Many Unaware That The Gold In Their Hands Is Fake

KUALA LUMPUR: The gold commodity, which has skyrocketed in price compared to a decade ago, has also opened up opportunities for certain parties to cheat and sell fake gold.

A jewellery shop employee based in Penang, Mohammad Hazim Farhan Azmi said attempts by certain individuals to sell counterfeit gold or gold plated with other metals occur almost every week at the jewellery shop where he works.

“Every week, there are indeed people who come to sell fake gold, but there are also customers who genuinely do not know that the jewellery (gold) they are carrying is not pure,” he said when contacted by Harian Metro recently.

According to him, the increase in gold prices has caused more individuals to come forward and sell their gold to obtain cash.

“This simultaneously increases the risk of fake gold being bought and sold in the market.

“Although the majority of customers are honest, cases like this remain worrying because they can affect consumer confidence and cause losses to traders who do not have complete inspection equipment,” he said.

When asked about his experience in receiving fake gold, he said most of the cases received involved solid jewellery rather than hollow ones.

“This fake gold is plated with a thicker layer of gold to mislead buyers.

“When we do the acid test, it will pass as gold. Even when tested using a magnet, it still passes. If gold buyers are not aware of this, they might buy the jewellery at the price of pure gold,” he said.

According to Farhan, his team will take more thorough steps by first cutting the suspected solid jewellery to inspect its interior before making a decision to purchase it.

“If the interior is still gold in colour, we will redo the acid and magnet tests. But if the inside is not gold, even if it passes the initial tests, we will immediately reject the jewellery,” he said.

According to Farhan, the process of detecting fake gold actually does not take long and can be done within two to five minutes.

“This task is quite easy if the trader has experience and basic equipment.

“We usually use nitric acid tests, magnets, purity hallmark inspections and manual density tests to ensure the purity of the gold.

“However, the hallmark on the jewellery also cannot be taken as an absolute measure because now many counterfeit gold items have fake purity hallmarks,” he said.

According to him, if still in doubt, his team will seek further confirmation at other jewellery shops or testing centres that use X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) machines.

Meanwhile, Farhan also advised the public to buy gold only from premises that have a physical shop and a clear reputation.

“If buying online, make sure the trader truly exists and offers a reasonable price.

“If the price is too cheap to the point of being unreasonable, that is an early sign that fraud may be occurring.

“If buying jewellery from a private individual, it is best to take the item to a jewellery shop to be checked first before making payment to avoid losses,” he said.

Harian Metro