A Hong Kong couple's relaxing foot massage trip to the mainland ended with them getting duped into expensive foot rubs—HK$5,500 for 60 corns that probably never existed.
The husband shared the incident on Threads yesterday, admitting he and his wife got ripped off after they went for a HK$60 foot massage in a Shenzhen mall.
He recounted being offered a free foot peel treatment, during which two middle-aged men claimed “big corn” was discovered.
“They asked if we wanted them removed—80 yuan each. My wife needed it, so we agreed,” the man wrote.
Instead of informing the couple how many corn they would treat, the men only used what looked like kitchen tongs and a small knife, along with black disinfectant liquid to carry out the treatment.
Shockingly, the couple was told there were 15 corns removed from each foot—totaling 60 for approximately HK$5,500.
"They took the money and left," the poster said, describing himself and his wife as dupes.
The poster admitted he had no one to blame but himself. “They didn’t threaten us. They just kept saying there were so many. We only realized it was a scam afterwards.”
He explained he shared the embarrassing story mainly to warn others, adding that the scammers even claimed he had a fungal nail infection—which he insisted he didn't, saving himself some money.
The post sparked disbelief online, with many pointing out that walking would be impossible if 15 corns on one foot were real.
Some humorously called the couple as “Mr and Mrs Octopus,” adding they should have applied for a Guinness World Record instead.
Still, others sympathized with the couple's experience, expressing gratitude to the poster for sharing the evolving scams.
One commenter shared a similar experience from 15 years ago, saying he was charged HK$2,000, while another recounted seeing a father and son being ripped off for HK$8,000 for nail treatment.
A user, however, shared a bargain: his mother paid 10 yuan per corn for a six-month after-service guarantee—and never walked in pain again.
