🚩 Local Scams · Jiuzhaigou County
Last verified 26 Jul 2025
1 Scam Spotlight Table
"Official-Customer-Service" Call
Before / after you book on C-trip, Meituan, Qunar
How it works: Visitor gets a phone call/text claiming a hotel or ticket problem; fake "agent" asks for card details & SMS codes—money is siphoned off.
🛡️ Avoid: Hang up ⟶ call the number on the app yourself; never give OTP codes.
Fake E-tickets
County bus depot • Gate plaza
How it works: Tout offers QR that "skips the 40 k cap." QR fails at turnstile, no refund.
🛡️ Avoid: Only buy in the "九寨沟风景区预约" mini-program or authorised OTA.
Low-Cost Day-Tours
Chunxi Rd hostel flyers
How it works: ¥99 "all-inclusive" from Chengdu; bus detours to jade, yak-meat emporiums, reaches park after 14 h crowd.
🛡️ Avoid: Stick to park shuttle or >¥300 transparent tours; read itinerary fine-print.
Yak-Photo Price-Switch
Nuorilang falls pull-off
How it works: Handler says "¥5 one photo"; after shutter clicks he claims "¥50 riding fee".
🛡️ Avoid: Confirm total price & that you won't mount the yak; pay only after photo.
"Tibetan Medicine / Cordyceps" Overcharge
Shuzheng village stalls
How it works: Shop touts wild cordyceps at ¥60 000 / kg—actually farmed fungus or herbs dyed brown.
🛡️ Avoid: Buy sealed tins from pharmacy chains; avoid open-tray sales.
Counterfeit Souvenirs
Tree-root craft street
How it works: "Yak-wool" shawls, "Tibetan silver" bracelets are synthetic or plated copper.
🛡️ Avoid: If price ≤ 10 % downtown Chengdu's, assume replica; verify labels.
QR-Code Phishing
Jiuzhai-Huanglong Airport
How it works: Sticker on ticket machine promises ¥10 discount; opens fake WeChat Pay page.
🛡️ Avoid: Scan codes printed on machine screen only; URL must start pay.wechat.com.
2 Why It Matters
Jiuzhaigou's ticket cap (40 000/day), remote setting and high entry fee (¥ 160 + bus ¥ 90) attract middle-men who promise shortcuts or "local deals".
Many travellers book lodgings and transfers online, so social-engineering calls are rising.
Overpriced yak products and photo-switch tricks flourish where regulation is light.
3 Pro Tips
1
Only two official sales points – the park mini-program & authorised OTAs (C-trip, Meituan). Anything else is grey-market.
2
Save the park hotline – 0837-773 9753; verify any "customer-service" caller by ringing back.
3
Ask quán-jià (全价吗) – means "is that the all-in price?"—use it before photos, horse rides, folk shows.
4
Check hotel location – listings sometimes show "Jiuzhaigou"—but are 35 km away in Zhangzha Town; filter for "距离景区 < 5 km".
5
Carry small cash – remote stalls lose data; ¥10–¥20 notes limit overcharge risk.
✨ Stay Smart, Stay Safe
Stay alert and keep your Jiuzhaigou memories about emerald lakes and Tibetan homestays—No Tourist Traps. No BS.