Many precious metals investors like the idea of physical bullion because, unlike paper money, it is difficult to counterfeit. That said, when there is a will, there is a way. In recent years, there have been extremely concerning cases of gold counterfeit, and investors that are not fully prepared can get duped.
That’s why we worked with our friends at Silver.com to put together this handy infographic list of ways to test for fake gold or silver.
Some pointers that we think are particularly important:
Always buy from a reputable merchant. If you buy directly from something like Craigslist or Ebay, there are no guarantees that your product is authentic.
Mints are starting to fight back as well – some newer products have additional security features to prevent counterfeiting.
Know and understand how the different tests for fake bullion work, and use them to verify that your gold or silver is real.
