The Klamath Basin has fallen victim to a new scam – the Gold Scam. It isn’t technically new, in fact it has been around for a while. However there have been enough recent encounters in Klamath County to spark a need to remind people of the scam. The Gold Scam is where you are approached in a parking lot or at a gas station by someone who appears to be in need of money or assistance. They often will provide a sad story or even have children with them. Once they have your attention, they provide a piece of jewelry they promise to be real gold or have great value in exchange for money in hopes that you will buy it. These pieces are not real gold and this is in fact a scam.
Derek Porter, Owner of Holliday Jewelry, spoke with mybasin.com about the recent Gold Scam activity in the Basin and told a story about a man who came into Holliday Jewelry with a money bag full of jewelry that he believed to be gold. Someone came to his home, knocked on the door and sold him this fake jewelry. “I asked him how much he paid for it and he said $8,000, and it made me tear up. It was devastating to me that he got taken advantage of like that,” Derek explained.
We asked what someone should do if they find themselves in a situation like this, Porter responded with “I would one hundred percent say no thank you. If you feel in your heart to give them ten or twenty bucks just to say ‘hey I don’t really need that but here you go’ – then fine. But don’t think what they are handing you is of any value.”
He goes on to explain that they use emotional tactics to trick people and steal from them. And to make the deal even more convincing, the jewelry they are selling is stamped – but just because it is stamped does not mean it is real. “Any one can stamp anything unfortunately,” Porter said.
There are ways to not fall victim to this scam – but the easiest way is to say no to the person trying to sell you these items. Do not believe their story, do not fall for their tactics. If you truly want to see if it has value, take them and the items to your local jewelry store to have it tested.
