{
  "id": 11839039,
  "title": "Singapore tourist spends over S$7,000 on ‘jade’ in Guizhou, later finds Buddha pendant worth less than S$100",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/singapore-tourist-spends-over-s-7-000-on-jade-in-guizhou-later-finds",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-04T03:14:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Independent Singapore",
    "slug": "the-independent-singapore",
    "url": "https://theindependent.sg/singapore-tourist-spends-over-s-7-000-on-jade-in-guizhou-later-finds-buddha-pendant-worth-less-than-s-100"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Singaporean tourist, 37 years old, spent more than S$7,000 on what she believed were 16 jade products during a six-day, five-night tour in Guizhou. Upon returning home, she discovered that one of the Buddha pendants was actually made of serpentine stone, worth less than S$100. The woman contacted the Singapore Tourism Board to inquire about a refund, but was informed the process would take 12 to 16 weeks. The tour guide assured her that the company would notify local authorities in China. Separately, a 30-year-old secretary stole S$63,000 from her company's bank account over two months before being sentenced to 18 months in prison.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE: A supposed souvenir from a trip turned out to be a scam after a Singaporean tourist spent over S$7,000 on 16 jade products, only to discover that one of the Buddha pendants was actually serpentine stone worth less than S$100. Case details revealed that a 37-year-old woman reported to Shin Min Daily News that her parents joined a six-day, five-night tour group to Guizhou on SepT 8. This…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}