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A man has been charged with fraud after he allegedly pretended to find gold ingots and Buddha figurines.
Richmond RCMP warned the public about the false gold scheme back in March, and on June 25th, charges were laid against 44-year-old Bao Sheng Zhong, a Chinese national living in Richmond. He’s been charged with three counts of fraud for three victims, two women and one man. All the victims were Asian in descent and spoke Mandarin, and they were from throughout the Lower Mainland.
The "will" that was used to deceive the victims. (Photo Credit: RCMP Handout)
Zhong allegedly pretended to be a construction worker who had discovered a treasure trove of gold ingots and Buddha figurines, as well as an ancient will. He then allegedly befriended the victims and convinced them of the authenticity and value of his “find”. The gold was tested to confirm authenticity, but a sample of gold was switched before testing with some sleight of hand.
"It is unfortunate for us to have to reiterate, but if a deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is," said Cst. Janice Xia of the Richmond RCMP. In the original warning to the public, RCMP said some of the victims had been defrauded of several tens of thousands of dollars for the "priceless" ancient Chinese treasures.
“To my knowledge, this arrest is perhaps the first publicized of its kind in Canada,” said Corporal Dennis Hwang. “This type of crime has occurred in other parts of the world. Recently there was a similar arrest made in Japan. Other arrests were reportedly made in Singapore. We have also seen public warnings from Law Enforcement in the United States.”
The gold ingots. (Photo Credit: RCMP Handout)
He said the circumstances were “uncanny in similarity” and that tips from the public really helped focus their efforts.
“This has been one of the most comprehensive and complex investigations I have ever been involved with. We pulled all the stops. We hated seeing this type of crime occurring in our backyard.” said Constable Jon Francis of the Richmond RCMP Economic Crime Unit (ECU).
All of the "treasure". (Photo Credit: RCMP Handout)
Richmond RCMP say to be cautious if someone is offering or selling something of great value. They recommend having all gold pieces individually tested by an independent testing facility and having legal counsel involved to protect both the buyer and seller.
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