PUBLISHED ONOctober 06, 2026 1:00 AMBYLim KeweiOne moment, a woman was browsing a traditional Chinese medicine stall in China. The next, she found herself paying nearly $1,900 for a packet of powdered herbs.
A Singaporean woman holidaying in Yunnan, China, has claimed she was pressured into making the purchase by a stall vendor, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The 73-year-old, surnamed Li, said she encountered the alleged scam on Sept 3, the fifth day of a self-guided tour with her husband and four friends.
They had engaged a private-hire driver at a low price to tour the scenic Erhai Lake area in Dali city.
During a bathroom break, Li chanced upon the herbal medicine stall. She said she had no intention of buying any products.
But a mother-daughter pair, who were dressed classily, suddenly appeared at the stall and began talking about the purported benefits of Tibetan fritillary (Fritillaria cirrhosa), Li claimed.
She added that she also heard the duo say the herb had stopped a chronic cough and subsequently prevented them from falling ill.
Fritillaria cirrhosa is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat coughs, phlegm and other respiratory ailments.
According to Li, the duo began haggling with the vendor and asked that the herb be ground into powder before being weighed.
Li alleged that one of the women suddenly pointed at her and said one packet was hers. The packet weighed more than 1kg and purportedly cost 10,000 yuan (S$1,900).
She said the vendor pressured her to pay the amount, stating that the herb had already been ground into powder.
"I was just standing at the side and watching, I never imagined it would turn out this way," she told Shin Min.
"I didn't understand the exchange rate or the weight, and they just said it would cost 10,000 yuan.
"I felt like I was under a spell, I was confused about the exchange rate and thought it was $200 Singapore dollars, so I paid by card. They didn't even give me a chance to object."
After returning to the car, she told her husband about what happened and realised how much she had actually spent.
On Sept 14, Li returned to Dali city and lodged a police report the next day.
She told Shin Min that local police officers accompanied her and her husband to search for the herbal medicine vendor, but they were unable to locate the stall.
"We spent the whole morning searching to no avail. I was exhausted and could only give up," Li said.
Li, who returned to Singapore at the end of September, added that she has not consumed the powdered herb and plans to have it tested.
The woman warned fellow travellers, especially older tourists, to remain vigilant while overseas and advised those who feel pressured into making purchases to call the police immediately.
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lim.kewei@asiaone.com
