The mechanism
Physical gold already has a deep, competitive market. A holder of real metal can sell through licensed channels after normal spreads, assay, and logistics. An unsolicited cheap-metal offer is not, by itself, proof of fraud. The discount is a warning. The scam pattern is triggered when fabricated title or custody, forged documents, or fees to "release" the metal sit on top of that price.
ICC's Financial Investigation Bureau has flagged discounted gold offers as a lure for advance-fee and shipment fraud, including terms and quantities that were not credible. Official minerals-authority warnings make the same point: gold or diamonds offered far below the prevailing market price, backed by fake documents, fit a scam pattern.
Who benefits, and who is targeted
The person collecting an advance, a release charge, or a storage claim benefits. A real titleholder has little reason to gift strangers a private markdown with no structural cause. The targets are buyers who believe they have been let into a closed source, including firms that defer suspicion at an attractive price.
The independent check
Do not pay to unlock the metal. Confirm the seller and the bars with a licensed assayer, vault, or competent authority through a contact you find yourself. The usual sequels are a demand for an "export tax" or transport fee, or a claim that the gold is already allocated in storage. Both are addressed in this cluster.
Sources