Common Scams in Guangzhou and How to Say No

Last checked October 19, 2026 against official sources. How we check

Historical series of Renminbi banknotes on display, Hangzhou National Archives

Quick answer

The scams visitors report most in Guangzhou are overcharged airport taxis, extra fees on Didi's Taxi option, and touts or fake guides who ask for a deposit. Use the meter or Didi Express, pay only in the app, never pay a stranger in advance, and call 110 for police or 020-12328 for taxi complaints.

Key facts

Airport taxis	Insist on the meter; metered estimate to Tianhe about ¥94 to ¥133 before tolls
Didi	Choose Express or Premier, not the Taxi option; pay in the app only
Touts and guides	Never pay a deposit to someone who approached you first
Complain about a taxi	020-12328 or 12345 (government hotline)
Emergency	110 police; 960169 connects an English interpreter

What scams do visitors report in Guangzhou?

Three patterns come up most. Two have official rules behind them. The third rests on traveller reports only, and we found no police or government warning on it.

Problem	Where	What to do
Overcharged taxi	Baiyun Airport, long rides	Meter on, receipt, complain on 020-12328
Extra charges on Didi’s Taxi option	Airport trips, cross-city rides	Use Express or Premier; pay in the app
Touts and fake guides asking for deposits	Beijing Road, factory and market guides	Decline; never pay in advance; call 110 if threatened

How do airport taxi overcharges work?

Some drivers skip the meter, quote a flat price or take a long route. Guangzhou’s metered fare is set by an official notice that took effect on November 30, 2024: ¥12 for the first 3 km and ¥2.60 per km after that, with surcharges on long trips and at night. From that formula we estimate a metered fare of about ¥94 to ¥133 from Baiyun Airport to Tianhe for 30 to 40 km, before tolls. That is an estimate, not a quote, because we found no official airport-to-Tianhe distance.

Travellers on Reddit report far higher prices:

“I paid 700 yuan from the airport to Tianhe area.” (r/guangzhou, January 5, 2026)
“charged over 570 RMB” at the official rank (r/guangzhou, March 15, 2026)
One reply to the first post: “Yea, 150rmb to Tianhe max.”

These are traveller opinions on a forum, not verified fares. The national taxi rules ban bargaining over a metered fare and taking a longer route on purpose. Steps that help:

Join the official queue and say 打表 (dǎ biǎo).
Show the destination in Chinese. The Show your driver tool has cards for the airport terminals.
Keep the printed receipt: it carries the vehicle number and a supervision phone number.
If the fare is wrong, call 020-12328. The Guangzhou transport bureau lists it as the transport service complaint line, and it is merged with the 12345 government hotline.

The full route and fare breakdown is in the airport transfer guide and the Guangzhou taxi guide.

What goes wrong with Didi?

Pick Express, Premier or Luxe, not the Taxi option. Didi’s safety page lists its DiDi Care cover for those three. It does not list Taxi. Travellers report fake tolls and demands for cash. One wrote “NEVER pick the ‘local taxi’ option on Didi” (r/guangzhou, April 19, 2026). Another said they paid an extra ¥675 on a Didi from the airport to Guangzhou South (June 27, 2026). These are single reports, which we could not verify.

What to do:

Pay inside the app. The Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office says Didi supports international cards.
Check the car matches the app listing. If it does not, report it in the app.
Do not agree to extra fares that the app does not show. Keep the order screen.
Complain in the app first, then to Didi rider support on 400-0000-999, which Didi’s safety page lists.

Our Didi guide covers setup and the right app.

What about touts and fake guides?

Travellers report two schemes. In the first, a stranger offering to guide you to factories or shops asks for an advance deposit. One r/guangzhou post from December 2025 describes a “fake guide” who “asked for advance deposit”. In the second, touts on Beijing Road offer watches and bags. A traveller wrote in May 2026 that you “can’t walk 5 m in Beijing road” without an offer. Another warned in November 2025 that agents earn a heavy commission for taking people to the top floor of a mall.

We found no police or government warning about these schemes, so treat the details as traveller reports. The protection is simple:

Never pay a deposit or transfer money to someone who approached you first, online or in the street.
Hire a guide or agent only through a licensed company or your hotel, and check credentials first.
Do not follow anyone into side rooms or upper floors.
Pay in ways that keep a record, and save chat logs and receipts.
Check what you may carry home in the customs allowances guide.

If you are defrauded or threatened, call 110.

Who do I call?

Number	Service	Note
110	Police	Guangzhou’s portal says police can respond in English (page snapshot of March 2021; the current page did not open)
120	Ambulance
119	Fire
960169	Multilingual interpreter	English 24 hours; a three-way call with 110, 120, 119 or 12345
020-12328	Taxi and transport complaints	Merged with 12345
12345 (020-12345 from non-Guangzhou numbers)	Government service hotline	Non-emergency; use 960169 for an interpreter

Save these before you land. The first 24 hours checklist shows when to do it. For the wider safety picture, see is Guangzhou safe.

Traps and how to avoid them

Agreeing a flat taxi price
Metered taxis may not bargain over the fare, under Article 23 of the national taxi rules. Say 打表 (dǎ biǎo, use the meter) or take the next car, and keep the printed receipt.
Choosing the Taxi option in Didi
Didi says its DiDi Care protection covers Premier, Express and Luxe, and does not list the Taxi option. Travellers report fake tolls and cash demands on that option.
Paying a deposit to a guide or agent
One traveller reported a guide who asked for an advance deposit and did not show up. Hire only through a licensed company or your hotel, and keep records.
Following a tout upstairs
A traveller on r/guangzhou warned that the agents who take you to the top floor of a mall earn a heavy commission. Decline and do not follow anyone into side rooms.

FAQ

Is Guangzhou safe for tourists?

The problems travellers report most are overcharging and touts, not violent crime. The scams below are traveller reports, and we found no official police warning on most of them.

How much should a taxi from Baiyun Airport cost?

Using the official tariff, the metered fare to Tianhe is estimated at about ¥94 to ¥133 before tolls, for 30 to 40 km. Travellers report paying ¥510 to ¥700, which is far above that. The estimate excludes waiting time and the peak or off-peak fare floats taxi companies may apply.

Where do I complain about a taxi driver?

Call the Guangzhou transport complaints hotline 020-12328, or the government hotline 12345. The transport bureau says both pass taxi complaints to the transport department.

What do I do if someone follows me or threatens me?

Call 110 for the police. Guangzhou's government portal says the police can respond in English (page snapshot of March 2021; the current page did not open), and 960169 joins an interpreter to the call.

Should I buy goods from people who approach me on Beijing Road?

Travellers describe constant offers of watches and bags on Beijing Road. Walk on. Back rooms and advance payments are the risk, and customs rules on what you may carry home are in our customs guide.

Sources

Update history

October 19, 2026: First version from the site's scams dataset, official taxi rules and traveller reports on r/guangzhou.

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