Honestly I think this kind of thing happens all the time ... and few people step up to report it, maybe feeling foolish!
I take the view that the lessons we learn by spotting when we were cheated or lied to are very valuable. And have a good laugh over it
Play the game, it's a great way to learn to trust your intuition!!
Apropos ... first time I travelled in India, my friends and I spotted and catalogued 26 uniquely different ways the locals try to scam ignorant tourists ... after the first few we became very sharp at recognising the early-warning signs, and even managed to scam the scammers a few times.