Thinking that after 4 years of waiting, she would earn a significant profit from the three gold bars she bought, the Chinese woman met an unexpected end.

Xiao Zhang is an office worker with a stable job and life in Hangzhou City (China). In 2020, the price of gold began to increase sharply, the investment market was flooded with advice on investing in gold to maintain asset value. After careful consideration, Xiao Zhang decided to buy gold and chose to buy at the store “Kim Quang Siem Siem” – a long-standing and reputable brand.

“At that time, there were so many customers that I had to wait in line for more than 30 minutes to get my turn,” she recalled.

That day, Xiao Zhang carefully selected and bought 3 gold bars, each weighing 10 grams, with a total value of up to 70,000 yuan (about 10000 USD). When she received the gold and the invoice, she felt extremely happy, kept them in the safe at home and dreamed of the day when the price of gold would increase to make a profit.

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This year, seeing that the price of gold had reached the desired level, Tieu Truong decided to sell. But when he brought the gold back to the old store, something unexpected happened.

Upon receiving the gold, the store employee immediately showed a strange attitude and called the manager to check. After carefully observing it with a magnifying glass, the manager frowned and bluntly declared: “Miss, this gold is fake.”

At the manager’s reply, Xiao Zhang became stunned and her whole body stiffened, she affirmed that this was impossible because she had bought it here!

However, the store manager shook his head and denied: “Our store absolutely does not sell fake gold. This gold was definitely not sold by us.”

Xiao Zhang was both worried and angry, so he quickly took out the purchase receipt to prove it. But the manager remained indifferent and replied, “The receipt only proves that you bought gold at our store. We cannot confirm that the gold bars you brought today are the same as the ones you bought back then.”

Ms. Tieu Truong’s gold purchase invoice. Photo: Sohu

A tense atmosphere filled the store. Xiao Zhang felt extremely uneasy. Was she being tricked or was there really some elaborate exchange plot?

With no other choice, she decided to call the police. When the authorities arrived, they offered two solutions: the store needed to provide an appraisal certificate confirming that the gold was fake, and Tieu Truong had to find the surveillance camera footage from the time of purchase to clarify the truth.

Legal Analysis

Xiao Zhang bought gold at a store but after 4 years discovered that the gold was fake. So how is this case considered under the law? Can she protect her rights?

According to Article 23 of the Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law of China, the goods and services provided by enterprises must ensure quality.

Thus, if the store really did sell fake gold, it could be considered a scam. According to Article 55 of this law in China, consumers have the right to request “a refund and compensation of three times the damage”, but the maximum compensation cannot exceed 500,000 yuan (about 1.7 billion VND).

If the investigation confirms that the store has committed fraud, they will not only have to refund and compensate, but may also face criminal liability due to the large amount of money involved, which shows signs of constituting fraud.

However, Xiao Zhang’s case is difficult because she only has a purchase receipt, no official invoice or certificate of inspection. This makes it difficult to prove that the three gold bars she currently owns are the ones she bought previously.

Up to now, this case still needs more evidence and appraisal to clarify the truth!