Common scams and safety red flags: visas, jobs, currency and rentals

2026-11-10 Culture & Customs

Most scams work through three things: an information gap, time pressure, and a private transfer. These rules block most of them.

1. Scams that often target foreigners

Fake jobs: high pay, no experience needed, then a "training / deposit / permit fee", or a request to receive and forward money for someone else.
Visa and document agents: promises of "guaranteed approval" or "inside access". Chinese embassies state clearly that they do not authorise, designate or recommend any agency as an official visa agent. Use official channels.
Private currency exchange: "better rates" offered privately, with risks of counterfeit notes, money laundering and fraud. Use banks and legal channels only.
Impersonation: callers claiming to be police, prosecutors, banks or customer service, saying you are "under investigation" or your account is "at risk", then asking for a transfer or an SMS code.
Rental and second-hand deals: deposit before viewing, fake listings, no receipt, seller disappearing after payment.

2. Three hard rules

Never prepay large sums to a personal account; never let a stranger pay or receive money on your behalf.
Never share SMS codes, passwords, or photos of your passport and cards. No authority asks for a code by phone.
Never sign something you do not understand. Any "decide today" demand is a reason to pause and verify.

3. Verification order

Official authority website (.gov.cn) → your embassy → official service platform → official hotlines (12367 / 12345 / 12315) → only then any third party. If someone claims to be "official" or "authorised", check that claim on the official website first.

4. If it happens

Contact your bank or payment app immediately to freeze the funds; save chats, transfer receipts, account numbers and links.
Call 110. For consumer or agency disputes, use 12315 / 12345.
Report it via the footer "Contact / Report" on this site so other users can avoid the same scam.

General safety advice, not legal advice. Report incidents to the police and follow the latest official alerts.

Official Source

https://www.mfa.gov.cn/

Content Compliance Statement

All guides on this platform are based solely on official public information from the relevant Chinese authorities. We only organize and plainly restate it; we do not interpret, promise, or offer any agency service. Visa, residence and permanent-residence policies follow the latest official publications. Content about immigration / PR quotes official texts verbatim without exaggeration. We do not provide any unlawful or shortcut options. Report discrepancies via the footer "Contact / Report".

Verification Info

This guide was manually verified on 2026-11-10 (0 days ago). Based on official publications; always refer to the latest official source.

Official source: https://www.mfa.gov.cn/

Common Questions for Foreigners in China

What is this platform for?

It is an information and life-services platform and community for foreigners living, working or studying in China. Listings can be browsed by category, by home country and by city, covering jobs, housing, second-hand goods, services and language exchange. Business-related content is split into three distinct channels: the Merchant Directory (/merchants) lists approved businesses operating in China; Verified Providers (/resources) is an editorially screened list of official bodies and legitimate service providers; Business posts (/listings?src=merchant) are commercial listings published by those merchants. There is no separate merchant-onboarding section — a business registers as a business member and its profile goes live after credential review.

How much does posting cost?

There are two separate posting systems with separate per-day rates. Individual members get a monthly free quota of 1 listings (valid 3 days after approval) and can also pay $2 (USD) per day, up to 30 days. Business members have NO free quota and pay $6 per day — by default 3x the individual rate (at least 2x), configurable by the admin with one multiplier or per category / per merchant — or use posting credits included in a purchased plan when the plan shop is open. The validity period is counted from publication: on expiry the system takes the listing down and withdraws it from every part of the site, and 30 days after takedown it is permanently purged.

How long is a listing valid, and what happens when it expires?

Every listing on this site is valid for up to 30 days. Past that period the system takes it down automatically, and it disappears from listings, search, category pages and recommendations alike; 30 days after takedown it is permanently deleted from the database rather than kept on. This keeps the information on the site current, useful and timely, and stops outdated content from misleading anyone.

Which payment methods are supported?

All prices are quoted in USD. You can pay in USD, EUR or GBP via PayPal / Payoneer, or in CNY via WeChat Pay / Alipay. Content becomes visible only after content review, confirmed payment and a mandatory final go-live review by an admin.

Why can I not pay right after submitting a listing or an ad?

By default we review content before taking payment. A moderator checks the submitted listing, request or ad creative first; once approved you receive an in-site notification and a "Pay now" button appears in your account. The platform can switch this pre-payment review off, in which case you can pay immediately. Either way, payment never publishes content automatically: a mandatory admin go-live review is still required before anything appears on the site. Requests and free-quota listings have no payment step, but still need admin approval to become public.

Who publishes the listings? Is the content reliable?

All listings are published by users (UGC). The platform does not take part in any transaction, so please verify the other party and the details before paying or meeting.