Destinations › China › Hangzhou › Scams
Hangzhou, China
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Hangzhou, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Teahouse invitations from English-speaking strangers around the lake, ending with a bill of several thousand yuan.
Longjing tea village 'farmer' sales where visitors are taken to a house, given a tasting, and pressured into buying tea at many times its market value with false grade claims.
Unlicensed guides at temples and pagodas charging for access to areas that are free or already ticketed.
Pickpocketing on the crowded lakeside paths and buses during holiday periods.
Touts selling scenic-area and performance tickets at markups or that are not valid for the advertised show.
Counterfeit notes passed as change by street vendors around the lakeside promenades.
Silk sold as local handloom in tourist shopping streets that is synthetic or machine-made import stock.
Lake boat operators quoting a per-boat price and demanding a per-person total at the end of the trip.
Unlicensed cars touting at the railway stations quoting fixed fares above metered rates.
Lakeside restaurants applying undisclosed service and 'scenic area' surcharges to bills.
