So Many Scams...




Last week I was in China (on business) and my guide was almost scammed.

I bought some scarves as gifts, and 'won' some lottery tickets. The lottery tickets were processed at the back of the store, in the expensive jewelry section ($1000's per piece).

My guide scratched the cards, and then the sales lady went into raptures of excitement that my guide had WON. Apparently a rare event! A Free piece of jewelry - any item my guide wanted. (At that point, I was curious if the guide would acknowledge that the lottery tickets were actually mine, not the guide's...).

Anyway, the sales lady turned around the Lottery Rules Notice posted on her desk, to reveal a few hidden terms & conditions.

ALL the winner had to pay was the sales tax on the free jewelry.

Fortunately, at that point another member of my party intervened, to advise the guide and me to get the heck out.

The scam was to get 15% ("tax") of an outlandishly overvalued piece of worthless jewelry.

Got to stay sharp..

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