These itinerant gold traders who surround you – rts.ch

Currently, “itinerant” gold traders flood Switzerland for “promotional days”. They propose to acquire your old gold jewelry that drag at the bottom of the cupboards. In exchange, they promise “cash”, “record prices” or “instant cash”. An attractive offer given the current price record of gold.

To find out who really hides behind these leaflets, journalists from the SRF German -German media investigation cell have gone to meet gold merchants. And this, under cover, as customers, with real gold and equipped with hidden cameras. A report that reveals behind the scenes of a world filled with manipulations and lies.

Development of the trap

Two necklaces, three bracelets, two rings and a pair of ear clips: 166 grams of pure gold, for a value, to date, of 14,000 francs. This is what SRF journalists used as a bait.

Jewelry is a loan from Patrick Huber, who has been directing a precious metal trading company in Aarau for 33 years. “Each jewel has a punch and is therefore easily recognizable as authentic,” he explains. With this marking system, a professional should immediately know what products he is dealing with. And at what decent price he should buy them.

The target of journalists: the company “Pelz & Edelmetall Ankauf Temetra” (“purchase of furs and precious metals Temetra”), based in Olten (right of response in box at the bottom of the article). Founded in February 2025, she quickly organized a six -day “purchasing campaign” in a store rented for the occasion.

This old friendly man does not exist

According to the company’s leaflet, the merchant is looking for gold, but also fur jackets (“pelz”). SRF Investigativ journalists therefore acquire two old coats, easily found in a thrift store for a hundred francs.

The promotional leaflet presents the photo of an elderly man with a friendly air, suggesting that he would be the owner. But this same photo is found on several other prospectuses, with names – Brandon or Biela instead of Valentino -, different addresses and telephone numbers.

Finally, once on the scene, in the Olten store, in place of the old smiling gentleman, two young men in costume await the journalists of SRF under cover.

Incorrect weighings and confusing offers

After having briefly examined the furs, the oldest of the two men, who takes care of negotiations, offers 2,700 francs. He asks questions about gold and examines him carefully in search of punches.

Suddenly, the merchant changes strategy and no longer wants to have anything to do with the coats. “Unfortunately, you have brought too little gold for the price of 2,700 francs.” He needs “at least 200 additional grams”. He then asks to go get more gold at home. When journalists refuse, he hired a confused conversation on the evolution of the price of gold. Then, he weighs the jewelry, while making sure to hide the display of the balance – a prohibited practice, according to Patrick Huber.

Then, he explains that jewelry contains “metals, lead and copper”, and that only “22.6 grams of pure gold” remains in total. It offers only 2750 francs for jewelry and furs. As a reminder, the jewelry provided by SRF corresponds to 166 grams of pure gold and earned 14,000 francs.

Cash and rarity effect

Journalists, still under cover, retort to be surprised by the low gold weight. The merchant suddenly offers 4,150 francs, whom he throws on the table in a hundred and thousand tickets.

When journalists pretend to hesitate, the seller continues to put pressure. He explains that it is the last day of his campaign, and that he will not return for six months. A manipulation which plays on “the effect of rarity”, a cognitive bias which pushes us to give greater value to an opportunity perceived as limited in time.

False customers then leave the shop. The merchant remains empty -handed. The next day, officially returned to the scene as journalists, SRF reporters confront one of the two resellers still on the spot. He boots in touch, and says that the day before was not a scam. The customer is “free to accept it or not”.

Best price only for “beautiful jewelry”

Still under cover, SRF Investigativ journalists try to approach another merchant. According to its leaflet, the company “Gold-Chästli F. Zozerd” buys jewelry in a Winterthour restaurant for four days. “From gold to 90 francs per gram,” says the promotional offer.

During the examination of the most precious jewelry of the SRF collection, Frank Zozerd, the merchant, would not have found the punch indicating that the chain is in real gold. Although he used the magnifying glass to help him.

Finally, it offers 8000 francs for eight jewelry. This sum represents, in proportion, only 55 francs the gram instead of the 90 francs promised on the flyer. The dealer is explained: “The offer only concerns beautiful jewelry. No one carries yours.”

Then, he too trains his (false) customers in a confused conversation on the price of gold. And with him either, the balance of the scale with which he weighs the jewelry is not available. Journalists therefore leave the restaurant.

Physical confrontations with journalists

When they return to Winterthour’s restaurant as reporters of SRF, a second man is there. While the owner Frank Zozerd kindly proposes to recalculate his offer, the second man vehemently demands that journalists leave the scene. He ends up repelling them physically towards the exit, with the help of Frank Zozerd. Then they locate the door.

In front of the restaurant, a third man bombes journalists with insults and threats. The other two men leave the restaurant and do the same. Journalists then leave the premises as quickly as possible.

At the time of the publication of the article by SRF Investigativ, the German -speaking public media had not received a response from Frank Zozerd to the multiple written requests concerning the incident and the abnormally low purchase offer.

Original article: Sonja Mühlemann, Simone Rau, Philippe Odermatt (Authors), Nadine Woodtli (producer), Christian Schürer (Project management)

French adaptation: Julien Furrer (RTS)