Travellers to Guangdong should be on the alert for touts offering sightseeing packages for ridiculously low prices, the Guangdong provincial Consumer Council warned Tuesday.

The watchdog said con artists were targeting tourists on the lookout for a bargain, with some offering trips to parts of the province for as little as 48 yuan (US$5.8).

Council director Zeng Zhizhong said the organization had received many complaints form tourists being duped by unknown guides and travel agencies offering low-price deals.

"They were all wrapped in well-planned ventures, with some commercial handbills promoting more-day trips to Shenzhen or Zhuhai for 48 yuan, and 128 yuan two-day trips to both special regions," Zeng said.

He said some operators had demanded much more money half way through the trip and some clients had been dumped or beaten up after refusing to pay.

The Guangzhou-based Kangtai International Travel Agency said it normally charged 198 yuan for a one-day trip to Shenzhen and 358-yuan for a two-day visit to Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

Zeng said con artists drew on a wide variety of tactics to cheat tourists, but the common denominator was cheap travel packages.

He said in some cases, tourists claimed their guides charged them hundreds of yuan in "management fees" to transport their electronics products from Hong Kong to the mainland.

"Some of them even found that these products had been switched for inferior models," Zeng said. "To be a wise consumer, we advise tourists not be greedy or trust unknown tourist guides or travel agencies."

The director reminded tourists to be wary about trusting companies, which advertised through handbills without giving a detailed address or background information.

Editor: Donald