Chinese tour guide allegedly made S'pore tourists spend 2 hours in shop to meet spending quota
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December 03, 2025, 03:26 PM

While on a trip to China with his family, Singaporean singer Shawn Tok, 31, allegedly fell victim to a tour scam where group members were coerced into making purchases at various shops.

Tok, the winner of Campus SuperStar in 2007, has shed more light on how the scam came to be.


Signed up after TikTok advertisement
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Tok shared that he and his family signed up for the nine-day Chengdu tour with a Chinese tour agency after coming across an advertisement on TikTok.

According to Tok, this was not their first time signing up for a tour online.

Previously, they went on a tour of Chongqing and had a good time.

While the tour itinerary included shopping stops, Tok said he and his family did not object, as they intended to purchase locally made goods.

A total of 23 members, including Tok's family and friends, arrived in Chengdu on Nov. 22.

Buy, or spend two hours in the shop
"Things were fine for the first two days. The tour guide did make too many shopping stops. However, from day three, when we were on the way back to Chengdu from Jiu Zhai Valley National Park, he would make multiple stops at shops selling silverware, jade jewellery, and Traditional Chinese Medicine," Tok recalled.

At the jade jewellery shop, some members did not want to alight as they were tired, but the tour guide apparently did not allow them to stay on the tour bus.

Tok's father eventually felt pressured into buying a piece of jade jewellery for 7,000 yuan (S$1,200).

When the tour guide continued refusing to let them leave, he bought another for 5,000 yuan (S$910).

When other tour members expressed disinterest and wanted to leave, the tour guide grew unhappy.

He allegedly told them that they would not be allowed to leave unless they met the spending requirement and would have to spend two hours at the shop.

His father eventually had to buy another piece of jewellery, while a friend had to buy one as well.

It was the same when the group was brought to other shops, he said.

The tour guide even promoted a bag of meat jerky at 150 to 180 yuan (S$30) per packet.

According to Tok, the group bought eight packets in total, but that did not satisfy the tour guide.

He allegedly told the group they would have to carry their own luggage if they did not buy enough.

Sensing that something was off, Tok and his friends decided to go to the police once they were back in Chengdu.

Tour agency denied coercing group to make purchases
The police contacted the tour agency, and the tour guide, along with two representatives, arrived at the station.

There, they denied having coerced the tour group into making purchases.

Tok praised the efficiency of the local authorities, adding that they settled the matter within an hour, with refunds of about S$20,000.

Threatened to cancel entire trip
Apart from pressuring the tourists to spend, the tour agencies also allegedly refused to reorganise the tour itinerary to allow for more rest time.

Tok pointed out that each day was packed with activities, starting at 5am.

They would spend over six hours on the bus, and the tour guide would be talking over the speakers the entire time.

This prevented members of the tour group from getting sufficient rest.

After being compelled to shop, some from the group wanted to take two days off to rest instead of continuing with the planned itinerary.

When they approached the tour agency to make the suggestion, the agency threatened to cancel the entire tour instead.

After the hullabaloo, the group did not continue with the agency, Tok shared.

Instead, they booked their own hotel and continued with their travels on their own.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News and Canva

https://mothership.sg/2025/12/shawn-tok-tiktok-tour-scam/

stopped reading at "Signed up after TikTok advertisement"

thats why go for legit travel agency la apa lagi

last time also my friend went taiwan tour with his family, they stopped at this suspicious traditional medicine place.

then the "doctor" there be like showing off some magic trick of some electric bolts coming out from his hands that "heals" the negative energy of the person he touched. my friend fadder buy into the person allegation that he is "ill" and needs healing, buy this dunno what negative energy sucking stone + treatment that cost like after conversion RM5k?

didnt know singaporean so weak kena coerce again and again.

The singaporean i know very aggressive when comes to money. They are the type dowry also want nego kaw kaw.

Its China , no scam means no business

This is why

Just avoid China

Apa lanciou can speak for more than 6 hours like a radio..... talk kok like in Kopitiam ke?

Oh wait.

This post has been edited by ZeroSOFInfinity: Dec 3 2025, 05:56 PM

2025 ady still got ppl rely on tour agency?

legit travel agency also did this
and they have been doing this for decades

this is also the very reason why people chose to DIY travel...to avoid such things from happening

Those CCP tour guides even more aggressive and they don't give up one. Keep on pestering until you surrender.

yah, but its lesser ed compared to the past thus you see the "not shopping tour" tags nowadays. they are less brazen liao now since people are complaining a tonne

heck, my friend in taiwan tour years ago he and other group members super heated argument with the tour guide because they all angry too many shopping stops instead of visiting visual scenic places

last time when i 2" follow parents to tours they also stop in every single shop for "shopping", and this isnt just china tours mang, but europe also

for me DIY is best, but most headache since every route/itinerary sendiri plan which can be a huge learning curve (but productive!)

deswai i prefer free n easy, sendiri organize

but reputation that's ruined is hard to recover
that's why most people don't believe it even if put there big big no shopping tour...people still have doubt and rather not risk it

just like those korea trip recently, still got scam time and time again...paid everything but cannot fly, everybody disappear

One page max

dunno le if their reputation actually damaged, i saw those tour agencies recent roadshows still damn alot people signing up

i guess the amount of people who still want hassle free all spoonfeed to them still exists in droves

china either DIY or when book trip have to specify no tourist stop buy stuff .. they will mark up the tour a bit as tips payment but u will have more time to spend at each location ..

I went to a trip with two bus .. we went to the same place and timing .. just that each time one bus will go off earlier to those tourist spot

This post has been edited by macyhouse: Dec 3 2025, 07:16 PM

from my view, especially the mid valley ones
they're not there to sign up anything, they're more like there for the freebies and getting the brochure only
after taken all the freebies, they just walk out and away...not really there to sign up anything

Some places cannot DIY. Like great wall, you will faint if diy. So crowded, so vast, need guide to drop u off, where to q etc. Go once never again.

sendiri signup for cheap tour plan with dodgy people

pikachu surprise got scammed


damn singaporean is funny

"Tok praised the efficiency of the local authorities, adding that they settled the matter within an hour, with refunds of about S$20,000."


Did I read it wrongly? S$20,000