Confucius Temple in Nanjing pulls in a lot of visitors. And inevitably, its fair share of con artists. Tragically, the latest trend among them involves gang-like behaviour, whereby children are made to target tourists under the guise of free flowers for the ladies.
南京夫子庙吸引了大量游客。不可避免地，其中也有相当多的骗子。可悲的是，其中的最新趋势涉及帮派行为，即儿童以向女士提供免费鲜花为幌子，以游客为目标。
Chatter emerging online over the past 10 days or so has seen many reports from individuals who have been the victims of the con.
过去 10 天左右的时间里，网上出现了许多来自该骗局受害者的举报。
Then, on 16 May, staff with the Confucius Temple Scenic Area responded to a reporter that such itinerant vendors have always existed. They added that, if found, they are “driven outta town” by inspectors.
随后，5月16日，夫子庙景区工作人员回复记者称，这种流动摊贩一直存在。他们补充说，如果被发现，他们将被检查人员“赶出城镇”。
It turns out that the flower scam is often operated by five or six gang members. Therein, the women are in charge of selling flowers, while the men watch the situation, directing the women to focus on couples.
原来，鲜花骗局往往是由五六个团伙成员操作的。其中，女人负责卖花，男人则观望，引导女人把注意力集中在情侣身上。
That’s where the children come in. Aged 12 or 13 and usually girls, the modus operandi (M.O.) is for them to approach a woman and hand her a flower, as if it is a gift. After the women accepts, the adults swoop in to demand payment from her partner.
这就是孩子们发挥作用的地方。12 岁或 13 岁的孩子，通常是女孩，他们的作案手法 (M.O.) 是接近一位女士并递给她一朵花，就好像这是一份礼物一样。妇女们接受后，大人们就会冲上来，向她的伴侣索要付款。
And what Chinese man wants to lose the face associated with not forking out? It’s not the rocket science of scams, but it has been working well for such hawkers in Fuzimiao.
哪个中国男人愿意因为不花钱而丢脸呢？这并不是诈骗的高深科学，但对于夫子庙的小贩来说，它一直很有效。
A college student in Nanjing, first name Run, told a reporter that he and a female friend had visited Confucius Temple during the May Day holiday and had just such an experience.
南京一名大学生润告诉记者，五一假期他和一位女性朋友去夫子庙参观，就有这样的经历。
Run initially thought that his friend wanted the flowers, and decided the price of ¥30 was acceptable, as The Paper has reported.
据澎湃新闻报道，润一开始以为他的朋友想要这些花，并认为 30 元的价格可以接受。
But the other party said it was ¥30 for each bunch of flowers; the child had been successful in stuffing three bunches into the hands of Run’s friend.
但对方说每束花30元；孩子成功地将三串塞到了润的朋友手里。
Run had little choice to fork out another ¥60, to later find out a market price for the whole lot could be as little as ¥10. He had been up charged by a factor of nine.
润无奈又掏出了60元，后来发现整批的市场价可能只有10元。他的指控增加了九倍。
In response to the situation, Confucius Temple Scenic Area management department are increasing the number of personnel in areas frequented by hawkers, and intensifying inspection efforts.
针对这一情况，夫子庙景区管理部门正在对小贩经常出入的区域增加人员，加大巡查力度。
Well aware of this, the scammers take advantage of loopholes to approach people on the road between the Fuzimiao Metro Station and the scenic spot itself, rendering it difficult for the management to deal with them.
骗子深知这一点，于是利用漏洞，在夫子庙地铁站与景区之间的道路上接近行人，导致管理人员难以对付。
Tourists have become disgusted by the routines. Some have reported that the scammers are nothing short of fierce, cursing people out when they are rejected.
游客们已经对这种惯例感到厌恶。一些人报告说，骗子非常凶猛，当人们被拒绝时就会咒骂他们。
With Fuzimiao our city’s most-visited tourist spot, that’s leaving a stain on the impression of Nanjing which many visitors take home with them.
作为我们城市最受欢迎的旅游景点，夫子庙给许多游客留下了对南京的印象。
