When Miss Tan Yan Ping, 22, was offered a digital camera for $280, which thought wasa good deal.

It was only later that the factory worker found out she was charged almost double for a camera that was worth only $100.

Miss Tan told Chinese daily Shin Min Daily News that she visited Sim Lim Square with a friend a few days ago with the intention of buying a digital camera.

They visited a shop on the second storey and were whisked into the shop by a man in his 40s who promised to give them good discounts.

When Miss Tan indicated wanted a digital camera, he offered her a Sanyo model for $300.

Thinking that it was too expensive, Miss Tan and her friend decided to leave when the owner gave her a discount of $20.

"The shopkeeper told us that he will charge us only $280, and that he was offering was a very good deal.

"He even showed us old receipts and said that he sells this camera to Caucasian tourists for about $700.

"He said that he was willing to give us such a huge discount because we are Chinese." Miss Tan told Shin Min.

Believing the shopkeeper's words to be true, Miss Tan paid up for the camera and left.

"But as my friend and I were leaving the shop, we began to suspect that we might have been cheated." Miss Tan told Shin Min.

"We approached a nearby electronics store and asked the staff there how much the camera I just bought was worth. I was shocked to learn from the shopkeeper there that the camera was only worth $100 to $200! I really felt cheated then."

To make things worse, Miss Tan came across a similar digital camera going for a mere $90 at the petrol station near her McPherson Road workplace just the day after the incident.

"I'm now deciding whether to go back to the store and ask for some of my money back."

Miss Tan told the Chinese daily that she wanted to remind readers to be careful when buying electronic goods, and be sure to compare prices between stores before making a purchase.

Shin Min tried contacting the store for comments, but the shop employee said that the owner was away. He was also unhelpful when the reporter tried asking for the shop owner's contact details.

When the reporter made a trip to the store, the shop staff behaved in a similarly cold fashion once they established the reporter's identity.