🚩 Local Scams · Urumqi
Last verified 22 Jul 2025
1 Scam Spotlight Table
Airport–city taxi "toll & detour"
Diwopu Int'l Airport arrivals; Urumqi Railway Station
How it works: Driver quotes flat fare, adds fake "expressway + security surcharge," long-routes via ring roads.
🛡️ Avoid: Use official taxi queue or DiDi; insist on meter + receipt; there's no extra "security fee" for city rides.
Grand Bazaar "carpet/jade museum" detour
Erdaoqiao Intl. Grand Bazaar & side lanes
How it works: "Free culture tour" leads to showrooms with high-pressure sales; prices start 5–10× normal.
🛡️ Avoid: Skip unsolicited "guides"; window-shop first, buy only with printed receipts and return policy.
Dried-fruit unit switch
Night markets, BRT stops
How it works: Stall posts price per 50 g (liang) but weighs and charges like per 500 g (jin).
🛡️ Avoid: Confirm unit before paying; ask to weigh again; keep the price tag photo.
Fake "Hetian jade"
Souvenir arcades
How it works: Dyed quartz/serpentine sold as genuine Hotan jade with vague "certificate".
🛡️ Avoid: Genuine pieces come with verifiable lab report; if you can't authenticate, buy small decorative stones only.
"Ethnic show + dinner" upsell
Coach counters
How it works: Cheap city tour morphs into mandatory dinner + performance at tourist restaurant, bill 3–4×.
🛡️ Avoid: Avoid street tour desks; book shows through hotel concierge or top-reviewed platforms only.
Document-check imposters
Busy underpasses
How it works: Plain-clothes "staff" ask to photograph passport/bank card "for security," then skim details.
🛡️ Avoid: Real checks are by uniformed police at fixed posts; never hand over cards; show passport, no payment.
QR-code phishing
Cafés near Nanmen
How it works: Sticker over café/market QR leads to fake pay page draining wallet.
🛡️ Avoid: Scan only table-printed or cashier QR; verify the pay app URL before confirming.
"Cheaper hotel" ride-poach
Airport/rail exits
How it works: Driver cancels your booking, takes you to partner hotel for kickbacks; original reservation charges no-show.
🛡️ Avoid: Do not switch en-route; if you must, cancel in app yourself first and rebook.
2 Why It Matters
Urumqi's bazaars and day-trip economy (Heavenly Lake/Turpan) make impulse buys and bundled tours common. Add cash-free payments and language gaps, and small tricks—especially unit switches and unsolicited "culture tours"—become expensive fast.
3 Pro Tips
1
Book day-trips in-app (Tianchi, museums); avoid curbside coaches that "include shopping."
2
Meter basics—start the meter, ask for fāpiào (e-receipt). If the driver refuses, get out before the ride starts.
3
Say "quán-jià ma?（全价吗）"—locks stalls or shows into an all-in price.
4
Weigh it yourself—many nut shops let you place the bag on the scale; photograph the display.
5
Keep small cash—¥10–¥20 notes help when QR fails in markets.
6
Hotlines—Police 110 • Tourist line 12301. Store both numbers in your phone.
✨ Stay Smart, Stay Safe
Stay smart and keep Urumqi about mountain air, night markets and museum courtyards—No Tourist Traps. No BS.