Last March, SilverDoctors broke news that quickly went viral throughout the PM community that a tungsten filled gold bar had been discovered in the UK.
Apparently Manhattan jewelry dealer Ibrahim Fadl caught the SD story, because he apparently decided to drill into his 10oz PAMP Suisse gold bar because he had heard rumors of tungsten filled gold bars. Rather than $18,000 worth of gold, Fadl discovered a beautiful $10 slab of tungsten.
Fadl ‘had heard counterfeit gold bars were going around, so he drilled into several of his gold bars worth $100,000 and saw gray tungsten — not gold. The bar was filled with tungsten, which weighs nearly the same as gold but costs just over a dollar an ounce.‘
We now have our 2nd official confirmation of tungsted laced gold, and while still not a 400oz London bar, we seem to have a more professional counterfitting situation on our hands.
The local FoxNY broke the story tonight:
What makes so devious is a real gold bar is purchased with the serial numbers and papers, then it is hollowed out, the gold is sold, the tungsten is put in, then the bar is closed up. That is a sophisticated operation.
MTB, the Swiss manufacturer of the gold bars, said customers should only buy from a reputable merchant. The problem, he admits, is Ibrahim Fadl is a very reputable merchant.
Raymond Nessim, CEO Manfra, Tordell & Brookes, said he has reported the situation to the FBI and Secret Service.
The Secret Service, which deals with counterfeits, said it is investigating.
2 則留言:
The situation is really alarming.
especially, the fake silver panda and fake PAMP gold bar have the same weighs.
回Yan,
所以大家須保持警惕, 少去拍賣網, 少買大條, 除非是同幣廠買 !
買剛上市的新出幣也是避假的好方法 :)
張貼留言