There are important actions to take if you are the victim of or are an investigator looking into crimes involving gold or rare coins, according to Michael Fuljenz, President of Universal Coin & Bullion who spoke at a recent seminar for law enforcement officers at the Florida United Numismatists convention.
“Never give up, always be persistent if you are the victim of fraud when you buy or sell gold, silver or rare coins,” advises Michael Fuljenz, President of Universal Coin and Bullion (www.UniversalCoin.com) in Beaumont, Texas.
His “never-give-up” advice is the same to law enforcement agencies assigned to investigate those kinds of crimes. Fuljenz recently was a keynote speaker to more than 40 local, state and federal law enforcement officers attending a day-long seminar in Orlando, Florida conducted by the Texas-based Numismatic Crime Information Center (www.numismaticcrimes.org).
“Even though the crime of someone not getting paid in full for what they sold, or not receiving everything they ordered, may seem to be a civil case, there are precedents across the country for law enforcement and victims to pursue criminal charges against the perpetrators,” he emphasized at the seminar.
Fuljenz armed the investigators with detailed information about specific cases and precedents where law enforcement agencies, including local police departments, postal inspectors, the FBI, US Attorney’s office and the IRS, were able to successfully prosecute dishonest dealers when they did not complete a transaction in a reasonable amount of time with someone buying or selling precious metals or rare coins.
“The Numismatic Crime Information Center (NCIC) was fortunate to again have Mike Fuljenz as an instructor at the recent Numismatic Crime Investigation seminar for law enforcement,” said Doug Davis, founder and president of NCIC. He is a retired Police Chief of Pantego, Texas.
The seminar was held January 10, 2014 in conjunction with the 59th annual Florida United Numismatists convention in Orlando.
“Mr. Fuljenz has worked with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies across the country as an expert and assisted with the drafting of precious metals legislation in the State of Texas. He provided detectives with a wealth of information and resources including case law related to the prosecution of individuals or companies who commit fraud within the numismatic industry,” Davis explained.
As member of the Board of Crime Stoppers of Beaumont, Texas, Fuljenz advises victims of numismatic crimes to “be vigilant about pursuing every possible resource to recover your money or valuables. Contact credit card companies (if the purchase was made with a credit card), local, regional and federal law enforcement agencies, local Crime Stoppers organizations, coin dealers, coin organizations and other useful resources such as the Numismatic Crime Information Center. Be persistent.”
For additional information about the NCIC, visit www.numismaticcrimes.org or email Doug@numismaticcrimes.org.
For additional information about Universal Coin & Bullion and to read the award-winning weekly Michael Fuljenz Metals Market Report, visit www.UniversalCoin.com.
