Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How To Protect Yourself From Gold Scams

Gold fraud is everywhere across the globe. The scams can be relatively simple or astoundingly complex. For the most part the end result remains the same; hard working people scammed out of their money. These days it seems as though the scam artists have no shame. The scammers have even gone as far as to prey on the elderly, having them take out a reverse mortgage on their homes and then stealing all the money those people thought they were investing.

So how you protect yourself and avoid such pitfalls? The most important thing you can do is get educated about gold and the gold market before you make any purchases. A good thing to learn is what the current price of spot gold is when you plan on making a purchase. Typically, most dealers will charge about 5% over the gold spot price. If the dealer of gold wants you to pay more than that, it is time to find yourself another gold dealer. The best thing to do is find a dealer with years of experience. Not only will they be knowledgeable, but they will have a great passion for their work if they have devoted years of their life to it.

Before choosing a dealer or company you need to do some research about them! Most reputable dealers belong to the American Numismatic Association or the Professional Numismatists Guild. This adds an extra layer of protection because the dealer must be ethical and make a fair attempt to resolve any conflicts. Failure to comply with the rules of these associations can result in the dealer losing their membership. Also check out the Better Business Bureau. On their website you can find what their rating is and if they have had any complaints lodged against their company.