Post: #1

I have just returned to my hotel a few hours after an interesting afternoon which I am pretty sure involved me getting ripped off. I have only been in Shanghai 2 days and this is my first time in China. I am 90% sure I was just scammed but some doubt remains. The damage to my wallet was not too bad as far as scams go so I am not about to let this ruin my day.

It is a cold and rainy day in Shanghai. I failed to get laid the night before and am walking around People's Square. In a deserted part of the Square a group of 3 girls asks me in their Chinglish if I can take a picture of them. After snapping the photos they ask me where I am from. "America" I say and they inform me that they live in Beijing and are on their winter holiday at university. The small talk beings and they are surprisingly chatty. From what I heard of Chinese girls I expected almost all of them to be closed off and shy. 2 of the girls are terrible but the tallest one is not bad, maybe a 6.5 or 7. They ask what I am doing and I tell them I was on my way to get something to eat. They say its too early to eat dinner and invite me to a tea ceremony nearby. This is actually something I wanted to do in Shanghai as I love tea and drink about 6 cups of green tea a day. I had no plans so I agree to follow them along. The tall cute one is walking next to me, offering to share her umbrella.

We get to a shopping complex and take an escalator 1 level up. I follow them into a tiny shop which has a narrow hallway with several small rooms opening off of it. We sit down in one of the rooms and the waitress comes in to show us the menu. Each tea is priced at 49 rmb (about 8 dollars) and the girls tell me its normal to get 6 to share. This plus a room fee of 30 rmb per person (5 dollars) seems reasonably priced.

The conversation in the tea room is pretty fun. The 3 girls keep asking me about my previous girlfriends and tell me about their previous boyfriends. They compliment my looks over and over, especially my large nose which Chinese girls supposedly find very attractive. My favorite part was the repeated fat jokes at the expense of their fat friend. As we are drinking tea and they are regaling me with compliments I get a sense of doubt in the back of my head. What am I doing here with these girls I met 15 minutes ago? It could be so easy for them to rip me off.

After we finish the tea, the waitress brings out a menu and asks if we would like to buy any. The tea was pretty fantastic. I decided to buy a small jar of the green ginseng, priced at 140 rmb (22 dollars). When the bill comes the total is 3,000 rmb (480 dollars). While I was distracted chatting up the tall one I failed to notice the 2 ugly girls "ordering" several large jars of tea. The fat one says to me that since we both have jobs we will split the bill between the two of us. So for a small amount of tea and a few ounces to take home she is asking me to pay 240 dollars. I say that is crazy and I don't have that much money. The girls look genuinely concerned and apologetic. I refuse to pay for a few minutes. They assure me everything is fine and that they will have the other two girls contribute as well and the host has agreed to give me an extra jar of tea. After being incredulous for a few minutes I just give in and pay 700 rmb (112 dollars). I hand over the cash and so do the other girls. Part of me wanted to fight it more but the girls sold their concern so well that I was not sure that I was being scammed anymore. After all, I saw them pay the same amount too.

On the way out of the tea house I snapped a picture of the front door. The waitress ducks out of sight as soon as she sees my camera. A few hundred feet from the door, the tall girl says she "forgot" her jars of tea and runs back to the tea house to get them. I think at this point the waitress must have given back the cash that the other girls "paid."

As we walk back into the street my mind is running. I am still not sure about whether or not I had gotten ripped off. The tall girl was flirting with me quite a bit. I decide to go to dinner with them anyway knowing full well that there is a huge chance I am going to be ripped off again. But the combined forces of curiosity and wanting to bang the tall girl made me go.

Dinner is at a hot pot restaurant on the busy shopping street Nanjing Road. Looks like some of the other hot pot restaurants I have been to. Families and all sorts of people are enjoying the place. We sit down to eat. I sit next to the tall girl who shows me pictures on her phone of her American exchange student friends. This looks totally normal and reassures me a bit. I think to myself that these girls do not look like scammers. They are just not that hot and seem rather wholesome. I have been ripped off in Europe and Asia before and it was by people who looked a lot different than these girls.

At the end of dinner the fat one gets up for a while. When she comes back she said she already paid and that I need to give her 300 rmb (48 dollars). We had eaten a lot of food, but there is just no way that this meal cost 200 dollars total. I should have protested again but I just forked over the cash. I am regretting this bit as I sit here. I exchanged emails with all the girls and they said they will invite me to party with them tomorrow.

After writing this story I am now 99% sure that I was scammed. But I only paid about 160 bucks and did get some great tea and dinner out of it. Definitely not going to break the bank but I am just curious about what just happened. If there is anybody who read my whole story and knows Shanghai I would love to hear their assessment. Because if I did not get scammed I am definitely going to try to fuck that tall broad.

Post: #2

People's square, asking for a photo, English speaking students, yes you did get scammed. Chalk it up to experience.

And to think I almost posted about this in a China thread the other day.

Post: #3

(12-20-2012 06:59 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  People's square, asking for a photo, English speaking students, yes you did get scammed. Chalk it up to experience.

And to think I almost posted about this in a China thread the other day.

Yea I knew it. I would have rather not been scammed but 160 dollars for tea and dinner (not to mention this story and the experience) is far from the worst thing to happen to me.

My friends in Thailand had warned me about Chinese girls. I will have my guard up from now on.

Post: #4

You can give them a shit test by telling them you know of a place and gauge their reaction.

I have to admit, whenever I was around People's Square I would have fun with it to see how much I could fuck with the tea girls.

I would tell them about how I'd love to have them back to my apartment to show them a Hamburger Ceremony that all Americans do before cooking one. I told them I was good enough to play in the NBA but I wasn't black enough like Kobe Bryant was.

Post: #5

(12-20-2012 07:10 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  You can give them a shit test by telling them you know of a place and gauge their reaction.

I have to admit, whenever I was around People's Square I would have fun with it to see how much I could fuck with the tea girls.

I would tell them about how I'd love to have them back to my apartment to show them a Hamburger Ceremony that all Americans do before cooking one. I told them I was good enough to play in the NBA but I wasn't black enough like Kobe Bryant was.

You're saying there is a whole racket of "tea girls"? This makes me feel like a bigger dumbass. I will probably think everybody who approaches me is trying to rip me off after this.

Post: #6

(12-20-2012 07:13 AM)Expert Commander Wrote:  

(12-20-2012 07:10 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  You can give them a shit test by telling them you know of a place and gauge their reaction.

I have to admit, whenever I was around People's Square I would have fun with it to see how much I could fuck with the tea girls.

I would tell them about how I'd love to have them back to my apartment to show them a Hamburger Ceremony that all Americans do before cooking one. I told them I was good enough to play in the NBA but I wasn't black enough like Kobe Bryant was.

You're saying there is a whole racket of "tea girls"? This makes me feel like a bigger dumbass. I will probably think everybody who approaches me is trying to rip me off after this.

Oh yea, there are plenty of them. I've only found them in the strip between People's Square, through Nanjing Road and onto the entrance of the bund. Basically, where you find people selling watches, you'll find tea girls.

Post: #7

(12-20-2012 07:15 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  

(12-20-2012 07:13 AM)Expert Commander Wrote:  

(12-20-2012 07:10 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  You can give them a shit test by telling them you know of a place and gauge their reaction.

I have to admit, whenever I was around People's Square I would have fun with it to see how much I could fuck with the tea girls.

I would tell them about how I'd love to have them back to my apartment to show them a Hamburger Ceremony that all Americans do before cooking one. I told them I was good enough to play in the NBA but I wasn't black enough like Kobe Bryant was.

You're saying there is a whole racket of "tea girls"? This makes me feel like a bigger dumbass. I will probably think everybody who approaches me is trying to rip me off after this.

Oh yea, there are plenty of them. I've only found them in the strip between People's Square, through Nanjing Road and onto the entrance of the bund. Basically, where you find people selling watches, you'll find tea girls.

I am going back there tomorrow to find these girls and fuck with them. If I don't find the ones who got me I am going to find some others.

Post: #8

Clearly scammed. Google "tea girls shanghai".

Post: #9

(12-20-2012 07:23 AM)Soma Wrote:  Clearly scammed. Google "tea girls shanghai".

Motherfucker. I am more pissed now than I was after it happened. Am I going to get myself killed if I go back to that tea house to try to fuck with them?

Post: #10

And why do I have to like tea so much?

Post: #11

Damn that's a pretty good scam! And the balls on them! Ugly ones are pulling this off?

Post: #12

people being way too friendly in any large city in the world=scam

Post: #13

(12-20-2012 07:39 AM)Fisto Wrote:  Damn that's a pretty good scam! And the balls on them! Ugly ones are pulling this off?

Quite ugly. I would never approach these girls in a bar unless I was really desperate. I will post pictures if people are interested.

Post: #14

Classic Chinese scam, reading a Lonely Planet book before leaving would have saved you a lot of money. I never got scammed anywhere I went just because of that reason. It also helped that I've always been a suspicious, skeptic and cheap mofo.

I was approach by a Chinese girl close to the tourist market in Beijing. I already knew about the scam and just made fun of her. When she asked how old I was I said 32 and she smiled and shouted out. But.. You look so young!
My answer: That's because I fuck a lot of young girls all the time.
She looked shocked but still wanted to go for a drink. I just left her there.

There's a super small chance I missed out on a crazy lay but yeah, I was 99% sure it was a scam.

Post: #15

(12-20-2012 07:54 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  Classic Chinese scam, reading a Lonely Planet book before leaving would have saved you a lot of money. I never got scammed anywhere I went just because of that reason. It also helped that I've always been a suspicious, skeptic and cheap mofo.

I was approach by a Chinese girl close to the tourist market in Beijing. I already knew about the scam and just made fun of her. When she asked how old I was I said 32 and she smiled and shouted out. But.. You look so young!
My answer: That's because I fuck a lot of young girls all the time.
She looked shocked but still wanted to go for a drink. I just left her there.

There's a super small chance I missed out on a crazy lay but yeah, I was 99% sure it was a scam.

I am fuming a bit right now. But still 160 bucks wont break the bank. I guess I needed a wakeup call.

This forum should have a sub-thread for scams.

Post: #16

yeah post their scamming asses! This might be a good topic for a thread. Country, city, type of scam etc Plus 1 to any guy that turns it on them or spots it.

EC - At least you didn't get taken for the WHOLE bit in the first part of the scam.

Post: #17

There's a book called: Around the world in 80 scams. I haven't read it yet but I think it would be worth the money judging by the table of contents.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Around-World-80-...0955911451

This backpacking blog has a lot of info on scams used in South East Asia. I had contact with the guy but he's not really posting on the blog anymore.
http://backpackersavings.com/blog/

Post: #18

(12-20-2012 07:57 AM)Expert Commander Wrote:  

(12-20-2012 07:54 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  Classic Chinese scam, reading a Lonely Planet book before leaving would have saved you a lot of money. I never got scammed anywhere I went just because of that reason. It also helped that I've always been a suspicious, skeptic and cheap mofo.

I was approach by a Chinese girl close to the tourist market in Beijing. I already knew about the scam and just made fun of her. When she asked how old I was I said 32 and she smiled and shouted out. But.. You look so young!
My answer: That's because I fuck a lot of young girls all the time.
She looked shocked but still wanted to go for a drink. I just left her there.

There's a super small chance I missed out on a crazy lay but yeah, I was 99% sure it was a scam.

I am fuming a bit right now. But still 160 bucks wont break the bank. I guess I needed a wakeup call.

This forum should have a sub-thread for scams.

I've had about 160 dollars stolen from my room in Almaty in the south of Kazakhstan. I didn't find out untill a day later when i was taking of the train with an AK-47 in my back because my visa expired. I was still fuming and I was pretty sure who did it but at that time I was too busy saving my own ass to worry about it.

Shit happens when you travel, suck it up and learn for the experience.

Post: #19

Photos attached

Actually they are all ugly. I cant believe I let my johnson overrule my brain to such a degree this time.

Let no man be fooled by these skanks in the future.

Post: #20

Yeah there have been mainstream newspaper articles on this very scam, it's straight out of the textbook.

I wonder if there would be a way to fuck with them or have some fun with it. Maybe go along with them but absolutely refuse to drink a sip of tea. Then start propositioning them straight up for group sex. Or tell them you thought they were prostitutes and asking if they do anal.

I guess there would be a couple of burly dudes out the back so you'd have to be careful.

Post: #21

(12-20-2012 08:24 AM)RawGod Wrote:  Yeah there have been mainstream newspaper articles on this very scam, it's straight out of the textbook.

I wonder if there would be a way to fuck with them or have some fun with it. Maybe go along with them but absolutely refuse to drink a sip of tea. Then start propositioning them straight up for group sex. Or tell them you thought they were prostitutes and asking if they do anal.

I guess there would be a couple of burly dudes out the back so you'd have to be careful.

Eh, have seen the above pictures? Have fun with group sex. I hope your bed is made of concrete.

Post: #22

Ah, travel scams. I fell for the "drinking buddy in Turkey" one where they tried to extort about $2k after getting me into a fake nightclub; that was a little scary since they had control of the whole environment. Only lost $200-$300, but what the hell, made a good story and a lesson learned. Chalk it up to experience.

Post: #23

(12-20-2012 08:36 AM)Neil Skywalker Wrote:  Eh, have seen the above pictures? Have fun with group sex. I hope your bed is made of concrete.

Uh, yeah. I was thinking about verbally fucking with them for a laugh, but after seeing the above slab-faced bitches I don't think I could endure their company even for the self-amusement.

Post: #24

This scam is notorious, and is one of the most well known scams in china. Tim Ferriss was in a video once talking about it with Kevin Rose. Tim apparently tried to find out where their headquarters was and figure out more about it, but the people quickly got scared and ran away.

Post: #25

Yeah dude, seriously. That's dumpster diving right there. How desperate are you? Are you white? You seriously need to up your standards bro.