Fake Jewelry For Sale

How To Tell Real Gold From Fake: How The Scam Works

(with video below) Imagine you are walking down the street. A family approaches you. They are down to their last few dollars and are stranded, just trying to get to their home miles away. The whole story is very compelling.

They offer you some beautiful gold jewelry for sale at a steep discount to help them with their hardship. You make a deal with them, intending maybe to resell the the gold for the real value. But once you take it to have it appraised, you discover that the “solid gold” jewelry you paid hundreds of dollars for is a cheap gold plate, practically worthless. If this happens to you, you have just fallen prey to the Jewelry Sale Scam. Do you know how to tell real gold from fake?

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Watch the video below to see how to test gold quickly:

How To Tell Real Gold From Fake Video

These scammers are ruthless. Their stories are often tales of woe, and there are usually children with them, deliberately there to pull on the heartstrings of naïve would-be victims.

The scam could happen anywhere, so beware.

Fake Jewelry For Sale: How To Avoid

Never purchase an expensive item from a non-licensed vendor. If you are being approached in this manner, be aware that this is typically a scam situation – and the children are there to add to the effect – and walk away. Contact the authorities as well and help someone else avoid being taken in by this heinous scam.

How can you tell real gold from fake? Here are a few tips:

 

First, check out the jewelry for official markings. A stamp has to indicate either fineness (1-999 or .1-.999) or karat (10K, 14K, 18K, 22K or 24K). A magnifying glass will make this easier. An older piece might not have a visible marking due to wear. Counterfeit pieces can often have a trademark that appears authentic; more testing may be needed either way.

While looking at the piece, check it out for noticeable discoloration. It is essential to check for discoloration in areas that face constant friction – typically around the edges. If the gold seems to be wearing off and showing a different metal beneath it, you probably have a piece that is only gold plated.

Another way to differentiate real from fake is to use the biting method. Yes, that's correct. It may seem corny, but it's very efficient. Bite your piece with moderate strength and inspect it for any markings. Real gold will show indents from your teeth; deeper markings indicate purer gold.

Try also the ceramic plate test. Drag your item across the surface. A black streak means your gold is not real, whereas a gold streak indicates your item is genuine.

Another thing people do to test the gold is the magnet test. This it is an easy test, but it's not an all-encompassing or fool-proof way to determine whether your gold is real. Something as weak as a fridge magnet will not be useful, but stronger magnets that you can find in specialized hardware stores or in ordinary objects such as women's purse latches, children's toys, or even in old unused hard drives will be strong enough to perform this test.

Gold is not a magnetic metal, so if it pulls towards, or sticks to the magnet, it's fake. However, just because it doesn't react to the magnet doesn't mean it is real, as non-magnetic metals are used in counterfeit pieces as well.

Fake Jewelry For Sale: How To Report

Make your family and friends aware of this scam by sharing it on social media using the buttons provided. You can also officially report the scammers to the Federal Trade Commission using the link below:

Report To The FTC Here

 

How to protect yourself more:

If you want to be the first to find out the most notorious scams every week, feel free to subscribe to the Scam Detector newsletter here. You'll receive periodical emails and we promise not to spam. Last but not least, use the Comments section below to expose other scammers.

 

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