With all of the clampdowns and crackdowns going on in China at the moment, I thought there would be some effort by the police to try and stop foreigners being ripped off by the tea-house and art gallery scams.

Despite the scams being written about fairly extensively on the internet and in guide books like the Lonely Planet it seems like foreigners are still falling for the above two scams fairly frequently, if you read any travel forum on China.

For the few brave people who write about their experience, there are probably hundreds of others who fall for the scams.

Usually a Chinese young couple, female-female or male-female will approach you asking where are you from, around popular tourist areas. They usually say they are students and looking for people to practice English with. Chat with them by all means, but DON’T take them up on any offer to visit a tea-house or art gallery. Better yet, just ignore them and keep walking.

Ask yourself this, would you ever go somewhere with strangers you just met on the street in your own country?

The increased police and security presence doesn’t seem to be deterring them. Please warn anyone you know visiting China for the Olympics!

Update: I found this story about a tea house being raided, so it seems like the police might do something if your report them, but it is not the best way you want to spend your holiday in China.