Is encountering "boating assassins" in West Lake an isolated case or a common phenomenon?

First of all, I think it is an exception.

Consumption is one of West Lake’s soft powers and an important driving force for Hangzhou’s urban development. However, as the number of tourists continues to grow, some chaos has also appeared in the West Lake Scenic Area. For example: some merchants pass off fake products as genuine in order to attract customers; some merchants often cheat on product quality. In this regard, relevant departments have stated that they will strengthen management and crack down severely. Recently, some citizens have reported that there are many "consumption assassins" in the West Lake Scenic Area in Hangzhou. These "consumption assassins" specifically target foreign tourists and defraud foreign tourists of their money by providing false shopping information, inducement or deception, seriously damaging the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

1. So, what are "Consumer Assassins" and how do they defraud?

The so-called "Consumer Assassins" refer to those who specifically target foreign tourists visiting Hangzhou. Consumers use various means to induce consumers to be deceived and obtain illegal benefits. According to reports, at present, "consumer assassins" mainly appear around scenic spots and traffic arteries. They usually look for targets near stations. Once they find a target, they will take the initiative to strike up a conversation and ask if they need help. When the other party agrees, they will quickly provide them with various shopping services, such as recommending shops in scenic spots, or guiding consumers to designated locations for transactions. Once the transaction is completed, they disappear immediately and refuse to return the money they defrauded.

2. According to the survey, most of these so-called shopping stores are located in tourist attractions with beautiful scenery, and the prices are generally higher than the market price. In addition, some merchants are still short of money. Therefore, many tourists will choose to swallow their anger and let others take advantage of them.

In recent years, with the rapid development of scenic spots in various places, more and more local residents and even foreigners have joined the tourist army. But at the same time, due to the lack of necessary safety awareness and prevention capabilities, many criminals have taken advantage of it.

Regarding this kind of phenomenon, the relevant person in charge of the Hangzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation said that in the next step, the Municipal Administration for Market Regulation will further increase law enforcement efforts and focus on cracking down on counterfeit and shoddy products. price gouging and other illegal activities, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen the supervision of supermarkets, catering establishments, etc., urge business entities to strictly implement their responsibilities, and ensure the stability of market order.