Experts warn about fake travel agencies

          Travelers in Beijing should be cautious about choosing travel agencies, warned experts.

          Some small travel agencies in the capital have been running without legal registration. Others have stolen the names and addresses of different travel agencies to fabricate legal identities.

          Both types of unregistered agencies offer exceptionally low prices to attract tourists, but sometimes leave their client high and dry. The victims of such fraud have no legal recourse.

         The most recent case was when a tourist bus rolled over on July 14, killing three and injuring more than 10. When passengers tried to contact the company, Beijing Global Holiday Travel Agency, they ran into trouble, according to the Beijing Times. The name turned out to be that of another company, which had nothing to do with the trip, while the address that the travel agency listed on its business cards in fact belonged to a third company, according to the newspaper.

         The bogus company's location turned out to be an ordinary residential apartment with the room number removed, the newspaper said.

         These copycats, also referred to as shanzhai travel agencies, have long been a problem for their genuine counterparts.

         "All those small pamphlets sent out on the streets of Beijing advertising one-day round trips in the name of our company are fake," complained Shi Qing, a marketing manager with China International Travel Service Co. Ltd.

          Prospective tourists who try to take advantage of the unbelievably low prices on the pamphlets will get what they pay for, said Shi, who cautioned tourists against such "price traps".

         There are ways to evaluate the authenticity of travel agencies, said Guo Shuping, a manager with China Ocean International Travel Service Co Ltd.

        "All travel agencies receive contracts from the Beijing Tourism Bureau," Guo said. "Each has a serial number on it." He suggested tourists call the bureau and use the serial number to check if the company is registered.

         The issue is also a problem for the Beijing Tourism Bureau.

         An official from the law enforcement team under the bureau told local media that it is extremely difficult to track down unlicensed companies and even if authorities do catch them, they can only fine the companies according to the newly released travel agency regulations.