Safety · common
I think I got scammed in China — what should I do?
Last updated:
Quick Answer
Symptom: You've been overcharged, given fake money, or pressured into a tea ceremony / art student scam.
Cause: Common scams target tourists in Beijing's Wangfujing, Shanghai's Bund, and Xi'an's Muslim Quarter. Most involve "free invitations" that lead to high-pressure sales.
Solution: Step 1: Get to safety — decline politely and walk away. Step 2: If money was taken by fraud, call 110 (police) within 24 hours — card chargebacks need the police report. Step 3: For credit-card fraud, call your bank's international collect-call number to freeze the card. Step 4: Report to the National Tourist Complaint Hotline: 12301 (24/7, English available).
What you see
You've been overcharged, given fake money, or pressured into a tea ceremony / art student scam.
Why it happens
Common scams target tourists in Beijing's Wangfujing, Shanghai's Bund, and Xi'an's Muslim Quarter. Most involve "free invitations" that lead to high-pressure sales.
How to fix
Step 1: Get to safety — decline politely and walk away. Step 2: If money was taken by fraud, call 110 (police) within 24 hours — card chargebacks need the police report. Step 3: For credit-card fraud, call your bank's international collect-call number to freeze the card. Step 4: Report to the National Tourist Complaint Hotline: 12301 (24/7, English available).
Read next
These guides cover the related functionality in full.
Tourist Scams to Avoid
The four classic scams are the tea ceremony, the art student, the closed-attraction ringer, and the taxi meter swap; ignore all "free" invitations from strangers.
Emergency Numbers
Police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119, traffic accidents 122, tourist complaint 12301 — all are 24/7 and have English service.
Medical Emergency
Public hospitals in tier-1 cities have English-speaking international departments; call 120 for ambulance and 119 for fire.