Comments on: China Scams Part 2: The Art Student

By: Jon H.

Jon H. — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:41:16 +0000

I got hit with this scam while wandering around the Forbidden city by myself today. I ended up buying a small print for about $40 USD. I have no buyers remorse though because I love the artwork, $40 really isn’t very much and they need the money far more than I do. Although, its your natural reaction to avoid these people altogether– don’t. Go with them, see what they have to offer and then bargain. Its really all about your perception in the end anyways. If you look at it as a great souvenir from your trip– then great…buy away!

By: Sasha

Sasha — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:28:06 +0000

I think it’s possibly the most notorious scam in China, nearly everyone I know who’s been to the Forbidden City were approached and many actually sucked in! Did you have Tom by any chance, my Mum would say “Oh, that Tom what a lovely boy” haha I can’t imagine how my mother would deal with all the scammers in Beijing, she would be making friends with all of them.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 06:09:12 +0000

Oooh I got picked up by those guys too! They were from Xian as well and the exhibition was inside the Forbidden City so I figured it couldn’t be too scammy. Definitely got a high pressure sales pitch but had no problem just walking out of there.

I really liked Beijing but the scammers there were just too much!

By: Sasha

Sasha — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 08:28:17 +0000

Hi Connie, thanks for dropping by! I’m glad you found this post useful, there are even more scams to know of I hope to have posted over the next few weeks!!! Scams always bug me at the time but when I look back they give me quite the laugh and a story to tell! Look me up when your in China, I hope you find some more useful stuff scattered around this site.

By: Connie

Connie — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 06:23:15 +0000

Great post Sasha! I’m on my way into China in a few weeks and this information is going to be so helpful! Sorry that you had to suffer through it in order for me to gain from your experience though.

By: j choban

j choban — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 23:59:49 +0000

Aah, I remember this one.

I think it should be noted that Chinese also pull scams on each other. When I was leaving in Liaoning, there was a huge scam in which hundreds of people were sold “baby ants” which were the seller was supposedly going to buy back (for use in making an aphrodisiac) once they reached maturity.
j choban´s last blog ..Four practical things you should know how to do in China and SE Asia

By: Paolo

Paolo — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:28:43 +0000

This is very true… same thing happens in shanghai. specially in Nanjing Road, people take you to drink in a restaurant and they make you pay so much money…
Be very careful.. a lot of scammers in china

By: Sasha

Sasha — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:07:10 +0000

It’s so true, I still find it really hard to accept that people want to scam me, but they do! Alot of people want to scam me and everyone else. When you keep that in sight it’s not so hard being tough on them!

By: Dina

Dina — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:41:28 +0000

interesting experience. Good that you and friends could be strict enough not to fall to the scam. This gets me more prepared if I encountered this someday. I don’t like to break anybody’s heart. I just need to remember that some people mean to scam us, not actually mean well to us. So it’s not like I’m breaking their heart, it just mean I don’t fall to their scam. (Whew, I hate scammers!)
Dina´s last blog ..A Taste of the Greek Islands- a Day in Santorini

By: Sasha

Sasha — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:53:50 +0000

Hey everyone, thanks for the comments! I’m glad you found this post useful. There is definitely a lot of scams you can get sucked into while travelling especially in China!