Beware of the fake gold scam

[gmerkt]

The fake gold scam is going on in the PNW right now. Last week, I was loading up some building materials in the parking lot at Home Depot. A dusky guy who barely spoke English stopped his white SUV behind my vehicle and said, "Wanna buy some gold? I need money." Whereupon he held out a ring, a kind of fattish one like a class ring that would've had a lot of gold in it. I could see at a glance that it had a carat mark inside the band but I didn't look closely. I told him I wasn't interested. Then he showed me a fancy watch on his wrist and asked me if I wanted to buy it. I declined. I like gold, but I tend to think when something like this happens, it's bound to fall into the "too good to be true category."

Today, I saw this article online:

WSP: Increase in gold scammers seen along Washington highways

Though the scam isn’t new, it may be new to you.

www.kiro7.com

The "good Samaritan" angle is, the scammers get people to stop and help them. They tell their victims they need money and will give them their jewelry in return. Which is fake.

I guess it's been going on for a while but my experience in the parking lot was my first exposure to it.

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[Nosferatu]

Random people selling fake goods in parking lots? Say it isn't so!!

Next you're going to tell me the stereo equipment people are selling out of their vans is all counterfeit.

 

[Mikej]

And the sheriff deputy that calls to notify you that you didn't show up for jury duty and you could cover the $500.00 fine through him.
(Happened to me) Had me for about 20 seconds.

 

[Mikej]

"There's a sucker born every minute" is a phrase closely associated with P. T. Barnum, an American showman of the mid-19th century, although there is no evidence that he actually said it. Early examples of its use are found among gamblers and confidence tricksters.

Wifey was working at a Kienow's store at NE 122nd and Gleason for several years when they closed. There is quite a close knit community of Romani's living in the vicinity of that area and East. There were some real "Wheeler Dealer's" in their community! Some would come into the store and put their fingers through the plastic on bakery items and ask for discounts. Others would buy and eat good portion of a packaged item and bring it back saying it was bad. I worked for a Romani guy moving travel trailers from place to place at times. He and his mom were always trying to get me to accept a palm reading instead of the money for the work. They shared linguistic, and other similarities, with one another. Those nice big cars and fancy jewelry were common.

I'm reportedly descendent of Romani's, being as my father's mother was Hungarian.

 

[Flopsweat]

Zombieland "Violin Scam"

A clip from the movie 'Zombieland' showcasing a scam known as the "Violin scam" where the mark is made to think an item is worth a lot more than it is, making them willing to pay a lot to get there hands on it.

yewtu.be

 

[arakboss]

The fake gold scam is going on in the PNW right now. Last week, I was loading up some building materials in the parking lot at Home Depot. A dusky guy who barely spoke English stopped his white SUV behind my vehicle and said, "Wanna buy some gold? I need money." Whereupon he held out a ring, a kind of fattish one like a class ring that would've had a lot of gold in it. I could see at a glance that it had a carat mark inside the band but I didn't look closely. I told him I wasn't interested. Then he showed me a fancy watch on his wrist and asked me if I wanted to buy it. I declined. I like gold, but I tend to think when something like this happens, it's bound to fall into the "too good to be true category."

Today, I saw this article online:

WSP: Increase in gold scammers seen along Washington highways

Though the scam isn’t new, it may be new to you.

www.kiro7.com

The "good Samaritan" angle is, the scammers get people to stop and help them. They tell their victims they need money and will give them their jewelry in return. Which is fake.

I guess it's been going on for a while but my experience in the parking lot was my first exposure to it.

Send him over to lady at Tigard Pawn she will educate him on his "gold".

 

[titsonritz]

If you're buying a "Rolex" from this guy you're a f'ing idiot and deserve to be scammed...



...same thing goes for dealing with the illegal alien pulling up in a white SUV trying to sell anything (except maybe oranges).

 

[Flopsweat]

If you're buying a "Rolex" from this guy you're a f'ing idiot and deserve to be scammed...

View attachment 1370833

...same thing goes for dealing with the illegal alien pulling up in a white SUV trying to sell anything (except maybe oranges).

No, definitely not the oranges either.

 

[Bacchus]

My wife's son bought a ring at a gas station from someone "needing gas money." It was marked 18K.

I did a specific gravity test on it, and it was actually 24K ... brass.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Next time tell him to check Google maps or the internet. Gold buyers are everywhere.

I can hear it now, "But you can save me the drive and I'll sell it to you for 1/4 of what it's worth". I Flippin hate scammers.

 

[ilostmypswrd]

Yeah my buddie managed a Trader Joes, he always had to chase away gypsies trying to sell fake gold rings ear rings etc.

 

[Cavedweller]

I'm reportedly descendent of Romani's, being as my father's mother was Hungarian.

That doesn't quite follow. The Hungarians are Magyars, a group that migrated to Europe from the western Siberia/Ural Mountain area and settled on the Hungarian Plain in the 9th century. The Roma are nomads from the Indian sub-continent who arrived in Europe around the 14th century. They are not associated with any particular nation state.

 

[ob1]

No,
If you really want the real deals you need to watch late night coat hanger TV.

You can get a genuine US fifty Dollar gold piece proof made in the Cook Islands for just $ 19.95 +s/h.

 

[gmerkt]

That doesn't quite follow. The Hungarians are Magyars, a group that migrated to Europe from the western Siberia/Ural Mountain area and settled on the Hungarian Plain in the 9th century. The Roma are nomads from the Indian sub-continent who arrived in Europe around the 14th century. They are not associated with any particular nation state.

Well, maybe yes and maybe no. Not all Hungarians are Magyar. Depends on what is considered "nationality" and "origin." Roma is not a nationality, but Hungary has one of the larger concentrations of Roma in Europe. Along with Romania, Bulgaria, et al. So a person who is Roma might tell another person they are from Hungary. And that person might assume the teller was Hungarian. And he might've been right. Did he want to know if the person was Roma or Hungarian when the fact is, he was both.

The older US immigration questionnaires used to have a column that said "race or origin" or "country or race," I forget which. Sometimes these are found to be filled out to say, "Hebrew." Which isn't a nationality, race or religion but a language. It was meant to represent Jewish but was a baked-in inaccuracy. And had nothing to do with actual country of origin; at one time Poland (as a part of Russia) had a large population of Jews. They might've put Polish, Russian or Hebrew on their forms, depending. You can find all three having been used on immigration documents for ancestors coming from the same region.

 

[gmerkt]

No,
If you really want the real deals you need to watch late night coat hanger TV.

You can get a genuine US fifty Dollar gold piece proof made in the Cook Islands for just $ 19.95 +s/h.

One of my gripes has been with full page ads in local newspapers for highly misleading offers for supposedly rare coins. These ads contain a lot of puffery to promote a product that isn't nearly as valuable as claimed. I realize that the print journalism business is on the skids, and it must be very hard for a paper to turn down paid ad revenue for a full page ad. But it doesn't sit well with me that it results, mainly, in the elderly getting bilked.

 

[gmerkt]

Another rip-off to be mindful of is the television mass marketing of would-be and overpriced collector coins. Examples, Rick Tomaska on Bloomberg Business News, and the kinda fat guy selling in dead air time on Fox Business News. They are what I'd call semi-legit. They sell coin products that have value, but are overpriced. Like recently-struck US Silver Eagle product in fancy packaging, or vintage silver and gold coins that are priced 50 to 100% higher than you could buy them at any legitimate, local coin dealer. I sometimes watch for fifteen or twenty minutes just for huckster entertainment but I'd never buy product from them.

 

[Cavedweller]

Well, maybe yes and maybe no. Not all Hungarians are Magyar. Depends on what is considered "nationality" and "origin." Roma is not a nationality, but Hungary has one of the larger concentrations of Roma in Europe. Along with Romania, Bulgaria, et al. So a person who is Roma might tell another person they are from Hungary. And that person might assume the teller was Hungarian. And he might've been right. Did he want to know if the person was Roma or Hungarian when the fact is, he was both.

Granted. However, being "from Hungary" doesn't automatically mean one is Roma either.

 

[CountryGent]

Random people selling fake goods in parking lots? Say it isn't so!!

You mean the watch marked "Geniuen Rolax" may not be the deal of a lifetime?

 

[mrblond]

The fake gold scam is going on in the PNW right now. Last week, I was loading up some building materials in the parking lot at Home Depot. A dusky guy who barely spoke English stopped his white SUV behind my vehicle and said, "Wanna buy some gold? I need money." Whereupon he held out a ring, a kind of fattish one like a class ring that would've had a lot of gold in it. I could see at a glance that it had a carat mark inside the band but I didn't look closely. I told him I wasn't interested. Then he showed me a fancy watch on his wrist and asked me if I wanted to buy it. I declined. I like gold, but I tend to think when something like this happens, it's bound to fall into the "too good to be true category."

Today, I saw this article online:

WSP: Increase in gold scammers seen along Washington highways

Though the scam isn’t new, it may be new to you.

www.kiro7.com

The "good Samaritan" angle is, the scammers get people to stop and help them. They tell their victims they need money and will give them their jewelry in return. Which is fake.

I guess it's been going on for a while but my experience in the parking lot was my first exposure to it.

was he middle eastern? needing money for his vacation? I had someone like that pu;ll that a few years ago.

 

[gmerkt]

was he middle eastern? needing money for his vacation? I had someone like that pu;ll that a few years ago.

I really don't know. Dark complexion, wearing sunglasses, strong accent. No mention of vacation in this case, just that he needed money. Which was probably truthful!