96 arrested in fake jade scam

By Zhang Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-12 07:56

Policemen checks fake jade products they have found. [Zhang Yujun / for China Daily]

Gangs fleeced tourists at Great Wall and Ming Tombs, police say

Ninety-six people were arrested for allegedly selling fake jade to customers on day tours to the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs, Beijing police said on Tuesday.

Beijing police cracked down on two gangs which reportedly swindled Chinese tourists, mostly from outside Beijing. The authorities seized 40,000 pieces of fake jade. The suspects made 2 million yuan in the scam, police said.

The two shops pretended to be legal souvenir stands. The scofflaws told visitors they were overseas Chinese or relatives of officials to win the trust of the tourists. The fake jade, which sported high price tags, was then sold, ostensibly at big discounts to make patrons believe they were getting a good deal, police said.

The items were actually manmade jade, marble or quartzite, police said.

Li Chuntao, 40, of Heilongjiang province, is accused of heading one gang. He was detained on April 30 at his shop in Qiliqu area, Changping district. A man surnamed Wang, head of the other gang, was arrested at his shop off Shahe road, Changping district. The police closed the two shops.

Zi Xiangdong, a press officer from the police department, told METRO on Tuesday that police will intensify their efforts to combat tourist scams.

"We will send more plainclothes officers to tourism markets corresponding to reports from residents," Zi said. "The suspects may face criminal charges, their proceeds will be confiscated and their shops closed if convicted."

In March last year, Beijing police received reports some shops were swindling tourists with fake jade.

Meanwhile, police discovered as many as 16,000 tourists complained about the day trips on the Internet.

On April 7, Beijing police established a special team to investigate the "one day tour" market.

Tian'anmen Square and the area around the Bird's Nest are prime spots for salespeople distributing fliers promoting the day trips.

All the advertisement read: "One day trip to the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs. Low price from 30 yuan to 100 yuan, including transport, food and gate tickets."

In their investigation, police found the trip advertising the Badaling section of the Great Wall instead brought visitors to the Shuiguan section of the wall. As for the Ming Tombs sightseeing, tourists were not allowed to exit the bus. Rather, they had to listen to a tour guide. Much of the time was spent on shopping instead of visiting scenic spots.

During the return journeys, the guides claimed the vehicle would need to undergo security checks, and were stopped at the "shops" along the highway. The tourists were then taken to the shops selling the fake jade. The shops' employees claimed the store owners were famous jade experts and collectors.

Unemployed men from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region or Hunan province passed themselves off as the bosses, giving tourists fake "Burma jade" and promoting the products.

Inspections showed all the jade wares were fake and can be purchased from 20 to 200 yuan, but the selling prices in the shops were up to hundreds of thousands of yuan, police said.

Li confessed to police that the gang members invested in the shop together and distributed profits according to their share holdings.

They also gave tour guides commissions of 10 to 15 percent, authorities said.