"Cash for Gold" Scam Cash4Gold Revisited

[LawrenceChard]

The "Cash for Gold" Scam goes back about 10 to 15 years, but I was reminded of it just today on seeing a TSF post which included "don't really want to sell by post!".

This made me suspect that the Cash4Gold scam / scandal is still having a negative effect genuine mail order / internet businesses even now.

As often, I used Google to check a few facts and dates. I use a mixture of "tabs", such as "all, "images, "news", This is a screenshot of today's "Cash for Gold" Scam News results:

I was not expecting James Stunt to be there, but I should have done.

I had never heard of the next few, but noted:

"About 281,000 results"

I have made a note to look at some of these later (more homework!).

I think many of them might be an interesting and worthwhile read for many TSF members.

This was my Google Search URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=cash+for+gold+scam&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB898GB898&sxsrf=ALiCzsZrhdmf72x3dvFvvMTXgwH-act2jA:1651740916585&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiD7N-0_sf3AhUEZcAKHbM2AXEQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1280&bih=620&dpr=2

I noticed that @dicker started a TSF topic some time ago, but with a slightly different slant:

Even more homework!

😎

[dicker]

I saw a fairly cunning scheme that was stopped in the US.

The Cash for Gold company offered 99 or 100pct of spot, prepaid envelopes etc etc, got great reviews over a few months.

Then they simply stopped paying and kept going raking in the gold and disappeared.  Cunning but not clever. 

[LawrenceChard]

4 hours ago, dicker said:

I saw a fairly cunning scheme that was stopped in the US.

The Cash for Gold company offered 99 or 100pct of spot, prepaid envelopes etc etc, got great reviews over a few months.

Then they simply stopped paying and kept going raking in the gold and disappeared.  Cunning but not clever. 

I am about halfway through reading the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash4Gold

Which is interesting, and worth a read.

😎

[dicker]

@LawrenceChard

Also worth a read

https://consumerist.com/2009/02/02/10-confessions-of-a-cash4gold-employee/

[LawrenceChard]

8 minutes ago, dicker said:

@LawrenceChard

Also worth a read

https://consumerist.com/2009/02/02/10-confessions-of-a-cash4gold-employee/

Thanks for the link (more homework!).

I did see that "After a whistleblower posted on ComplaintsBoard.com discussing the inner workings of Cash4Gold.com, The Consumerist and other blogs were hit with a defamation suit by Cash4Gold.com after running the postings. In September 2009, Cash4Gold.com dropped Consumerist from their lawsuit."

I get quite angry when big companies / corporations use financial muscle to threaten or file defamation proceedings when the company is guilty or wrong, and the whistleblower or commentator is right.

Reminds me of Robert Maxwell, and I am sure there are plenty of other dodgy, devious, dastards our there doing similar.

 

[dicker]

26 minutes ago, LawrenceChard said:

Thanks for the link (more homework!).

I did see that "After a whistleblower posted on ComplaintsBoard.com discussing the inner workings of Cash4Gold.com, The Consumerist and other blogs were hit with a defamation suit by Cash4Gold.com after running the postings. In September 2009, Cash4Gold.com dropped Consumerist from their lawsuit."

I get quite angry when big companies / corporations use financial muscle to threaten or file defamation proceedings when the company is guilty or wrong, and the whistleblower or commentator is right.

Reminds me of Robert Maxwell, and I am sure there are plenty of other dodgy, devious, dastards our there doing similar.

 

There are indeed many companies and individuals who are highly litigious in order to protect their “reputation”.

I won’t court (pun intended) a libel action but one only has to look at Savile who used the law to hide his noncing.  Wonder if that will get through the word filter!

Documentaries suggest Theranos did the same.

 

[LawrenceChard]

2 minutes ago, dicker said:

There are indeed many companies and individuals who are highly litigious in order to protect their “reputation”.

I won’t court (pun intended) a libel action but one only has to look at Savile who used the law to hide his noncing.  Wonder if that will get through the word filter!

Documentaries suggest Theranos did the same.

 

I had to look Theranos up, because I had forgotten, but yes, there seem to be cheats almost everywhere!