Getting Scammed Abroad: My [ONE TIME ONLY] Best Thing

While perusing CNN.com today I randomly came across this article which I think anyone with "the bug" should read.  I was definitely expecting a mention of the Chinese tea scam that I fell victim to in Shanghai (more on that later).  That wasn't the case, but I had to share it anyway for multiple reasons.

1.  "Never just get on a random guy's camel."  Priceless advice.

2.  I've visited NYC 5 or 6 times, have done lots of wandering around in the city, but have never met a "CD Bully".  They sound wayyyy more aggressive than the Scaries on Hollywood Blvd. (yes, I made up that word, no I'm not the only one who doesn't like them - read this for the full story).  To my NY friends: have you ever been accosted?  What did you do?!?

3.  It's unbelievably sad that people are so desperate that they have resorted to throwing fake babies.

Anyway, as I mentioned, the article also reminded me of the time I got duped in China - a story I'm happy to share, despite it revealing my incredible naivety, if it prevents just one person from falling into the same trap.  Here's the setup: I was traveling by myself for a week in China before having to report to Base Camp/"set" on a television show I worked on that shot in the country for a couple months.  I wasn't new to foreign countries, but this was my first time traveling completely alone without speaking the language (and the locals didn't speak English.  At all).  So I was actually feeling pretty proud of myself for having successfully navigated/explored Hong Kong and made it to Shanghai without any hiccups.

After a healthy breakfast of peanut butter cracker sandwiches (my stomach wasn't as happy as I was to be in China), I boarded the Shanghai metro near my hostel and rode to the center of the city.  When I got off the train I was a little disoriented so I got out my map and my Lonely Planet and sat down in the public square to get my bearings.  Mistake #1.  I mean, the only quicker way to write "TOURIST" on my forehead would have been TO WRITE "TOURIST" ON MY FOREHEAD.

I was then approached by a girl and two guys - all Chinese and probably a couple years younger than me - who spoke a little English and were very friendly.  They said they were from another part of the country and it was their first time in Shanghai as well.  They sat down with me and asked where I was trying to go.  I pointed to the museum in my book (which happened to be directly across the street.  Woops.  I would've figured it out eventually.  I think.).  The girl, who was doing most of the talking, said it was closed this particular morning and I should come with them to a nearby tea ceremony they were going to instead.  What the hell, I thought, it's not like I have a schedule I have to stick to, it sounds interesting, and these kids seem really nice.  Mistake #2.  *sigh*  It seems so obvious in retrospect, but apparently the whole "don't talk to strangers" rule didn't apply for me in China.

At this point I actually asked them if they could show me where the bank was so I could exchange some money.  My unfounded confidence had officially turned into stupidity.  Thinking back on it I am kinda shocked they didn't just steal my money right then and there, but I suppose there were so many people around that they couldn't have gotten away with it.

Anyway, we then proceeded to the tea ceremony itself where my memory gets a little fuzzy (note: not in a "they drugged me" way, but in a "everyone's speaking Chinese and I don't understand a single thing that's going on" way).  They probably did show me a menu of some kind (other folks with similar stories tell of not being shown a menu), but it didn't matter because I couldn't read it and didn't understand the RMB to USD conversion having only been on the mainland <24 hours.  There were lots of teas of varying colors and scents and the girl who had initially approached me would try to explain in English what they were.  One of the types of tea, which just looked like a dry clump of leaves, opened and blossomed into a beautiful flower when the server poured hot water over it.  Superfun!  I, happy to be having an "authentic" Chinese experience and blissfully unaware of the shadiness behind it, sipped all the teas presented to me and then picked out some gifts to bring back home to friends and family.  When the bill came I do remember thinking that it was unusually high, but I really thought that I was just misunderstanding the conversion.  Mistake #3.  So I paid with my BofA debit card, walked out with my new "friends" who told me that the museum I originally wanted to go to was now open, and went on my merry way.

Obviously I had no idea I was being scammed - I even took "look at this cool thing I did" pictures of the whole thing:

It wasn't until a couple weeks later when I was finally settled in at Base Camp and connected to the internet that I logged onto my bank account online and saw the damage.  I've blocked out the actual number from my memory because it was that horrific, but I kid you not it was in the $400 range.  FOR A TEA TASTING AND SOME TRINKETS.  To put this in perspective, cab rides in China cost me about $1-3 USD.  Hostel stays in China cost me no more than $15-20/night USD.  5-star hotel suites with TVs in the bathtubs in China cost me about $60/night USD.  NOTHING, with perhaps the exception of a house or small child, I did or bought in China should've cost me $400.

Apparently, and unfortunately, this is a pretty common scam.  I first heard that it was happening to other people when an article came out prior to the Beijing Olympics warning westerners.  Now there are even videos on youtube of similar experiences.  This guy actually went back:

But hey, you live and you learn, right?  At least I can say with full conviction that I will never EVER make the same mistake again.