|  If you have ever been scammed travelling in China or anywhere else, you'll know what a disappointing, frustrating and often expensive experience it can be. Bad weather, getting lost, late trains, you name it, I can handle it. These kind of things are all part of the travel experience. Being taken for a fool and having people trying to deliberately and systematically rip me off though is infuriating, insulting and disrespectful to the 99.9% of locals who are honest and admirable people.
As a foreigner travelling in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, you are a target for sophisticated scammers who see you as safe and profitable victim for their semi legal scams. The best you can do to enjoy your travels here is to understand these scams and avoid them. To help you do this, I've put together a list of the most common scams and how you can avoid them.  Chinese Tea - A delightful & EXPENSIVe cultural experience
This has to be the most common scam in Beijing and the most subtle and even the most experienced travellers will get caught by this one. There are a number of variant of this scam and they all involve you being approached by a friendly and talkative local.
You'll be at busy travel spot and a pair of charming young girls/guys will start up a conversation with you in good English. They'll be disarming and say something like they just want to practice their English. They'll generally have excellent conversational skills and entertain you with their knowledge of Chinese history and ask all about yourself and your home country. After 20-30 minutes of chatting they'll offer to take you some where to sit down, relax and talk over some Chinese tea. Being eager for a genuine Chinese experience with your new friends, you are more than happy to take them up on their offer. They'll take you to a nearby teahouse where you will take part in a tea ceremony and then given a number of different teas to sample. Generally your friends will order dishes such as fruit or chips to go with tea. When it is time leave, you will be given an astronomical bill which will be any where from 600 to over 1000rmb. At this stage your best hope is to plead poverty and/or misunderstanding and pay as little as possible. How To Avoid this Scam
-ALWAYS be careful if a stranger initiates a conversation. They could genuinely just want to practise their English so don't be paranoid but do be careful
-NEVER let them choose were to go. If they are scammers and you go to a venue of their choice, you are done for. Some one who is genuinely friendly will be happy to go to a place of your choice. If you are confident you are being scammed suggest McDonalds or KFC for a laugh
-Agree to nothing unless you know what the price is. If you do end up drinking and eating with your new friends, be clear how the bill is split and make sure you know the price of the drinks and food before you start.  The heavy drinking and expensive KTV girls
This scam also has several variants and will generally involve a very attractive woman who will have you believe she is yours by the end of the night if you play your cards right OR a small group friendly students/businessmen who want to give you a good time. Your potential fling or new friends will invite you to KTV for some fun. Just sing a few songs and down a few beers. Pretty harmless right? Wrong. You'll have your own private room and after a song or two your friends will invite a few attractive and charming girls to join you. The girls will be drinking (a lot) so extra alcohol will conveniently appear accompanied by a cart loaded with snacks. VERY expensive snacks.
By the time you finish, your "friends" are going to leave you with a bill that will be AT LEAST 1000-2000rmb. If you argue and dispute the bill, you may get a discount but you'll be expected to pay for most of it and the security guards employed at every KTV will be persuasive in emptying your wallet or escorting you to nearby ATMs. How to Avoid this Scam?
-Stay away form KTV bars. There is nothing good about these places and no reason why genuine friends would insist on taking you there.
-If a woman genuinely wants an experience with a foreigner or an honest professional, she will not take you to KTV  A black taxi - note the licence plate is not 京B
You've just grabbed your bags and walked outside the airport terminal when a taxi driver walks up to you and offer to take you into the city for a special price. Ignore them. They are probably black taxi drivers (black taxis are private cars not registered as taxis) who will charge you 400-500rmb or more for a trip that should only cost around 100rmb.
You'll also see these same black taxis parked at major tourist spots like bus station entrances looking for victims. Not only are they likely to rip you off, they often drop their victims of at random locations and drive of with a passenger's luggage after they get out. Even some legitimate taxi drivers will over charge you and give you counterfeit change.  The licence number of a legitimate Beijing taxi
-Only take legitimate taxis. One way to identify a legitimate taxi in Beijing is the licence plate which should have "京B…" Don't get in a taxi unless you see the B.
-Always use the meter and if the meter is "broken", get out and find another taxi
-use taxi queues or flag taxis down on the street. Don't approach parked taxis.
-Ask your hotel staff to give you an estimate of the fare and write the price on a piece of paper together with the destination to show the taxi driver
-Give the taxi driver the benefit of the doubt because most of them a honest but if you are confident you are being scammed, note their details, offer to call their company or police, take a photo of their taxi ID card (and them). Most will then back down.
 A black taxi driver caught by police
At one of the popular tourist spots you'll be approached by a friendly art student who will engage you in conversation and offer to take you to a gallery where he/she and their friends are exhibiting their work. They will try to get you to buy their art for incredibly inflated prices and will often plead poverty and hardship.
How to Avoid this Scam?
-Easy, don't go to their gallery. If you do, buy nothing.  Rickshaws near Beijing's Drum & Bell Towers -reasonably safe
This scam can take many forms and normally involves a price at the end of the ride that is MUCH higher than the original price agreed to. You may have an agreement to pay 20rmb but at your destination the driver will demand 200rmb and claim you misunderstood him. They will often become angry and aggressive if you refuse to pay or threaten to leave stranded in a maze of streets. The north gate of the Forbidden City is a popular place for rickshaw scams.
How to Avoid this Scam?
-agree to the price in writing
-don't catch a rickshaw if the driver is actively searching for customers Scam No 6 – The Bar Tab Scam
Many bars in the touristy areas will have a special menu in English that has MUCH higher prices than the identical drinks on the Chinese menu. The more unsavoury bars will also add drinks onto your tab that you never drank if they think you are drunk enough not to notice. How to Avoid this Scam?
-Keep track of what you have ordered and carefully check the tab before paying
-Do not order until you are clear on the cost
-If you have to get drunk, grab some cheap beer/whiskey/wine from a local convenience store and head back to your hostel  The fake Badaling Great Wall of China
Many cheap or dodgy tours will take you a restored section of the Great Wall near the city called the Shuiguan Great Wall or to a minor Ming Tomb also near the city and claim that these are the genuine attractions. Not only do you waste money and time, you also miss out on seeing the genuine item which is a real tragedy.
How to Avoid this Scam?
-Don't join random tours on the street. Only join tours through your hostel or through reputable travel companies. Scam No 8 – Helpers at the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
You are patiently lined up in the long queue to check out Mao's tomb when an official approaches you and says you can't take your bags in. He'll then take you to a nearby locker where you can store your gear for 60rmb or a little more. He will then tell you that your sandals/thongs/shoes are not allowed and sell you shoes for 30rmb. If you don't have your passport on you, you can't get in but he'll get you in for a small fee. It's all a scam. The official locker cost 10rmb, passports are not necessary and most types of presentable sandals are accepted. How to Avoid this Scam?
-Leave your gear in the official locker room before queuing. 10rmb Max.
-Dress appropriately and avoid thongs/flip flops, singlets and tank tops
-If an official in the same blue uniform as the other helpers approaches and starts the scam, politely ignore them  The scammer is giving his spiel
A lot of the more shady and cheap tours will take you to traditional Chinese medicine clinics where you will be offered "free" foot washes, consultations and examinations while being given a spiel on the wonders of 5,000 years of Chinese traditional medicine. A bunch of distinguished elderly Chinese men claiming to be doctors but probably no more about medicine than you or I will check your eyes, your pulse, skin color, breathe and more. At the end of the consultation, the doctors will give your guide/translator a list of all your ailments and matching shopping list of necessary medicine (weeds and grass) to cure you and restore you to health.
How to Avoid this Scam?
-Simple, buy nothing at any of the medical clinics you are taken to. Your guide/translator/new friend will be getting a cut of what ever you buy
-If you do want to buy traditional medicine during your travels in China, only go to a clinic recommended by some you trust and who knows that they are talking about. Your Experience With China Travel Scams
If you have been scammed during your travels in China, please feel free to describe your experience below and help fellow travellers avoid similar scams.
from China Travel Go http://chinatravelgo.com | 
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