Common money scams in China, and what they cost you

This is the one to know, and Canada's travel advice names the exact places: Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and the Bund, East Nanjing Road and People's Square in Shanghai. A polite English-speaking stranger, often a pair, strikes up a conversation, then suggests a traditional tea ceremony, a look at their art school's exhibition, a massage or a nearby bar. Inside, you drink or eat modestly and are handed a bill that bears no relation to it. Typical bills run 500 to 2,000 yuan, roughly 75 to 300 dollars, and staff can be insistent about payment. Your companions either vanish or offer to split, having paid nothing.

The escape is entirely upstream of the bill: do not go anywhere with someone who approached you. It is not rudeness; a genuine local connection almost never begins with a stranger steering you into a shop within minutes. If you want a tea house or a gallery, walk into an established one yourself and ask for a priced menu before you sit. If you are already holding a bad bill, Canada's guidance is specific: get somewhere safe, write down the name and address of the venue, report it to the police and get a report, then call your card issuer, which will usually want that police report to reverse the charge.

Canada's travel advice puts it plainly: taxi, motorcycle and pedicab drivers sometimes overcharge, especially at airports, and may hand back counterfeit currency. The classic move is the meter is broken followed by a flat fare that is typically several times what the metered ride would have been. Ignore anyone touting inside a terminal, join the signed official queue, and either ask for the meter (da biao) or book through DiDi, where the price is set before you get in.

Three small habits from the same advisory finish the job: use only licensed taxis or a reputable app, ask for the receipt (fapiao) so you have something to complain with or trace a lost item, and take your luggage out of the trunk before you pay, so nobody is holding your bag while the fare is being discussed. The full transport picture is in the China taxis and apps guide.

The most common everyday cost in China is not a con at all. When a hotel or shop terminal offers to charge you in US dollars or yuan, choose yuan, so your own bank sets the rate rather than a marked-up one at the till. Everyday spending in China mostly runs through Alipay and WeChat Pay anyway, which sidesteps the whole question; set both up before you fly, as covered in the China payment guide.

Paying by phone has its own version of care. Canada's advice is to be cautious about scanning QR codes from unofficial or unfamiliar sources, and to verify the charge on your screen before authorizing it. That one glance is the whole defense, and it also catches ordinary mistakes. For ATMs, use machines inside a bank, shield the keypad, and check your statement.

China's counterfeit note problem has shrunk a long way as the country moved to phone payments. Canada's current advice is that a small number of fake notes still circulate and are most often met in low-volume cash transactions, so this is a habit rather than a worry. Two rules cover it: carry small denominations so you are not handing over 100 yuan notes for a 10 yuan purchase, and keep your own note in sight while a vendor inspects it, because the con is the swap, not the inspection. If a driver or vendor hands your note back saying it is fake, look closely at the note you are being given: it is often not the one you handed over. Refuse damaged or poor-quality notes too.

There is a phone version worth knowing about because it targets foreigners specifically: a caller claiming to be the police, saying you are under investigation for identity theft or money laundering, and asking you to transfer funds to clear it up. Real police do not do this. Do not send money, and hang up.

Nearly every trap on this page starts the same way: someone you did not approach steers you somewhere you did not choose. Five habits cover the lot: never follow a street stranger to a venue, insist on the meter or use DiDi, pay by phone where you can, choose yuan on a physical card, and check any note handed back to you. The one worth active care, because it is the one that can reach real money, is the tea house and bar invitation, and it is also the easiest to refuse.

Handled calmly, none of this should shape your trip, and most visitors meet none of it. For getting and spending money well while you are there, see the China payment guide and the China cost guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on China

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Tipping in ChinaChina is not a tipping country. At everyday restaurants and in taxis, no tip is expected, and it can even cause confusion. The exceptions are tour guides and drivers, and high-end hotels. Here is what you actually owe.
• How to pay in ChinaShort answer: your phone, not your wallet. Here is how to set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with your own card before you go, what cash to carry, and where a physical card still helps.
• Do US citizens need a visa for China?Short answer: yes, for a normal trip, and you apply in advance. The one exception is a transit rule that turns a stopover into a 10-day visit. Here is how each works.
• Staying connected in ChinaShort answer: sort this before you land, because it affects how you pay too. Here is why a VPN is the wrong plan in 2026, and why a roaming eSIM is the right one.
• Getting around China: Didi and the metroShort answer: Didi for taxis, a QR pass for the metro, and the train between cities. Here is how each works, and the one or two things to watch.
• What does getting sick in China cost a visitor?China is the clearest case on this site of a money-first medical system. The US government's language is unambiguous: payment before service or admission, even in emergencies, with a deposit for the ward. The skill is knowing how the paying works.