Gold and fraud have a long and colourful history together. This is one of the reasons I find it so ironic today that so many people have been convinced that gold is the only “true currency–can’t be manipulated…” (My God if only they would read the centuries of sordid history in “The Power of Gold” by Peter Bernstein).
A recent complaint alleges 19 criminal counts against gold dealer/broker Goldline, the same company which sponsors Glen Beck’s talk show. Here are the details from the Santa Monica Daily Press yesterday:
“Attorneys with City Hall’s Consumer Protection Unit said Tuesday they have filed criminal charges against Santa Monica-based Goldline International for allegedly using conservative spokespeople such as Fox News’ Glenn Beck in a “bait-and-switch” operation to sell overpriced gold coins.
The 19-count criminal complaint was filed Tuesday against Goldline, one of the nation’s largest precious metal dealers, and several key executives and salespeople.
The charges, all of which are misdemeanors and carry a maximum penalty each of one year in jail and fines of between $1,000 and $10,000, include grand theft by false pretense, false advertising, conspiracy and elder abuse involving transactions that took place over the last three years.
…In launching the probe, investigators opened a new front in a long-running dispute over the way Goldline has turned the sale of gold into a massive retail operation that capitalizes on popular conservative figures like Beck who appeal to an audience that is naturally skeptical of the government and are uneasy about inflation and the state of American currency.”
The bottom line: promoting and profiting off wide-spread fear in the population has become a successful business model for a lot of gold firms in the last few years. When the gold bubble finally bursts once more maybe we can get people focused on real life solutions like getting risk sellers out of banking and financial advice, cleaning up our environment and pro-active diet and exercise habits. Too bad we couldn’t get Glen Beck selling for those concepts, apparently his followers would do what he suggests.
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‘maybe we can get people focused on real life solutions like getting risk sellers out of banking and financial advice, cleaning up our environment and pro-active diet and exercise habits.’
This is the best advice I have read anywhere.
“Attorneys with City Hall’s Consumer Protection Unit”…
City Hall procecutes while the SEC, FBI etc. look the other way with the huge frauds.
Bubblishious greed ….always brings out the “winners”….heard any shills promoting incubators or dot coms lately….remember the last days of the tech boom…..you had to absolutley own tech. it was the future….no one needed commodities they were finished horrible risky investment guaranteed to lose….tech is IT ……didn’t matter what the earnings were 200 times 1000 times who cares…they will grow into it…..buy and hold sleep at night….fast forward to today…..Gold and Silver it’s the future….paper is dead going to zero….all of it….Zimbabwe on steroids……buy gold NOW soon it will be $11000.00 and you will be sorry…..no bubble here!!
http://www.the-privateer.com/chart/usgmonth.html
Peter Schiff has been hammering GB and Goldline for months. It does point out however that many media programs do not have a sophisticated vetting process for advertisers. It sort of reminds me of the last US Presidential election.
Ms Park is one of the few Saint voices out there I love to listen to.
Danielle Park = The new leader and future Prime Minister of the all-new “Fiscally Conservative Party of Canada” 🙂