Shanghai’s Nanjing Road and the Bund.
• Politely decline invitations from strangers, or suggest a place you pick yourself.
• Anywhere you sit down, ask for a menu with prices before ordering.

The “art student” gallery

A variation reported by the U.S. Embassy: an “art student” asks if you like local art and invites you to a student exhibition. You get tea and snacks, then strong pressure to buy a painting at a very high price, and sometimes a demand to pay for the “hospitality”. Real galleries do not recruit customers on the pavement. If you want to buy art, go to a shop or gallery you found yourself.

Taxis and airport touts

People in arrivals halls and outside stations who ask “Taxi?” usually lead you to an unlicensed car with no meter and a price several times the normal fare. Walk past them to the official taxi rank, or book a DiDi. In a real taxi, insist on the meter and ask for a receipt (fāpiào, 发票), which shows the car’s number. More in our taxi guide.

Rickshaws and tours at the gate

Pedicab riders in old town lanes and hutongs, and people selling tours outside sights, sometimes quote a low price and then say it was per person, per section, or per ten minutes. Agree the total price for everyone, in writing on your phone, before you get in.

Cheap one-day tours sold on the street can include long stops at jade, silk, tea or medicine shops. Forced shopping and hidden fees are illegal in China, and the government ran a national campaign against them from July 2025. Book tours through your hotel, a known agency or an established platform, and read what is included.

“It’s closed today”

Someone near the entrance tells you the sight is closed, the tickets are sold out, or the “real” entrance is elsewhere, and offers to take you to another place, which turns out to be a shop or a tour. Walk to the ticket gate and check yourself.

Fake tickets and ticket touts

Big sights like the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Army sell real-name tickets tied to your passport, and train tickets from 12306 work the same way. A paper ticket or “booking” sold by a stranger at the gate is worthless at best. Book only on the official website or app, or through a well-known agency, and be wary of anyone offering to “get you a ticket” for a sold-out sight or train for a fee. See how to book the Forbidden City and train tickets.

Fake banknotes and switched notes

Fake ¥100 notes circulate, and the UK Foreign Office says they can even come from ATMs; banks will not replace them. Check notes you receive as change. A related trick: a seller takes your ¥100, swaps it out of sight, and hands back a fake one saying yours is no good. Keep your note in view, and pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay where you can, which avoids the problem. See how to pay in China.

QR code tricks

Almost everything in China is paid by scanning a code, so fraudsters sometimes stick their own code over a shop’s, or hand out codes promising a gift or discount. Only scan the code at the counter or on the official menu, check that the name shown in the payment app matches the business, and never scan codes stuck on lamp posts or bikes.

Massage and street deals

Massage shops that call you in from the street, and “special price” deals in markets, can end with a bill far above what was said. Ask for the price list first, agree the total, and bargain before, not after. Watches, electronics and “antiques” sold cheaply at markets are usually fakes.

If it happens to you

• Stay calm and polite. Do not agree to a bill you think is unreasonable, and do not let anyone walk you to an ATM.
• Call 110 (police) if you are pressured, threatened or kept from leaving. Say “English, please” and wait for an interpreter. Our phrase cards include help sentences you can show full screen.
• Keep evidence: receipts, photos of the menu and bill, payment records and chat messages.
• Complain through 12345. Since the end of 2021, tourism and consumer complaints go to each city’s 12345 government hotline, which replaced the old 12301 tourism line. Beijing’s answers in English and seven other foreign languages; Shanghai’s runs 24 hours in 18 foreign languages. From a foreign SIM, add the city code if the short number does not connect, for example 010 12345 in Beijing. Other cities’ language support varies.
• If your card was used, call your bank to block it straight away.

For general safety, emergency numbers and health, see is China safe for tourists?. Our city pages for Beijing and Shanghai list typical taxi fares and official ticket channels, so you know what normal looks like.