"Fake gold" is not afraid of fire! A gold bracelet worth nearly 30,000 yuan actually contains only 10 grams of gold. Beware of new counterfeiting methods!

In recent times, international gold prices have repeatedly hit new highs, and the gold consumption market has been booming. As a result, complaints about gold consumption have been increasing day by day.

Many consumers said that the "999 pure gold" products sold on many online platforms are "fake" and "adulterated". What is the trick behind the so-called pure gold products that consumers buy online?

With "National Inspection Certificate of Pure Gold"

To attract buyers for the gimmick

On the Internet platform, many live broadcast rooms sell "999 pure gold" products. Some online anchors are actively purchasing jewelry at jewelry trading centers, constantly using keywords such as "pure gold, national inspection certificate" as gimmicks to attract viewers to place orders.

Consumer Ms. Yang said that she bought it because she saw that it was "999 pure gold". The price was 500 yuan per gram, but after using the coupon, the actual price was more than 400 yuan per gram. The seller said that he would bring his own certificate with a QR code, but after I took it back, I checked and found that there was no such certificate. When I asked him whether it was real or fake, he did not give a direct answer and asked me to return it.

“ Fake gold ” is not afraid of fire

The counterfeiting methods are upgraded

Weight, size and melting point are the methods many consumers use to distinguish the authenticity of gold. However, during interviews, reporters found that the means of counterfeiting are constantly upgrading, and many conventional methods are difficult to distinguish between real and fake gold.

At the end of last month, the Changshou Road Police Station of the Putuo Branch of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau received a report that a consumer, Ms. Li, purchased a pure gold bracelet worth 20,000 yuan on an online second-hand platform before the Spring Festival. The transaction was accompanied by complete certificates and invoices, and even when burning it with flame, there was no abnormality.

Consumer Ms. Li said that she bought it for more than 28,000 yuan. At that time, we even brought a fire gun (lighter) with us, thinking that if it didn't change color, it was real. It burned red on the spot, but it didn't change color. I also bought a small scale to weigh it, and the grams and weight were the same. The seller also gave her a fake brand shopping bag and invoice. As a result, when I took it out for identification, I cut it open and found that it was all silver.

After receiving the report, the police immediately launched an investigation, but did not find any registration information of the suspect in the industrial and commercial department. The sales behavior was an individual sale . At the same time, the police also verified that the shipping address provided by the suspect was a forged virtual address.

In this case, the suspect found a merchant through an e-commerce platform and made the four-piece set needed to purchase gold, namely a shopping bag, a warranty certificate, a delivery note, and a (bracelet) product name tag. In addition, he made a fake invoice through the platform, which was also made according to the market gold price of the day.

The bracelet purchased by the victim in this case weighs 45.11 grams in total, with 10 grams of gold and 35 grams of silver. Ordinary testing methods cannot distinguish the authenticity of the bracelet, and only national identification agencies can distinguish the authenticity of the bracelet.

New tricks for gold adulteration

It is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of gold containing rhenium

As the "gold buying fever" continues to heat up, new "routines" have emerged in gold adulteration. Recently, the Gold Jewelry and Glasses Testing Center of the Ningbo Quality Inspection Institute in Zhejiang Province received a commissioned inspection from relevant departments . The sample's appearance was extremely similar to pure gold, but after further inspection, it was found to be gold mixed with "rhenium". The price of "rhenium" is only a dozen yuan per gram. When mixed with pure gold, it is not only cheap but also difficult to be discovered.

Mr. Liu runs a gold jewelry recycling shop in Cixi, Ningbo. A few days ago, he bought two pieces of gold jewelry, totaling 129 grams, at a price of 460 yuan per gram. The next day, the gold recycling manufacturer informed Mr. Liu that the two pieces of gold jewelry might be mixed with "rhenium". Subsequently, Mr. Liu took the gold samples to the local police station to report the case.

During the testing of the gold sample, the tester found that the instrument showed "999 pure gold" at multiple points. The tester continued to polish it with a file and found that many raised white spots appeared on the gold nugget.

The testers said that we filed and tested repeatedly, and the further we filed inside, the higher the "rhenium" peak became, indicating that the "rhenium" content inside was relatively high.

It is understood that the element "rhenium" has the appearance of silver-white metal or gray to black powder, and is hard, wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant. Its density is similar to that of pure gold, and conventional weighing cannot distinguish it well, but its hardness and melting point are higher than those of pure gold.

Professionals remind that the gold mixed with rhenium on the market cannot be distinguished by naked eyes or simple weighing. Therefore, when consumers buy gold, they should try to choose reputable brands and merchants.

Planning and production

Source: CCTV Finance WeChat Official Account

Editor: Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin