PENDLETON, Ore – Business owners are being asked to be on the lookout after some phony gold coins were passed last week.
An unknown customer recently used two fake gold coins at a gas station, according to Pendleton Police and businesses should now consider possibly requesting a different form of payment if customers try to pay with gold.
The two fake coins used at the gas station looked real enough to the naked eye that the station owner replaced them in their till with their own money in the hopes of selling the coins, according to Pendleton Police Chief Charles Byram.
According to the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation, the best way to determine if a gold coin is real is to have it inspected or authenticated by a third-party dealer or grading service.
The coins were determined to be fake when the owner had them evaluated before any potential sale, according to Chief Byram.
Pendleton PD is actively investigating the incident and anyone who receives a gold coin they suspect may be fake should turn it over to local law enforcement as soon as possible.
The offenses for using counterfeit money, including coinage in Oregon, can include fraud, deception or possession of a forged instrument, according to Oregon Revised Statute Chapter 165. Penalties for making or using counterfeit money vary by offense and range from misdemeanors to felonies.
According to the investment platform EE. Gold’s How to Tell If a Gold Coin Is Real or Fake: Ultimate Guide (2025), gold coins should be inspected for clean edges and defined detail, such as mint marks and serial numbers. The color of the coin should also be noted, with pure gold having a yellow-ish hue that isn’t overly shiny or dull. Finally, the weight of the coin should be checked with a digital scale as gold is minted to precise specifications.
