Named by the official advisory
In short
The UK FCDO's China safety-and-security advisory names four: the 'tea tasting' or 'massage' scam, where friendly strangers lead you to a venue that then demands a large fee and may follow it with threats or card fraud; QR-code phishing; unmarked or unmetered taxis linked to robbery and sexual assault; and petty theft on overnight trains. This guide sticks to the scams the official advisory actually lists.
See all recovery guidesApplies to
Any foreign visitor, especially in busy tourist areas, on overnight trains, or taking taxis outside a marked rank or ride-hailing app.
Check before you rely on it
This page is about recognising the scams the FCDO names, not the claims process. If you have already lost money or been robbed, the reporting-a-theft guide covers dialling 110, reporting, and getting the crime report your insurer needs.
Information checked:
The site already covers being overcharged in a shop or by a driver. This page is the other half: the set-ups an official government advisory warns can turn from a friendly invitation into threats, a rigged payment, or a robbery.
The four to know
Every one of these is named in the FCDO's China safety-and-security advisory — not a forum rumour.
The FCDO describes it directly: friendly strangers invite you to a bar, to drink tea or have a massage, and the establishment then demands a large fee. It warns this can be followed by threats, violence or credit-card fraud.
Red flag — An unplanned invitation from a stranger in a tourist area that ends at a venue you did not choose. Decline before you sit down, not after the bill arrives.
Because QR codes are used for almost everything in China, the FCDO recommends travellers familiarise themselves with the risks of QR-code phishing — a fake or tampered code that sends your payment or details to a scammer.
Red flag — A code stuck over another one, handed to you loose, or on a stall that pressures you to scan fast. Check what app opens and who you are actually paying before you confirm.
The FCDO advises avoiding unmarked or unmetered taxis, citing incidents of sexual assault and robbery against foreign nationals. These are not just an overcharge risk — the advisory frames them as a safety risk.
Red flag — A car with no meter, no company markings, or a driver touting for fares at a station or airport. Use a marked taxi rank or a ride-hailing app with a trip record instead.
The FCDO calls petty theft on overnight trains common, and advises searching your compartment and locking the cabin door before the train leaves.
Red flag — An unlocked sleeper door and valuables left out while you sleep. Keep your passport, phone and money on you, and lock the cabin before you settle in.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
The published facts
Each fact links the official source and the day we read it. Source read 2026-07-25.
The FCDO's China safety-and-security advisory names it directly: friendly strangers may invite you to a bar, to drink tea or have a massage, and the venue then demands a large fee — which can be followed by threats, violence or credit-card fraud.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
Because QR codes are so prominent in China, the FCDO recommends travellers familiarise themselves with the risks of QR-code phishing. It is on the government advisory, so treat an unexpected code with the same caution you would a suspicious link.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
The FCDO tells travellers to avoid unmarked or unmetered taxis because there have been incidents of sexual assault and robbery against foreign nationals. This is stronger than a warning about being overcharged.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
The FCDO describes petty theft on overnight trains as common and advises searching your compartment and locking the cabin door before the train leaves. It is a concrete precaution from the official advice, not just general caution.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — Foreign travel advice: China — Safety and security (read July 25, 2026)
In short
What to watch for, how the tea-tasting set-up works, and what to do once you have been caught.
The FCDO's China advisory names four: the 'tea tasting' or 'massage' scam, where strangers lead you to a venue that then demands a huge fee; QR-code phishing; unmarked or unmetered taxis linked to robbery and assault; and petty theft on overnight trains. Those are the officially-flagged ones this guide sticks to.
The FCDO describes it plainly: friendly strangers invite you to a bar, to drink tea or have a massage, and the establishment then demands a large fee. It can be followed by threats, violence or credit-card fraud. The defence is to decline invitations from strangers before you sit down.
The FCDO thinks so — because QR codes are used for almost everything, it recommends travellers learn the risks of QR-code phishing. Check what app a code opens and who you are paying before you confirm, and be wary of a code stuck over another one or handed to you loose.
The FCDO says to avoid unmarked or unmetered taxis because there have been incidents of sexual assault and robbery against foreign nationals — so it is a safety issue, not only an overcharging one. Use a marked taxi rank or a ride-hailing app that keeps a trip record.
Money taken by deception or threats is still a crime you can report. Call the police on 110, report it, and ask for a statement or crime report if you may claim on insurance — the separate reporting-a-theft guide covers that step by step. This page is about recognising the scams the FCDO names, not the claims process.
Scope note
To stay on official ground, this guide reports only the scams the FCDO advisory names, and leaves the rest visible rather than asserted.
Reporting a theft on 110 and getting the crime report your insurer needs before it pays.
Open the guideThe separate money-side guide to disputing an overcharge in a shop, market or taxi.
Open page110, 120, 119, 122 from two official lists — and where English help actually exists.
Open pageNext move
Read enough to make the decision smaller, then open the checklist, search a specific question, choose a setup tool, or share the page with the person planning with you.
Use the checklist when the question has shifted from research to preparation.
Search by the actual problem: Alipay, eSIM, transit visa, first transfer, vegetarian food, or a city name.
Open recommendations when the task is clear enough for a short list to be useful.