“The Jordanian paid the price of the gold after the swindler promised to bring the gold. The money paid was considerably less than the normal market price. The Jordanian complained to police about the man after the man did not return even though he waited for a reasonable period of time. The suspect is now in the custody of  the Sharafiyah police,” according to the source.

Instances of violations by gold sellers are on the increase in Jeddah.

In April, municipal inspectors found 19 out of 182 jewelry shops they inspected in the market violating regulations.

The director of commercial licensing and inspections in Jeddah municipality Bashir Abu Najm urged gold consumers to call 940 whenever they noticed any irregularities in buying gold or precious stones.

The official said municipal inspectors also found that most common violations in the jewelry market were due to negligence of regulations related to Saudization and licensing.