Wednesday, 8th November 2006 (3488 views)

Gold is such a desirable metal that a series of con artists in the US have been trying to sell fake gold bullions to unsuspecting shoppers.

Police in Medford, Oregon have been on the alert for some time because two men wearing cowboy hats have been attempting to sell what they say is a gold bar at a discount price.

The scammers tell people in supermarket car parks that they are selling it to fund an injured uncle's emergency operations.

They claim to have an insurance company accreditation certificate which says the bar is worth $15,000 (£7,800), but when one man paid $1,500 (£788) for it he found out the truth from a jeweller.

Far from gold, the bar is actually a cheap metal painted a golden hue and when melted down, it wouldn't make any valuable gold jewellery.

Medford police lieutenant Tim George said: "If it sounds too good to be true, it is. No one is selling gold bars in parking lots legitimately."

Apparently this scam is occurring on the internet as well as around the US.

 

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