Singaporean family allegedly scammed of over $7k in fake jade jewellery during China holiday

What was meant to be a leisurely trip to China ended with a headache after a family was allegedly scammed of over $7,000 in 'jade' jewellery, Shin Min Daily News reported on Wednesday (Sept 30).

Liu (transliteration), 37, said that her parents went on a tour of Guizhou with a group of about 20.

On the last day of the tour, the guide took them to an shop that sells jade products.

While Liu's mum initially warmed up to the idea, she was soon overwhelmed with products as shop staff kept introducing products to them.

Her parents left the shop with 16 pieces of jewellery, worth about 37,240 yuan (S$7,100). 

Some of the pieces purportedly also came with certificates that they were genuine, Liu told Shin Min.

Upon returning to Singapore, her parents presented the supposed "jade" jewellery to her, but she noticed something amiss with a Buddha pendant supposedly made of "black jade".

Liu explained that she has been interested in jade since young and was able to tell how to identify the rare gemstone.

She also had the pieces appraised by the Nan Yang Gemological Institute which confirmed her fears — the "black jade" was not jade at all, but a far more common stone known as serpentine.

The pendant was worth less than $100, Liu told the Chinese language publication.

Seeking refund

Liu was subsequently told by the Singapore Tourism Board to seek a refund from the bank as the transaction was made with credit card.

The bank told her that the process might take an additional 12 to 16 weeks, Shin Min reported.

Meanwhile, the travel agency that Liu's parents toured with said it is aware of the situation and is verifying it with authorities in China.

Should Liu's complaint be valid, the agency will assist with the refund, Shin Min reported.

In July last year, China announced that it would be take action against tour operators who engage in illegal practices such as forced shopping, The Straits Times reported.

A year-long campaign was also announced as authorities stepped up enforcement and supervision, while the Culture and Tourism Ministry published a list of companies and individuals accused of violating tourism regulations.

The ministry said it would continue to update the list.

In November last year, however, 23 tourists from Singapore faced a similar situation when their guide took them to various shops in Chengdu, pressuring them to buy items.

If they did not hit an unspecified quota, they were not allowed to leave, local singer Shawn Tok revealed.

"We spent a total of 105,000 yuan and it still wasn't enough," he said then.

The situation was later resolved when the group sought help from local police, who managed to get a full refund for them.

[[nid:725996]]

khooyihang@asiaone.com