London – The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has issued a warning following reports of people mysteriously receiving rings in the post accompanied by certificates claiming to be from Gem-A.
The organisation, which does not offer grading services or issue reports of any kind, said it had no involvement with the packages.
People have reported receiving a “platinum diamond solitaire ring” – a claim that Gem-A says has not been verified by any laboratory testing to its knowledge – in a grey or pink ring box that arrives in a pink gift bag with “Princess” in gold lettering.
The ring is accompanied by a laminated “Certificate of Identification” purportedly from the “Fellowship of Gemological Association of Great Britain”. (The fake certificate contains a spelling error, as Gem-A uses the traditional British spelling of “gemmological” in its name).
The fake certificate also includes the logos of the International Gemological Institute, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, the Platinum Guild International and the Gemological Institute of America.
Gem-A has reportedly said that there are no identifying postage labels, receipts, confirmation letters or information documents in the shipment.
Recent comments on a post about the mysterious packages on Gem-A’s Facebook page suggest that people received the ring by chance after attempting to order books from an e-commerce site called Ahodenare.com.”Organisations in the jewellery and gemstone sector are no strangers to fraudulent practices, but this strange pattern of unsuspecting members of the public receiving jewellery with bogus ‘certificates of identification’ is baffling and disturbing,” said Gem-A CEO Alan Hart.
“As an educational and membership organisation, we don’t manufacture jewellery, nor do we offer any grading or gem identification services. Although our members and those in the trade are undoubtedly aware of this, the public is less informed. We are monitoring the situation closely.
Gem-A said it was alerted to a similar situation in March this year after isolated incidents were reported on social media and by email, but said the practice has “resurfaced” and affected multiple parties.
It said the recipients were from geographically diverse areas, including the UK and Northern Europe.Also in March, the American Gem Society issued a warning to consumers about a scam in which people received unexpected packages of “inferior jewellery” accompanied by a fake lab report.
Some of the fake lab reports claimed the jewellery was graded by the Gales Gemological Research Association (GRA) and set with moissanite. Others were branded GIA and stated that the stone in the jewellery was a diamond.
GIA said it received more than 50 calls about the packages over a three-month period from California, Texas and other states.
The March incidents, as well as the current one involving Gem-A, could be examples of a brushing scam, which the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) defines as “a person receiving a package from a company containing various items that the person never ordered.
The goal is for the scammer to pose as a verified buyer of the product so that they can post fake positive reviews about it online to boost their product’s rating and popularity.
The DOJ warns that packages are often addressed to the person’s home, but lack a return address, which may mean the recipient’s personal information has been compromised.
Gem-A said on 22 August that a police report had been filed and that the investigation was ongoing.
Also in March, the American Gem Society issued a warning to consumers about a scam in which people received unexpected packages of “inferior jewellery” accompanied by a fake lab report.
Some of the fake lab reports claimed the jewellery was graded by the Gales Gemological Research Association (GRA) and set with moissanite. Others were branded GIA and stated that the stone in the jewellery was a diamond.
GIA said it received more than 50 calls about the packages over a three-month period from California, Texas and other states.
The March incidents, as well as the current one involving Gem-A, could be examples of a brushing scam, which the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) defines as “a person receiving a package from a company containing various items that the person never ordered.
The goal is for the scammer to pose as a verified buyer of the product so that they can post fake positive reviews about it online to boost their product’s rating and popularity.
The DOJ warns that packages are often addressed to the person’s home, but lack a return address, which may mean the recipient’s personal information has been compromised.
Gem-A said on 22 August that a police report had been filed and that the investigation was ongoing.
“We have not received any reports of follow up from the sender(s) attempting to extort money or information from the recipients of these fraudulent packages,” Hart said.
“However, we are asking everyone to be on high alert. We urge you not to give out your personal or business details in this scenario and encourage you to seek advice before taking any next steps.”
